Exploring the Digital Landscape: Hybrid Economy, Connectivity, Little Brother, and Cyborg Impact - Free Paper

Question 1. Hybrid Economy

According to his work and analysis on social media, Lawrence Lessig holds that digital media decries a hybrid economy as a diverse link between commercial and sharing economy. This depicts the new norm in the 21st century, which involves leveraging commercial entities with concepts of sharing economies (Lessig, 2008). The aim of these two categories of economies is consolidation unity and commerce. Lessig (2008) expounded further that these two economies are separate structures that keep them in balance and create one unified economic function entity. In his work, Lessig explained that "If those within the sharing economy begin to think of themselves as tools of the commercial economy, they will be less willing to play. If those within a sharing economy begin to think of it as a sharing economy, they may reduce their focus on the economic reward" (Lessig, 2008). This holds the cornerstone of a hybrid economy concerning commercial and sharing economic entities.

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An outstanding example of a hybrid economy is the internet. Cyberspace builds interest, information, and beliefs among various people within vast communities. In a community space, users exchange information and ideas among themselves and others with the same values as themselves (Lessig, 2008). Lessig also expounds that free media acts as a way of implementing sharing values and the use of commercials within society. LinkedIn is a clear picture of the sharing economy, where people get along with the organizations of their interest.

Question 2. Connectedness vs. Connectivity

Jose Van Dijk explores the conflict between connectedness and connectivity in a critical background analysis of social media (Kaun, 2014). Jose describes connectedness as a collective culture, which first emerged from sites that ran social networking (Kaun, 2014). The concept of connectedness promotes democracy and open-source ideals that encourage creativity and sociality among their users. Jose also describes connectivity as the scalability of users through algorithms of social networks driven by the profitability goals of the platform (Kaun, 2014). He also acknowledges the rise and changes in social media platforms and provides a history of dominant networking platforms such as Facebook within the rapidly evolving system.

Question 3. What Lessig means by "Little Brother."

Lessig identifies critical success principles for the success of three successful Internet commercial economies: Netflix, Google, and Amazon (Lovrics, 2008). The three keys to the success of commercial internet organizations are the Long Tail, LEGOized, and Little Brother innovation principles Lovrics, 2008). Precisely, the Little Brother principle helps films to efficiently deliver what the consumer demands from the vast inventory, which is made available by the Long Tail. Little Brother helps in meeting consumer demand by gathering data. The consumer accepts to provide his data provided there is a clear return guaranteed Lovrics, 2008). For instance, a company dealing in product delivery can acquire data from its customers to facilitate delivery efficiency.

Question 4. Best Predictor of Digital Culture

Zuboff is the best predictor of digital media Castells' future because of his unique characters (Whitcomb, 2020). His ability to explore how access to smart devices and social networks is developing in a way that serves and manipulates people. Additionally, he is excellent at surveillance capitalism. This concept emphasizes the current age through which individuals consented to the commodification of various personal information (Whitcomb, 2020). Zuboff is the best predictor of the future of digital media for the reason that he is optimistic. Additionally, Zuboff is realistic; he explores various ways to solve urgent matters; for instance, data that is obtained through media that threatens an individual's freedom (Whitcomb, 2020). On the other hand, Rushkoff cannot be the best predictor of digital media since his main work is to determine how the internet divides people into increasingly smaller and radicalized groups. He has made several attempts through calls to arms to resist these destructive forces.

Question 5. How Science-Fiction Concept of the Cyborg Impacts Digital Technology upon Culture

Cyborg is a cybernetic organism that was made in a manner that enhances human capabilities. It is a science-fiction concept that has been made relevant in analyzing the various impacts of digital technology on culture. It is a manner in which organisms that have been developed scientifically can perform the distinct function that human beings perform. However, through technology, it has been made to exercise some supernatural powers (Kull, 2001). For instance, Cyborg is applied in various activities that are usually done by humans. Also, they are used to carry out different scientific research. For example, in 1960, they participated in the broad cultural and political trends in which they combined individualism with control, thereby eroding fixed categories between humans and non-humans (Kull, 2001). From that period, Cyborg has become an essential element in both technology and culture.

References

Kaun, A. (2014). Jose van Dijck: Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013. Mediekultur, 30(56), 195-197. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:720537/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Kull, A. (2001). The Cyborg is an interpretation of culturenature. Zygon®, 36(1), 49-56.

Lovrics, C. (2008). Book Review: Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy by Lawrence Lessig. https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1015&context=ohrlp

Whitcomb, C. G. (2020). Review of Shoshana Zuboff (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. Postdigital Science and Education, 2(2), 484-488.