Re: CS-234 Discussion

CS234 <cs234@lhmerino.dont-email.me> wrote:

This thread is intended for the students of CS-234: Technologies for democratic society
 
How does Usenet fit into the vision presented by Licklider and Taylor in
"The Computer as a Communication Device"?
 
Reflect on:
- Which aspects of their vision are realized through Usenet?
- What aspects have evolved differently from what they imagined?
 
Feel free to respond to comments made by your classmates as well.

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As we saw in class, Usenet is the definition of interactive usage of a computer as a communication tool in the sense that, as Tayler and Licklider
described in their text, it encourages interactive and cooperative modeling and the use of intellectually distributed resources. Users interact with
each other and do not passively absorb information, providing even contrasting point of views to the exchanges as proven by the current discussion
which embodies the authors’ concept of working together! However, the service has evolved in a number of ways that do not conform to their ideals.
The quality of the communication is under threat due to the existence of spam and off topic postings as well as the challenges related to moderation.
This issue has led to the development of community-driven moderation systems in some groups, but inconsistencies remain. Moreover, the decentralized
nature of Usenet, while promoting diversity, can hinder cohesive interactions, leading to fragmented communities where members exist as separate
factions rather than a united group as conceived by Licklider and Tayler. But to this day, Usenet remains one of the best examples following the idea
of a democratic technology as imagined by our authors.