As we wrap up this crazy summer semester, I look back on all the things discussed, read and blogged. I thought the topics of the class were well thought out and the readings were great. The initial readings on the historic background of the Internet, Web and life as we know it, were amazing. It was information I was not that familiar with. It definitely brought things into a better focus in my overall understanding of the web and internet. It is all about perspective when looking at the early struggles and building blocks of such a beast. Web and internet innovations are accelerating quickly and people seem to forget about how we get from A to B to C. I enjoyed looking at the historical significance of the work put in place to make the web what it is at this moment.
I struggle to decide which side of things to be on. Is it the side of big business like Google and Facebook, who make life somewhat better, but collect data on us or is it the side of people against big business and the infringement on our privacy? This class did not necessarily help me pick a side, but it did allow me new ways to think about the issue. I was surprised to learn that there is very little research done on things such as Twitter and Facebook. I understand the roadblocks ahead, but it is very discouraging to think that people are turning a blind eye to these new forms of communication. We are working in an industry that is falling apart and it is time to start looking for solutions.
With the large amount of information, it seems difficult to teach this course in a shortened summer session. There were avenues of discussion that I think could have been extended, such as the legal side of the web and internet. I can see a section like that one being an entire semester.
I do think that with all this talk about data, there needs to be some discussion of how the “everyday” person uses data, metrics and analytics to help make web-based decisions. Data is not just for the big players like Facebook and Google, but it’s for everyone. There are some great things to learn just by understanding a personal website’s analytics and use.
