trend topic proposal

My research topic is web norms and formats stemming from the coding end. I will focus on the ways in which these trends manifest. This technology also affects content trends in: ability, expectation and delivery. I plan to study specifically, the role that developers and web communities influence these norms among the web industry. I hope to understand the role that developers, and developer communities, play in influencing technology.
The tools and skills and core technologies, which drive the industry, are created by companies and groups as well as individuals. The audience here is the developers and the communicated message is the tools and techniques. Business practice also plays a role.
I will be able to use primary sources to study this topic; these being the websites, legacy systems, and archived versions. Sources will also include trade magazines and informational books about web technology. I will also use journals about web technology, this being the scarcest of my resources. Journals will help me understand the market and economics of the web industry.
Analyzing the present, will offer me lots of primary sources, and informational sources in the form of web sites, web communities and forums. However, there will be little academic discussion of current web technology trends.
Future speculation exists in the web in the bleeding edge sites. Also, blogs often take a crystal ball approach and should provide a good amount of information.

Wk2 Reading (VOIP)

"How the internet killed the phone business." The Economist. Sept. 15th, 2005.

It seems increasingly apparent that the digital business landscape seems to be laid with land mines in the form of obsolencence. Without vision you are a techno-has been. Without foresight and the willingness to know when you must change you will lose market share, market value and out yourself out of business.
The voice-over IP industry, which just barely exsists will most likely cause the traditional telephone industry re-evaluate. But, there is no room for stuborn business practice in the digital media world.
Again with VOIP, it's amaizing that such a small company like Sype can get such a huge bid, but this is an aknowledgement that there is a lot of foresight going on. First of all, Skype's gamble to start it's service, and Ebay's gamble to purchase it. Yeah, there is a lot of buying (and existing) 'on-margin' going on here. But in this industry that seems to be a necessary risk.
I always love to see the big companies outdone by a small more limber, fast acting company. That's true capitalism. But, I suppose so it buying them up and adding them to the conglomerate.

Wk2 Reading (Tele to Net)

Winston, B. "Introduction." and "Chapter 1: The Telegraph." Media Technology and Society.

This book's introduction deals with the theoretical models concerning innovation and adoption of new technology. Winston means to provide this method of breaking down the aspects of change to discuss each new plateau of communication breakthrough. He lists social and scientific factors for his model.

Chapter one brings us the first concrete example of his fore mentioned scheme. The telegraph was developed by a step-wise process, which was nothing near a simple invention, dissemination path. Winston chooses to begin with this technology because it is essentially the first employment of electrical technology for communication purposes.
The telegraph is socially revolutionary because it redefines not only the space within which ideas can flow as well as the time with which ideas take to move and be shared, but also the effect both of these constraints previously had on socio-political systems.
Winston also shows us that technology acceptance is often interlinked to other technological advances. In the case of the telegraph, the steam engine was a driving force in its adoption. Because of the need for fast communication to moderate locomotive operation, the telegraph was suddenly a necessity.
The varying devices blanketed by the term telegraph underwent a shaping process linked to business application, adoption time in relation to innovations, and various usage changes. For example, Morse's code system allowed for his telegraph model to work under parameters unique its operation. Its efficiency was not necessarily tied to its mechanical/electrical design.
In the frame of the larger picture, 'technology ownership' was also discussed. With such groundbreaking technology, the government often opts not to merely allow market control.

Wk2 Reading (Social Aspects)

Frederick Williams, Sharon Strover and August Grant. "Social Aspects of New Media Technologies." University of Texas at Austin.

Uses and Gratification Theory: this theory posits that 'new media' allows for individual choices and thus departs from the traditional "medium is the message" mentality to communication studies. This assumes and active consumer, but I think we must be careful not to over emphasize this change. Blend the two theories please. Gratification allows for choices within a media, and traditional study tells about how the medium affects the communicative process and effects.
It is also a 'old school' model that says that a medium will inherit the content of the past. But, as you'll notice each time a new media comes about, it starts out with few options. For magazines to survive they had to become target oriented, so did radio, and so has TV in response to the internet. But, the nature of the internet was to provide independent content, so it was already at the end of its life cycle (as a medium) early in its 'life.'
So analyzing the net under traditional models yields us with the face of new models. Uses and gratification is the eventual model of any 'medium is the message' new media lifespan study.
I hope I'm making this clear. To fully understand how media really relates to people's lives, researchers must pinpoint the most poignant theory.
Another point, if medium loyalty is dwindling... brand loyalty has to take over. I mean to say, radio/TV station or magazine name loyalty.
With traditional media trying so hard to maintain it's audience, and the social aspects of media keeping people comfortable with their interactions with it, why would anyone move to a new media. Why make the choice? It seems like media has progressed fairly rapidly over the course of the last century. But, I can see now that the media leaps, that has brought widespread market saturation of new technology, across the board adoption or critical mass, have been huge jumps in technology. There was surely a radio 2.0 or an improved TV set that was available and never spread because it could not prove an advertising base and couldn't break into an audience. The only new medias we see are those that provide a whole new dimension of experience. Without such drastic change, there is no motivation for consumers, and thus no guarantee for the backing producers of hardware, content or advertising.
The fact the FM radio and cable TV ever made it big is rather remarkable. It's easy to see why both were slow processes.
This process has several names, but the consumer end of the equation is known as adoption. Luckily for new media, this has been studied as a phenomena for quite a while with varying technologies. But... will these models prove accurate in new the digital world. As previously stated, internet technology already possesses the characteristics of media which is ending its life cycle and settling in for its long term self-sustaining phase.
The adoption of "new" technology enhancements perhaps may benefit from analyzing them within their intermediate role. Adoption is based less upon the device and more upon the social effects and factors. It seems also that in order to market new media to people (post large change) it is key to recognize them as now target markets not for general adoption. Also, gratification comes into play rather than more traditional models. New models seems to more accurately describe intermittent technology adoption rather than sweeping changes.
Media system dependency theory: seeks to explain the many factors that affect the many levels of media adoption. The Social Information Process Model: seeks to explain the intertwining world of perceptions of new media. As, this affects the media usage as much, or more so, than the actual factors of a new medium.