Linking in Ways We’ve Never Linked Before

You Tube is the equivalent of 400 “always on” TV channels. We are producers, directors, and the audience, but it’s more than that. We’re passing on culture, values, and meaning.

Watch as social anthropologist Dr. Michael Wesch captures and explains the lessons of the participation culture for the Library of Congress.

“. . . think of the fun people are having as they’re doing this dance.”

“It’s a celebration of new forms of community.”

“The web is about linking people in ways we’ve never been linked before.”

This video is an hour long. If you’re serious about understanding what’s happening online, start watching. I’m about to watch it for the third time.

Social media is the dynamic tension of everything inside and outside each of us.

Social media helps us balance our increasing individualization with community. It helps us fill our increasing isolation with relationships and to replace a growing environment of commercialism with authenticity. We build communities through screens and webcams.

We live in an increasing loss of context where everyone is watching and no one is there.
45:20 for the climax.

Did you see yourself and people you know in this video?

–ME “Liz” Strauss