[Air-l] FC: How anti-Iraq war protesters employed technology, from NYT

[Yvonne Waern]

The novelty of Internet lies in all that Steve suggests, and a little 
more. Why, for example should not a change in scale (that is speed 
and outreach) result in a change in kind?  After all, one cold virus 
is easily faught, whereas several may result in a real bad cold, that 
may develop into pneumonia...

To add a qualitative difference: the opportunity to save messages 
(not only to copy them for forwarding) is also important. This is so 
much more easy than saving papers (have a look at your desk).  Also, 
search for messages is easier than search for papers. Therefore, the 
ideas on those papers may be more penetrating, since you may see them 
more often. Again: quantity brings quality.

However, I still hold that the opportunity to spread messages over 
the world fast and to a great number of people is decisive not only 
for a quantitative but also for a qualitative change. You certainly 
see characteristics of a cat in a tiger, but I am sure you wouldn't 
like to take the tiger on your lap.

Further, the old knowledge that you may reach people you do not know 
through the Internet really IS a qualitative change. Of all people in 
the air-list I only know Steve Jones and Malin Sveningsson personally.

To further support my argument, I can tell you that I have been 
e-communicating since 1976 or so. By then there were very few people 
online, and I could not see any difference from phoning or writing 
ordinary letters. Now, however, I would like to say that we have 
reached the "critical mass" people use to talk about. The source of 
this metaphor is another example of how quantity brings quality.

All the best,
Yvonne



>To be the devil's advocate (or at least a media historian) is what 
>we are describing a difference in kind or in scale? Most of us on 
>air-l are probably aware of the use of the phone (landline, then 
>mobile) and fax for organizing...and I recall reading about examples 
>of the use of audio cassettes and letters for organizing (though 
>obviously on a different timeline). So as I see it there are three 
>fairly obvious things the internet brings that are different than 
>media before it in this regard: One is the internet's relative 
>instantaneity, another its reach to so many people, and another is 
>the inherent "copy-ability" of internet communication (e.g., the 
>ease of forwarding, posting). Which of these matters most, or are 
>they all equal? And what I'd like to know more than that: Is there 
>something else, something about the internet as a medium, that makes 
>it more than a faster/broader medium in comparison to what has come 
>before it?
>
>Thanks,
>Sj
>
-- 
Yvonne Wærn, Professor em, PhD.
Department of Communication Studies,
Linköping University
SE 581 83 Linköping