How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom Essay

In the book â€Å" The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom† by Yochai Benkler, he discussed the diversity of network and its impact to different aspects of society. Benklers discussed that technology is a big part of the development that had occurred. Technology is a tool used to a more effective communication. Media today uses these technologies to provide assurance that the message is delivered to the people. Internet has become a fast growing form of information source and communication tool. With this expansion comes its effect of distributing the main structure of producing and allocating information, culture and knowledge. Information is just a click away. This became a common source of reference whenever one wants to know something. This is said to be an open source to the public. In the process of acquiring this information, the most of the intelligence and effort shared by the author has the potential of being reused due to exposure. The complex network enables to diffuse the core information and be used by other as their own. Because of these economic characteristics, the mass-media model of information and cultural production and transmission became the dominant form of public communication in the twentieth century. Equally important is the example of the news media: fair use is healthy and vigorous in daily broadcast television, where references to popular films, classic TV programs, archival images, and popular songs are constant and routinely unlicensed. Internet is now on its constant development and through this communication is possible no matter how distant it is. The property right at issue is almost entirely a matter of respecting the authorship of the original work with the use of open source code, no less than with scholarly work. This sense of propriety, however, operates with a rigor in scholarship that exceeds the bounds of copyright law. Copyright only protects the author’s expression and wording of an idea from being used by another beyond the realm of fair use. By means of this, the author’s original idea can be protected and assured that his name will be credited when his work was used. The other issue that Benkler stated that the Media is also an open source where there is a distribution of new knowledge which we may apply to our culture and social traits as individuals. These have little impacts in small daily activities as we cannot notice, which at some point we may see that we had changed eventually. Some values that had been perceived are caused by these emerging networks. Since this had also been an environment to us and we need to adapt to these changes. Cultural production in the form of the networked information economy offers individuals a greater participatory role in making the culture they occupy and makes the culture more transparent to its inhabitants. On my understanding, it is true that advancement in these aspects is also giving development on human meaning and communication. Wide network can provide the potential for better human welfare and development and freedom. Human perception is perceived and improved constantly. We can also observe that most of us rely on computers. We can practice skills and acquire additional knowledge through this wide scope of information that is open to the public. Whether how small the task is, it still contributes to one’s personal enhancement through technological experience. This provides us a more complex human development. Another optimism of Benkler which I agree is that because of enhanced technology and wide network of information, we practice and shape the freedom in the society. This has impact on the modern liberal society. Changes in the technological, economic, and social affordances of the networked information environment affect a series of core commitments of a wide range of liberal democracies. Benklers’ optimism towards these changes is in accord to my opinion. Accessibility of media is not a problem anymore. Proliferation of networks has provided the industry, culture and social contributions to the changing society. Because of technological advancement and network expansion, our jobs became easier and more efficient. Also, with the new invented tools and equipment, we can do things we only imagine that would be possible. But with this progress comes with the disadvantages of the complex network that is still extending. One is the exposure of information where it can be abused by the users. They can use them and not acknowledge the author. In this issue, the end user takes the credit of the idea which is not his. This common crime happens commonly on the use of the internet. References: Benkler,Yochai. The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. (2005) Documentary Filmmakers Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use. (2005). www. centerforsocialmedia. org/fairuse. htm Willinsky, John. The Unacknowledged Convergence Of Open Source, Open Access, and Open Science. First Monday. (July 2005) www. firstmonday. org/issues/issue10_8/willinsky/