Module 4: The Disruptive Power of Second Life

Module 4:  The Disruptive Power of Second Life

In the DVD entitled, “Emerging and Future Technology,” Thornburg (2009) described disruptive technology as one of the six forces that drive emerging technologies.  Thornburg argued that the term disruptive technology is associated with Clayton Christianson, a University Professor at Harvard.  He mentioned that Clayton Christianson has thought about disruptive technology and how it has evolved and developed over time.  Thornburg defined disruptive technology as a new technology with the same functionality of an existing technology.  This new technology functions more efficiently at a lower cost and then obsoletes that existing technology.  For example, individuals performing in live bands at a hotel.  These people believed that they had job security for a lifetime.  A disruptive technology such as CDs and the Internet which is audio technology replaces the live bands.  Thornburg concluded that the disruptive technology takes place in McLuhan’s second quad which involves obsoleting of an existing technology.     

How is Second Life a disruptive technology?

Second Life is a disruptive technology because it changes the way we socialize and interact on the Internet.  According to Rosedale (2008) in his video entitled, “Second Life,” that Second Life is a 3D world where everyone you see is a real person and each place you visit is built by people like you. Rosedale stressed that you enter a world with infinite possibilities and live a life without boundaries, guided only by your imagination.  He concluded that Second Life is a virtual world where people share a connection to space, recreate the world, and get inside the computer and make things.   

What technology or innovation did it displace?

The innovations that Second Life displaces are social interaction networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn.  Other technologies that Second Life disrupts are:  wikis and blogs, which cover the collaboration, sharing of ideas, and discussions.

How many years do you think Second Life has left before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it?

I am uncertain about the amount of time that Second Life has before a new or disruptive technology replaces it.  Rosedale (2008) stressed that the next decade will encompasses a virtual world because this is the most common place where human beings come together in order to consume information.  He argued that it may be Second Life, something larger than Second Life, decedents of Second Life and that the Internet will become a valuable tool for Second Life. 

What are the social benefits of Second Life, and what might be the social implications of virtual worlds in your industry?

The social benefits of Second Life are that it allows people to build on their creativity, 3D life environment, and a “melting pot” for cultures and diversities.  In education, the social implication is that the Second Life platform allows students to interact socially and bring their real life skills and experiences into reality.  Second Life will also provide students with real world situations in various subjects in order to challenge and enhance their critical thinking and writing skills.  Teachers and other educators will benefit by holding professional development sessions in this virtual world and for the development of curricula. 

A short video entitled, "Living the "Second' Life CBS News Video, can be access at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2496361n.  The video is dated January 1, 2008.  NOTE:  This video was not available for embedment. 

References

Laureate Education, Inc.  (Executive Producer).  (2009).  Disruptive technologies.  [DVD].  In emerging and future technology.  Baltimore:  Author.

Rosedale, P.  (2008).  Phillip Rosedale on Second Life. 
http://www.ted.com/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html


Michele


Module 4:  The Disruptive Power of Second Life

I responded to the following community members:

Timothy Weaverhttp://weave1-weave1.blogspot.com

Kevin Klein

http://kklein66.wordpress.com/

Module 3: Rhymes of History Technology

Module 3:  Rhymes of History Technology

 Dr. Thornburg (2009) discussed in his video entitled: “Rhymes of History,” that social networking tools rekindles things from the past. For example, he indicated that many young people expose themselves to MySpace and Facebook for new ideas/sources and to chat with their peers. Thornburg revealed that these social networking tools rekindle watering hole gatherings from the past. This meant that back-in-the –day, people would gather as one by traveling rather than coming together as one using social networking tools as a means of communication.

Another example that Dr. Thornburg (2009) addressed in his video was that a laptop technology rekindles runners from ancient times who carried messages from village to another village. He stressed that, during ancient times, villages would also use drums as another communication tool from village to village. Thornburg concluded that the impact of a new development rekindled something from the distant past which is McLuhan’s Laws of Media representing the third quadrant.

An example of a technology that represents a rhyme of history is the Army Logistician magazine which is currently called the Army Sustainment (See below).  Paparone (2009) discussed the last four decades of the Army Logistician magazine. He revealed that when looking at this magazine electronically, on can gain important insights regarding the history of military logistics from 1969 to 2009. The author quoted “no history of modern military logistics published in any other form can compete with the collection of account published in Army Logistician. All of the past issues of Army Logistician is available on line.

 

 

 

The first issue of Army Logistician,                             VS                          Army Sustainment, Introducing                    

September-October 1969, was                                                                     Bulletin for Sustainers,

published during the height of the                                                              Commemorating 40 Years of 

Vietnam War.                                                                                               Amy Logistician.

                                                                                                                        Link:  www.ALMC.MIL/ALOG

Paparone (2009) emphasized that the January-February 1999 issue was the longest issue of Army Logistician at 164 pages. This was the magazine’s 30th anniversary which included 43 articles on   various aspects of the Revolution in Military Logistics. In the July-August 2007 issue, the Logistics Branch was created. This was a significant step in the Army’s decades-long evolution form stovepiped support to multifunctional logistics.

Paparone (2009) stressed that after reading his article, “Army Logistician and the Rhymes of History,” that an individual will be able to identify three main themes of recent military logistics history which are technology, efficiency, and temporality. He believed that Mark Twain quote: “History doesn’t repeat itself,--at best it sometimes rhymes,” appears to be true about the military logistics endeavors. Paparone concluded that Army Logistician has become an institutional source of military logistics “poetry” (p. 33).

Kelly (2007) addressed in his speech, which “The Next 5,000 Days of the Web,” that computers, handheld devices, cellphones, laptops, and servers will all be connected to one global machine. He revealed that there are three consequences to this one machine which are embodiment, restructuring, and codependency. For example, if you access a social networking site such as Facebook, you login. You must state who you are, and it is unnecessary for you to do that every time you access your Facebook webpage. Kelly argued that instead, all networks should know the data and have it. Kelly rekindled how things were in the past such as regulations, sales, schools, etc. Although we are moving forward in this technological society, we remain the same. He believed that we are the web now and that we are not going to be the web. Kelly emphasized that we should be something different, extremely smart, personal and ubiquitous. He summarized by stating the following:

             There is only one machine.
             The web is its operating system (OS).
             All screens look into the web.
             No bits will live outside the web.
             To share is to gain.
             Let the One read it.
            The One is Us.

References

Kelly, K.  (2007).  The next 5,000 days of the web. 
http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). McLuhan’s tetrad concept. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc.  (Executive Producer).  (2009).  Rhymes of history.  Baltimore:  Author.

Paparone, C. R.  (September-October 2009).  Army Logistician and the rhymes of history.  Army Sustainment, 41(5), pp. 30-33.  

http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues/SepOct09/rhymes_history.html

Michele

Module 3:  Rhymes of History Technology

I responded to the following community members:

Timothy Weaver

http://weave1-weave1.blogspot.com

Kevin Klein

http://kklein66.wordpress.com/