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.

In "The Computer as a Communication Device," Licklider and Taylor envisioned a future
where computers enabled interactive, decentralized communication, allowing individuals to
collaborate and share ideas.
Usenet, developed in 1980, reflects many aspects of their vision.
It provided a decentralized platform for users to post and exchange information across
newsgroups, fostering global communication and knowledge-sharing, much like the "online
communities" Licklider and Taylor imagined.
Nevertheless, certain aspects evolved differently.
Usenet was primarily text-based, whereas Licklider and Taylor foresaw more multimedia-rich
communication.
Additionally, Usenet’s lack of moderation led to issues like spam and misinformation,
contrasting with the more idealized, constructive collaboration they envisioned.
The rise of the modern web, with platforms like forums and social media, has since
overshadowed Usenet, pushing communication towards more centralized and regulated environments.
In contrast to Usenet's decentralized and unregulated model, today’s social media
platforms and forums are more tightly controlled and curated, which can promote more
constructive discussions but also lead to concerns about censorship and corporate control.
Usenet's open nature, while innovative, exposed the challenges of maintaining quality
discourse without oversight. Licklider and Taylor’s vision of a digital space fostering
creativity and collaboration remains relevant, but the way we manage and curate these
spaces has evolved.
The internet today reflects a hybrid of their decentralized vision with the need for
structure, moderation, and security in large-scale communication networks.