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| My Kombi: Magnetic Island 2010 |
Preservation of an Old Hippy
by Janine Evans
Where would I go if I need information about my beloved old van? Wilkinson (2013) describes the concepts of communication and exchange. The Kombi Club Australia is a social place where Kombi enthusiasts gather to use these concepts to discuss all aspects of the Type 2 Volkswagen, including events, help, assistance, buying, selling of vehicles and parts. This place has been an invaluable experience as I have become more familiar with the way it is set out (Tuan, 1977).
There are few mechanics still around, certainly in the Cairns area, that know how to repair and maintain this 40 year old vehicle. I decided to learn to do it myself. This forum allows me to feel connected to other enthusiasts around the world, making my social space feel smaller than it actually is (Buchanan, 2002).
The expert members are nearly always helpful, giving me a sense of empowerment and enabling as a novice. 'The composition of space, the partition and layout of particular uses, also serves as both a resource and the means through which power is excercised'. Allen (2003, p. 11). My online identity as a 'newbie' contrasts with the more knowledgeable members called 'senior members'. Allen (2003) also explains the difference of power when it is 'exercised either over or with others' saying, 'the latter represents a means of enablement', and 'is rooted in mutual action and holds out the prospect of empowerment for all those involved' (p. 5).
With better understanding of how my virtual network operates I feel more confident of my ability to preserve my old hippy van.
With better understanding of how my virtual network operates I feel more confident of my ability to preserve my old hippy van.
Reference List:
Allen, J. (2003). Introduction: Lost Geographies, in Lost geographies of power (1-12). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Buchanan, M. (2002). Chapter 1: Strange connections, in Nexus: small worlds and the groundbreaking science of networks (p. 24). New York, NY: W. W. Norton.
Tuan, Y. (1977). Introduction, in Space and Place: The perspective of experience (p. 6). London, England: Edward Arnold.
Wilkinson, R. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 1: introduction [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from http:learnjcu.edu.au
Wikipedia (2013). Volkswagen type 2, Retrieved August 8, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Type_2
Janine I think you have made a great point about social networks (SN) ability to be in simple terms, useful!
ReplyDeleteI think your reference to Allen (2003) is very apt, it really sums up the collective empowerment that many network users feel as they acquire valuable specialised knowledge and make particular purchases that aren't readily available locally. I see it as the harnessing of the "associational power" that information technology provides (Allen, 2003).
Janine, you mentioned how the forum makes your social space feel smaller by connecting you to other enthusiasts from around the world. Sherry Turkle (1995, pp. 246-249) speaks of the "utopian possibility" of virtual networks; about how social SN's may develop feelings of inclusion and connectedness with personal "heroes". Would you agree that it may be easier to establish virtual social connections with certain sectors of the community than developing physical world relationships?
References:
Turkle, S. (1995). Panopticon, in Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the internet (pp. 246-249). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Allen, J. (2003). Introduction: Lost geographies, in Lost geographies of power (1-12). Malden, MA: Blackwell.