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.

Licklider and Taylor described computers in "The Computer as a Communication Device" as instruments that would transform human
 communication by facilitating cooperation and knowledge exchange. When Usenet was introduced in 1980, it provided a decentralized
 forum where people could exchange messages and have discussions about different subjects without depending on a central body,
 which helped to partially accomplish this ideal. Because of this decentralization, people were able to form communities around
 common interests, which reflected their vision of an open network for knowledge sharing.
Licklider and Taylor were unprepared for the difficulties Usenet faced, such as spam, inadequate moderation, and trouble sustaining
 fruitful discussion. Usenet was dependent on text-based, asynchronous communication, in contrast to their idea of real-time,
 multimedia cooperation. Scalability concerns occurred as the platform expanded, making meaningful interactions even more difficult
 and straying from its intended smooth intellectual collaboration.