Are wikis an effective means of communication? Why or why not? Why does it matter?

An effective means of communication should contain two fundamental factors. Firstly, it must provide a bilateral way for people to communicate. That means people are able to express their opinion and to get the responses from others, not just Then, people must have rights to communicate without any limitation or artificial barriers for example to prevent the discussion on politics. Undoubtedly, wikis are effective means of communication. Wikis actually provide people with a collaborative environment for people to communicate. For example, within Wikipedia, everyone have the freedom of contributing their personal knowledge to construct a certain topic. Unlike an internet database, there is no authorized participant, and no centralized or standard information. This is a network that people can mutually share their knowledge and ideas just like people communicate with each others in a society. In other words, this is a process of social networking in digital way. The significant achievement for wikis is to provide a universal base for people who do not even know each other to communicate. Therefore, the range of social networking is widely extended. People can share their thoughts or even can work together through wikis without meet each other like to create an article in Wikipedia. Obviously, this is a progress to global communication and social networking.

Wee3

In 21st century, the creation of New Media based on digital technology was already adopted by many people around the world. As new media more relied on Internet or other digital method, the problem of digital divide is more likely to shown. In order to acquire information through new media, people at least should have devices that can access to the internet. For example, New Media include website which is under user’s control, and on-line communication tool such as MSN and ICQ. Also, it is faster for news to spread through internet than through newspaper. However, the problem is not everyone can afford that kind of devices such as laptop, or PDA; especially to the people from global south. Therefore, the gap of people’s standard ability to acquire knowledge through new media is formed between people lived in developed countries and people lived in developing regions. In sense of the spread of technology, the new media was already familiar to the majority in some developed regions like North America. In contrast, many people in global south may never accessed to internet before or there is no proper device located near their home. As a result, they will have less and lower information compare to the people who can take the advantage of New Media. Importantly, the spread of New Media is highly integrated with ongoing process of globalization; thus, people who are unable access to any method of New Media will be isolated from the global society since they can not communicate or exchange ideas with the people around the world. As time goes by, these people will be abandoned by the world. That’s why people should focus on the digital divide.

Week 2

In their early lives in 1940s, letter writing was the major way that they could communicate with their relatives or friends who lived far away from them. Also, they could visit their friends and relatives if they could get there by walking or wagon. Otherwise, they could orally communicate through their neighbor who may travel to their relatives' hometown. In that time, phone was only used for administrative and military purpose. In late 1970s, when my grandfather worked as professor in an university, he used phone for first time to call my dad who served in arm in that time.


For me, Web 3.0 could positively change my life from to major parts. When I do a certain academic research in Web3.0 age, Google or other research websites will not only show the results that only familiar with the phrase I typed in. They will understand the semantic meaning behind the phrase or relate it to the entire topic which I’m searching for; therefore, my computer can actively help me. This new invention can significantly reduce both the time I spend on researching materials, and the time I’m trying to figure out which phrase I should type in to get the information I prefer to. Then, I hate shopping in supermarket especially in weekend days. I usually get frustrated during finding parking spot and line-up waiting for check-out. In Web 3.0 age, I may just simply set the food and supply shopping day on my laptop’s calendar; then my laptop will order everything and ask for delivery to my home. In that case, I will stop wasting my life in supermarket. That’s my expectation for Web3.0 and I desire it could happen soon.


I grew up in the world where internet and other digital technologies were already existed. Once I learned how to use computer and cell phone, my life started to build on digital technology. I communicate with my friends on-line or through cell phone way more than I meet them. When I face something I don’t understand or I never heard before, I prefer to search on internet rather than search in library. Life will become difficult to me if I live without my laptop and cell phone since I'm already conditioned to live in digital world and it is a main part of my live. These are the main reasons affect me to answer the question above.

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