I've been on vacation the past two weeks, well, just because.... I've spent a lot of time taking care of family business, visiting friends I haven't hung out with in awhile, and I've actually felt pretty busy. Today was the day I gave myself permission to do whatever I wanted. Mandatory downtime, so to speak. And how did I spend it? Surfing the web. For class. Voluntarily.
I am still absolutely blown away by the "cyber-revolution" as CNN calls the current situation in Iran. It's not just what's going on to protest the election; it's the manner in which the information coming out of the country has gone viral. It is an awesome (in the true meaning of the word) spectacle to behold. Go Twitter!
I watched the YouTube video, "The machine is us/ing us" and was fascinated by it. I searched for its creator, Mike Wesch, and found an hour-long presentation he did that discusses the aftermath of the video and the digital ethnography work he's doing at Kansas State onYouTube. Here is the link if anyone else is interested: http://mediatedcultures.net/youtube.htm
I was a social psychology major in college, and I'm specifically interested in group dynamics. My interests align with cultural anthropology, and I often enjoy digging deeper into the "why" of "why do people do these things?" His presentation helped me better understand the "why" of the YouTube phenomenon.
Wesch says he views media as mediating human relations, and that changes in media reflect changes in human relations. YouTube, and I would suggest other methods of networking on-line as well, are ways to connect in a world where community is otherwise in decline. He states that our way of life has become individualized, independent, and commercialized, but that we actually desire the inverse: community, relationships, and authenticity. He calls this a cultural inversion.
I realize that these are broader context issues and aren't HR specific. But, I think how we work reflects broader social issues. If HR folks pay attention to how culture is shifting around us, we can stay ahead of the curve where human/employee relations are concerned. People truly do want to feel connected and want to feel they are part of a community. This is where I get back on topic and try to relate this to Human Resources. If HRIS can use technology to further enhance the sense of work communities, then it will be a very beneficial enhancement. I'm excited about what I've learned about Web 2.0 technology and its potential to bring people together. I can see the HRIS potential conceptually (remember we have no HRIS where I work) and I'm interested in learning more about the reality as our class progresses.
Oh, and I put everyone's blogs on Google Reader today (great job, everyone; fun to read!)
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" ...are ways to connect in a world where community is otherwise in decline. He states that our way of life has become individualized, independent, and commercialized, but that we actually desire the inverse: community, relationships, and authenticity. He calls this a cultural inversion"."
ReplyDeleteHi Vicky! You write well too! :) I enjoyed your post. I took a sociology 100 class in college as well, and we actually touched a little on the subject of the "cultural inversion", although back then (even as recent as 2001), I don't think this was highly recognized yet.
I also agree with Wesch and what you posted above about how even though we live independently but we also crave the connection. Looking back at the evolution of digital communication, I think because we have evolved into using the web so much, we allowed ourselves to become so independent through eliminating redundancies-- for example, consumers rarely go to the record/music store anymore to buy music-- they go to Amazon.com. And because of that, they lack the connection of seeing other customers and talking to the cashier. By nature, humans need to be around others, hence we crave the connection, but we deny ourselves that pleasure because everyone's so busy and trying to be efficient and independent.