Module 5: Info-Communication Concepts

The concept of the Ecology of the Internet takes you out of your bubble and makes you realize that as a net user you are part of a much bigger picture. You can now imagine yourself as a drop of water in a massive body of ever changing liquid, yes you are a small part of a gigantic whole. The data that becomes information that can lead to a valuable resource called knowledge is controlled, altered or condensed by nodes as the data moves over the Internet.

As citizen of the net we should be conscious of our privacy and attempt to keep the pollution (incorrect or outdated data, misuse of power) of the Internet environment to a minimum. How we decide on the powers of the sate versus the powers on the individual regarding control, freedom and access to the Internet will be one of the key elements to the future of the net. Will the free flow of data/information be allowed to improve the opportunities for less fortunate communities (information poor)? Note I have used communities rather than countries as examples can be found of countries where they have both information poor and rich communities, for example India and North Korea. Both counties have advanced IT industries but both also have section's of their communities where access to the Internet is beyond the wildest dreams. The Matthew Principle would seem to apply to information as well as wealth in today's modern age. I would suggest that Information + Truth = Knowledge = Potential Wealth. Sadly the more data / information that is produced the greater the gap become between the Rich and Poor counties as witnessed by the movement of IT personnel to better paid jobs in wealthier countries from poorer nations. Some might suggest this is just part of the natural environment or the Ecology of the system.

My position on 'information' versus 'communication' within the framework of 'information ecology' is that information is the data that is sent /moved between the various nodes on the Internet, the communication is the method of transferring said data. As we transfer goods from one city to another via air, rail, road or water (sea, river or canal) the routes remain the same even taking into consideration detours (think server or nodes), but the transfer can be via large aircraft, trucks, trains or boats or much smaller ones or a combination of all three.

We don't talk about 'communication ecology', communication is the capsules or containers that we move the data around in yes they move within the information ecology and are carried by the flow between nodes but they do not in themselves form a new ecology or micro environment.