Web 2.0 Blues: The Politics of Access

Web 2.0 Blues: The Politics of Access

If you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, you may not have heard about the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco last week. As I’m the Mistress of All That Is Mobile around here, I spent my time at Web 2.0 in sessions about Mobile 2.0. On the last day of last week’s Web 2.0 Expo, Marc Davis, Yahoo Deep Thinker (his title is actually “Social Media Guru”), gave one of the most interesting talks, titled “Understanding Mobile: From Web 2.0 to World 2.0.” Marc spoke about how your mobile device “mediates between the web and the world.” Quoting a prediction that soon your mobile device will replace both your keys and your wallet, Davis further predicted that your device will track how you move through space, time, and social situations. Pictures taken with your device will not only have date and time stamps, but also other contextual information such as the GPS coordinates of your location when you took the picture. This type of  contextual information increases the possibilities for machine intelligence by a significant percentage. 

To describe the kind of context-based data your device will be collecting, Davis urged attendees to imagine that they had, of an evening, gone out drinking with buddies, gotten really drunk, and then woken up—face in the gutter—in a foreign country, with no idea how they’d arrived there. In the Web 2.0 world, your device would be able to provide you with context in such a situation: your LBS would tell you location, the clock would tell you the time, and, after getting your bearings, looking up your credit card account might even begin to help you piece together the rest of the evening that you don’t remember, including charges from the last bar you were at, and maybe your airline and flight time. Cool, fine. But now that you know where you are and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you did last night, who else knows? Now’s the time that the TGIFriday’s in Hong Kong texts you with a two-for-one deal on Bloody Marys.

It seems that our fears about the compelling nature of the Internet creating a generation of worm-pale, agoraphobic, socially-stunted hermits have given way to fears of a generation of 1440 minute-a-day consumers. “Where are you paying your attention?” Davis asked. This is not only what advertisers want to know, but what other speakers in a different session insisted developers need to know, to create applications that advertisers will want to sponsor. And according to Davis, Web 2.0 devices will collect it for them. So now that “they” know where you’re “paying your attention,” you’re liable to have someone in your face selling you something at every turn. Unlikely, you say? No one would send you unwanted messages? Well, we haven’t been able to stop spam, have we? I know I spent about 25 minutes this morning deleting it.

However, for the purposes of this blog, I’m not really that worried about advertisers and their spam. I’m worried about what I’m calling the “politics of access.” How much of a choice will we have about what information is recorded and who sees it? Will we be able to turn off some of these data-collecting functions? Hopefully.

Davis also mentioned the recent attempts to aggregate our social networking profiles (MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.). Really? Do I really want to be contaminating my Facebook high school contacts with my professional LinkedIn contacts? I don’t know about you, but I freaked out when I received a MySpace friend request from my mother. My MySpace page is for friends my age. Cool as she is, my mother doesn’t really need to see, or know, what kinds of things I’m sharing with people my age.

What’s really at issue here is the boundary collapse between our private selves and our professional selves. How much access do we want to allow people in our professional lives to our personal and vice versa? Are we really looking forward to this “social mobile ecosystem”? If college kids can be denied jobs because of what’s on their Facebook pages, can a prospective Microsoft employee get fired for working on a Ubuntu release in his spare time? What if you’re in a death metal band and your boss thinks this is amoral? In reverse, what if some mentally unstable former romantic interest finds your MySpace page and, because you’ve got it hooked up with your LinkedIn, starts harassing people in your deparment? 

I suppose it’s natural that in such a self-obsessed culture, where many willingly broadcast all kinds of personal information into the ether, we’re going to have to get used to people knowing (or expecting to know) where you are and even perhaps what you are doing, 24-7. And while the melding of private time and work time theoretically leads to a more holistic, less compartmentalized life (re: a good thing), my hunch is that it will probably only go one way. Areas that were once “private” territory will continue to be exposed as public–this accessibility is leading to the colonization of our private selves. Our “private lives” as we knew them, will cease to exist. Nothing will “stay in Vegas.”  

devx-admin

devx-admin

Share the Post:
AI Girlfriend Craze

AI Girlfriend Craze Threatens Relationships

The surge in virtual AI girlfriends’ popularity is playing a role in the escalating issue of loneliness among young males, and this could have serious

AIOps Innovations

Senser is Changing AIOps

Senser, an AIOps platform based in Tel Aviv, has introduced its groundbreaking AI-powered observability solution to support developers and operations teams in promptly pinpointing the

Malyasian Networks

Malaysia’s Dual 5G Network Growth

On Wednesday, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the country’s plan to implement a dual 5G network strategy. This move is designed to achieve a

Advanced Drones Race

Pentagon’s Bold Race for Advanced Drones

The Pentagon has recently unveiled its ambitious strategy to acquire thousands of sophisticated drones within the next two years. This decision comes in response to

Important Updates

You Need to See the New Microsoft Updates

Microsoft has recently announced a series of new features and updates across their applications, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint. These new developments are centered

AI Girlfriend Craze

AI Girlfriend Craze Threatens Relationships

The surge in virtual AI girlfriends’ popularity is playing a role in the escalating issue of loneliness among young males, and this could have serious repercussions for America’s future. A

