Every time we publish information on the internet, we are effectively starting a conversation, because people can respond or react to it. However, we are also speaking to a vast, unknown audience and it is easy to get lost in the crowd.
Adhikari is right of course. Anything that is posted on the social web can be seen and read by others, but can also spread more widely than it could by the sole efforts of the author. Those involved in this dissemination can be producers as well as consumers of the content, but as James Slevin (2002) suggests, the basis is almost always dialogical in nature. That is why social networking tools are so powerful and if used appropriately, can have such a positive impact on learning. Much of what we learn, we learn within a social context, through dialogue. We synthesise our beliefs, knowledge and understanding of the world through constant exposure to the ideas of others. Our own views can be modified if others are convincing enough, but we in turn also have the power to persuade others. This process of negotiation often changes individuals, but can sometimes change an entire community, as new collective meaning emerges from the dialogue. A 'wisdom of the crowd' emerges, as each individual member of the network applies his or her own personal expertise and tacit, specific knowledge to solve a generic problem (Surowiecki, 2009)
The power of the network resides not only in the sheer strength of its numbers, but also in its public reach. Howard Rheingold makes an important point when he declares that everyone who wants to be, is on the stage, all are in the audience, and everyone can be a critic (Rheingold, 1993). Most importantly though, the potency of the network is often experienced most visibly in its ability to adapt or change its focus. This process occurs through large numbers of sustained discussions between individual members within a network, and then spreads outward in a gradually activating wave like ripples from a stone cast into a pond. Shirky (2008) says that we now have communication tools that are flexible enough to match our social capabilities. We are susceptible to force of the ripple effect, but direction changes can be made if the network requires them. We can take any number of pathways, but essentially, as those pathways become well trodden, they strengthen and provide more value to the network (see Clark, 2003).
When we post content to the social web we are performing our ideas to a vast and unseen audience. We create the opportunity for dialogue. We increase the likelihood for conversation. I don't know who will read this. But what I do know, is that anyone who reads this and has further ideas or alternative perspectives is free to post their comments to this blog for all to see. Who responds next is up for grabs. It might be me, but sometimes, someone else may get in first to offer their support, rebuttal or alternative comments. That is what makes the social web such a fertile place for the creation of good ideas, and re-negotiation of meaning, but also for conjecture, speculation, rumour trading, and a whole host of other distributed thinking. Some of it is to be avoided, but there is also a treasure trove of great ideas and content out there just waiting to be found, discussed and repurposed. Social media amplify and spread ideas, much further than the reach of any single producer, and I know this: The power of this ripple effect will inevitably increase as networks strengthen, and extend their reach.
References
Clark, A. (2003) Natural Born Cyborgs. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rheingold, H. (1993) The Virtual Community. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Shirky, C. (2008) Here Comes Everybody. London: Penguin.
Slevin, J. (2002) The Internet and Society. London: Polity Press.
Surowiecki, J. (2009) The Wisdom of Crowds. London: Abacus.
Image by Seriu Bacioiu
The ripple effect by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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