The document discusses the impact of web 2.0 on communication within the network society, highlighting both its potential to connect individuals and the superficiality it can create. Personal anecdotes illustrate how relationships can be maintained through digital communication, yet they may not reflect true intimacy. The author stresses the difference between potential and actual communication, urging attention to the depth of interactions in a digital age.

1. Network Society
ARIN 6901 Digital Cultures Program
Semester 2, 2010
The University of Sydney
Nicola Giusto
Monday, 4 October 2010

2. Generally speaking
email, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Msn, Icq
are tools that have to do with...
• Connecting people
• Social relationship
• Common interest exchange
• Communication and community
• Telecommunication
Monday, 4 October 2010

3. A common idea is that since web 2.0 has been
introduced people gain new possibilities to
communicate each other
By definition, network society is made by a net
of relationships increasing constantly
e.g. 2 young lovers can keep in touch better
now than in the past while they are studying in
different countries
Monday, 4 October 2010

4. Are we really
more
connected?
Monday, 4 October 2010

5. A personal example:
Two years ago, I went abroad for 6 months
I and my ex girlfriend were divided only by
1200 km
But... We had Skype!!
When I came back home, we suddenly broke
up. Before do it, we wanted to realise a last
farewell gift
Monday, 4 October 2010

6. Farewell gift instructions
• We collect 24 (12 + 12) claims from our
chats or emails that we didn’t like
• We stamp them on pillars inside a
dismissed factory near our city
• She finally presented this as an art
academic assignment and I wrote
introduction and article
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7. “I let you know: I won’t be at home this evening”
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8. “When I logged in, you have never been online”
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9. “Sorry if I do not spend enough time online”
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10. “Hi, I don’t know if I’ll be still online after”
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11. “I don’t know when we’ll be able to chat”
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12. “Are you working? Aren’t you? I hope to chat today or
tomorrow”
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13. “Tonight I’m out while I might be online tomorrow”
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14. What do I mean?
• I don’t mean our relationship ends because
of web 2.0
• I mean to point out it is not obvious - as
we might all think - social networks
improve human communication skills
• they increase “potentially” communication
so we’re all closer in time and distance but
they do not affect our “actual” or “real”
way to communicate
Monday, 4 October 2010

15. My idea is
we should pay more attention to:
• potential vs actual
• deep vs superficial
• virtual vs real
Monday, 4 October 2010

16. Conclusion
Think to communication as a mass of plastilina
or play-doh. It becomes thin as more as you
stress it
Network Society has stressed it more than any
other previous society
So human being has now a disparate need to
communicate because we are all living in a fake
communicational world
Monday, 4 October 2010

17. Thank you
Monday, 4 October 2010