AIOps Innovations

Senser is Changing AIOps

Senser, an AIOps platform based in Tel Aviv, has introduced its groundbreaking AI-powered observability solution to support developers and operations teams in promptly pinpointing the root causes of service disruptions

Bebop Charging Stations

Check Out The New Bebob Battery Charging Stations

Bebob has introduced new 4- and 8-channel battery charging stations primarily aimed at rental companies, providing a convenient solution for clients with a large quantity of batteries. These wall-mountable and

Malyasian Networks

Malaysia’s Dual 5G Network Growth

On Wednesday, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the country’s plan to implement a dual 5G network strategy. This move is designed to achieve a more equitable incorporation of both

Advanced Drones Race

Pentagon’s Bold Race for Advanced Drones

The Pentagon has recently unveiled its ambitious strategy to acquire thousands of sophisticated drones within the next two years. This decision comes in response to Russia’s rapid utilization of airborne

Important Updates

You Need to See the New Microsoft Updates

Microsoft has recently announced a series of new features and updates across their applications, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint. These new developments are centered around improving user experience, streamlining

Price Wars

Inside Hyundai and Kia’s Price Wars

South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are cutting the prices on a number of their electric vehicles (EVs) in response to growing price competition within the South Korean market. Many

Solar Frenzy Surprises

Solar Subsidy in Germany Causes Frenzy

In a shocking turn of events, the German national KfW bank was forced to discontinue its home solar power subsidy program for charging electric vehicles (EVs) after just one day,

Electric Spare

Electric Cars Ditch Spare Tires for Efficiency

Ira Newlander from West Los Angeles is thinking about trading in his old Ford Explorer for a contemporary hybrid or electric vehicle. However, he has observed that the majority of

Solar Geoengineering Impacts

Unraveling Solar Geoengineering’s Hidden Impacts

As we continue to face the repercussions of climate change, scientists and experts seek innovative ways to mitigate its impacts. Solar geoengineering (SG), a technique involving the distribution of aerosols

Razer Discount

Unbelievable Razer Blade 17 Discount

On September 24, 2023, it was reported that Razer, a popular brand in the premium gaming laptop industry, is offering an exceptional deal on their Razer Blade 17 model. Typically

Innovation Ignition

New Fintech Innovation Ignites Change

The fintech sector continues to attract substantial interest, as demonstrated by a dedicated fintech stage at a recent event featuring panel discussions and informal conversations with industry professionals. The gathering,

Import Easing

Easing Import Rules for Big Tech

India has chosen to ease its proposed restrictions on imports of laptops, tablets, and other IT hardware, allowing manufacturers like Apple Inc., HP Inc., and Dell Technologies Inc. more time

Semiconductor Stock Plummet

Dramatic Downturn in Semiconductor Stocks Looms

Recent events show that the S&P Semiconductors Select Industry Index seems to be experiencing a downturn, which could result in a decline in semiconductor stocks. Known as a key indicator

Anthropic Investment

Amazon’s Bold Anthropic Investment

On Monday, Amazon announced its plan to invest up to $4 billion in the AI firm Anthropic, acquiring a minority stake in the process. This decision demonstrates Amazon’s commitment to

AI Experts Get Hired

Tech Industry Rehiring Wave: AI Experts Wanted

A few months ago, Big Tech companies were downsizing their workforce, but currently, many are considering rehiring some of these employees, especially in popular fields such as artificial intelligence. The

Lagos Migration

Middle-Class Migration: Undermining Democracy?

As the middle class in Lagos, Nigeria, increasingly migrates to private communities, a PhD scholar from a leading technology institute has been investigating the impact of this development on democratic

AI Software Development

ChatGPT is Now Making Video Games

Pietro Schirano’s foray into using ChatGPT, an AI tool for programming, has opened up new vistas in game and software development. As design lead at business finance firm Brex, Schirano

Llama Codebot

Developers! Here’s Your Chatbot

Meta Platforms has recently unveiled Code Llama, a free chatbot designed to aid developers in crafting coding scripts. This large language model (LLM), developed using Meta’s Llama 2 model, serves

Tech Layoffs

Unraveling the Tech Sector’s Historic Job Losses

Throughout 2023, the tech sector has experienced a record-breaking number of job losses, impacting tens of thousands of workers across various companies, including well-established corporations and emerging startups in areas

Chinese 5G Limitation

Germany Considers Limiting Chinese 5G Tech

A recent report has put forth the possibility that Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community may consider limiting the use of Chinese 5G technology by local network providers

Modern Warfare

The Barak Tank is Transforming Modern Warfare

The Barak tank is a groundbreaking addition to the Israeli Defense Forces’ arsenal, significantly enhancing their combat capabilities. This AI-powered military vehicle is expected to transform the way modern warfare

AI Cheating Growth

AI Plagiarism Challenges Shake Academic Integrity

As generative AI technologies like ChatGPT become increasingly prevalent among students and raise concerns about widespread cheating, prominent universities have halted their use of AI detection software, such as Turnitin’s