Networked publics – a term that comes along with the explosion of networked technology and social media. It was brought by the cultural anthropologist Mimi Ito to describe the digitization of media and the involvement of technology in the society as a means of networking and communication. The emergence of this term reflects the connection of technology and society in the modern day, marking the new stage of social development/change.
In a digital society where social media is not simply a means of communication, online users are also creators or producers of information. Internet is such a fabulous, mainly free platform that anyone can access while social media, such as Instagram or Facebook, are amazingly user-friendly that even the old can share photos and daily stories of their beloved ones. Back to the old days when internet was not developed yet, people learnt the news mainly via newspapers and televisions. The news needed to be confirmed before being published while there was even no platform for people to share their life stories as today, except via rumors. Nowadays, almost everything is updated just by one touch or one click, by which people interact and get to know others’ life stories more easily. People move away from social hierarchy to altogether establish the society in which each person is already a great source of interesting information.
In the age of networked publics, personal media stands by mass media – even sometimes the gap between them is as thin as paper. For example, Donald Trump wiggled the economy in one night just by his tweets; a video of a kid dancing a specific style became viral on the internet and people considered it as a dancing trend. Everything is loaded and transmitted speedily that reactions of online users influenced their real-life activities, marking an event or even contributing to the social change. In any case, online users take an active role in building either online or offline society – no boundaries in creativity and diversity and constantly evolving information. Thanks to social media, ideas would turn into action in the pressure of the online crowd. In the midst of global warming and polluted environment, had it not been for the help of social media platforms such as YouTube or Instagram, the idea of reducing plastic products, eating less meat, and planting more trees would not be as strong as today.
In the networked community, the world is flat and sometimes naked. People from any region of the world can be connected via the screen – communication is easy and free as long as there is internet connection. However, no freedom is gained for free – the rise of personal media is a great chance for business to have surveys of online users to plan on creating products that meet social needs. Artificial intelligence is developed and applied to serve individual needs. Profiles and privacy might become transparent in the business plan of such tech companies since they master network and social media are their playgrounds for making huge amount of money.
Networked publics mark the revolution in the society in which human communication and interaction is the top priority while accuracy and privacy is, sadly and annoyingly, challenged.
Hien Phan 