15 years ago: no WiFi, no Google, no blogs, no Wikipedia, no Facebook, no text messaging, no smart phones, no data plans, no Google maps, no YouTube, no multi-touch screens, no flat screen tvs, no online courses, no streaming video, no Netflix, no blu-ray, no Amazon, no ebooks, no automated text translation, no Kinnect, no cell phone cameras. . . .
These technologies and systems form basic parts of our everyday lives. They change the way we interact; they alter our social world, and have played pivotal roles in historic events.
Demonstrate your sociological imagination by discussing the potential directions for social change in the near future (next 10-15 years). Pay special attention to issues of collective action and the role of technology in collective action and social change in societies (see slides from Thursday March 1st).
Make sure you discuss at least two ideas introduced in The Cognitive Surplus, as well as two ideas introduced in Schmidt's speech. Make sure that you document the pages the ideas are discussed in the book, and the time-stamp the ideas are introduced in the Schmidt video.
Video of Eric Schmidt at the Mobile World Congress. Important: SKIP the first 10 min! Do not start at the start. Start @10 minutes, watch until 33 minutes; you don't need to watch the Q&A section.
DUE: Tuesday March 6th. 10:00 am. In class.
Deliverable: 1 page, single-spaced paper.
