Thursday, February 8, 2007

QotW4: Internet=Cookies? Yumm...



Share That Cookie
Remember when you were young and you had to bring your lunchbox full of cookies and sandwiches to school? When it was time for a break, you spent your time sharing your cookies with friends.

Bays and Mowbray (1999) used cookies as a metaphor to describe the internet. The idea that cookies are usually shared among children applies to the internet, where various information are being shared everywhere. Cookies can also refer to web cookies which are pieces of data chosen by the web server and then sent to the browser.

Labeled as a Gift Economy, the internet has given users the oppportunity to give and receive content all for free. This generous act allows users with similar interest to share anything without expecting anything in return. However, the rule of reciprocity makes sharing a full cycle. You give and you will tend to recieve. That is the essence of Gift Economy. It is interesting to know that people are willing to give advice or information to complete strangers knowing that they will not gain any monetary profit. There are some things for free after all.

As Kollack (1999) has put it, the motivation of gift-giving is not necessarily altruistic but on the other hand for self-interest. Although not expected, a return of a favor is usually the case in virtual networks. Since a group of people share the same interest, it is only appropriate for them to exchange ideas, information, knowledge and offer help among one another. These information or services are like pool of resources for the individual members to use to their benefit. Just like sharing your cookies with your friends, you don't expect any return of favor immediately but you know that one day it will be your friend's turn to share.

In a community where everyone is similar in one way or another, there is a need to stand out and make yourself heard. Reputation is also a motivating factor in the act of sharing. According to Kollack, the impression created will be based on the contributions made and in turn increase identification in the community. Wouldn't it be flattering if your friends praise you for your delicious cookies and generosity? Keeping up with the reputation motivates a person to constantly contribute to the community and thus benefit those around him. Indeed, the cookie, a term closely related to the Internet, makes a good metaphor to explain the Internet itself as a Gift Economy.



Gift.Is.Free.Take it!

Being an amateur blogger, I tried exploring the different sites related to blogging. I came across sites that allows bloggers to personalize their blogs by choosing the desired template or skin. In my opinion, skinning communities can be considered as a gift economy. In technical terms, skins are custom graphical appearances that can be applied to certain software and websites (Wikipedia, 2007). Sites like Skinz.org and www.blogskins.com , are where community of bloggers design their own blog skins and share it among other users. Best of all, they are free! In addition, members are able to help, give some tips and suggestions through the forums. Under the user's account, other members can also comment on the skin design.

Blogging is taking place in a large scale today such that several communities are set up as venues for fellow bloggers to display their artistic talent, gain constructive comments and learn from each other. Another positive outcome of such communities is that bloggers can also forge relationships with one another. As much as it is for self-interest, i believe that altruism is also a key component in a gift economy where friends help those in need. As more people contribute to the blogging community, a synergy is created. An article by Timothy Wilken posted in The Future Positive (2007), explained that synergic help is when "other individuals understand that by helping you, they will in turn be helped, they will automatically help you.... This is the power of the win-win relationship." 1+1>2 is the equation for synergy where the sum of individual contributions will be exceed the actual sum of contributions. To put it simply, when one person contributes to the blogging community, another person will also shares his input and together, they will not only benefit the rest of the community but also unintentionally take blogging a step further in the virtual world. Each contribution and ideas is significant to the community.

Wilken added that synergic relationships are marked by low conflict with high effectiveness and enormous productivity. He also states that interdependence is the human condition which in my opinion is another component in the gift economy. In the blogging community, members depend each other for help and it is what that moves the economy. Again, we see how members work together to keep the community going. Similar interest, generates passion and dedication as they coorporate to promote blogging or rather activities related to blogging (skin design etc.). As each contributions can possibly increase the size of the group like what Kollack has mentioned, the community will stand to gain more recognition.

In conclusion, Bays and Mowbray cookie metaphor explains clearly the gift economy in terms of giving and receiving without any payment or return of favor expected. Like the skinning community, members have gained extensively by contributing their ideas and works. The cycle goes on as other members continue to receive and in turn contribute their share.

Reference

Bays,H.,Mowbray,M. (1999). Cookies, Gift-Giving and the Internet. First Monday, 4(11). Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_11/bays/index.html

Future Positive: Gift Economy. (2007). Retrieved February 9, 2007, from http://futurepositive.synearth.net/stories/storyReader$223

Kollack,P. (1999). The Economies of Online Coorporation: Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace. Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

Wikipedia: Skin(Computing). (2007). Retrieved February 9, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_(computing)

4 comments:

Kevin said...

Blog skin / template sharing is a good example. Full grade awarded. :)

Anonymous said...

It's the web 2.0 era nowadays whereby the internet is no longer a one way thing with the new usage channels of podcasting, blogging, gaming and social networking which is really becoming more popular today especially among young people. With this technologies, internet users are now able to contribute and the same time express themselves. In short, the internet 'ROCKS'!!!

Unknown said...

The first thing that captured my eyes was the yummy cookies... And as I read on, oh man, you're definitely right that internet basically is about sharing, exploring and also getting more information on the things/stuff that we're searching for. Just to share with you that most of my friends find blogging an easier way to communicate & express themselves better and it has helped most of them to feel relieve and less stressful.

Anonymous said...

Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE