I agree with Metcalfe's Law the most out of the laws we studied in class on Tuesday. Metcalfe's Law states that the value of a telecommunication's network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of a system. This means that with every new member of a network, the connections are multiplied dramatically. While this was originally formulated for devices rather than people and the formula does not take into account differences between people and levels of contact, I think it is a good law. Even if the connections made between people are as simple as being introduced, these networks are useful when applied to social networks such as LinkedIn, and are better than never having made the contact at all. I have also found that initial connections tend to grow and become more meaningful, and this law is a black and white foreshadowing of that process.
In five years, I think communication will continue to integrate. In the final season of Parks & Rec, the producers poked fun at this idea with holographic touch-screen phones, tablets, and watches. While I think this might be a little extreme for five years down the road, I definitely think that technology and its roles will continue to merge and be all connected, making communication even faster and even more of a constant. I think this will happen with social media platforms as well so that instead of having so many separate ones we will just rely on a few all-purpose methods.
I totally agree with your analysis of Metcalfes Law and how networks can be used in real world situations. It is interesting to see the development of social media and communication in relation to this law. When you brought up LinkedIn I immediately thought of searching for jobs in senior year, and the opportunities websites like LinkedIn afford people of our age who are just starting careers. I was also very interested by your take on the future of communication and the rise in holographic technology. I agree with your statement, but I also think we are a little further than 5 years before this becomes the norm. It will be interesting to see how that will shape communication, especially in a social format.
ReplyDeleteMeg, I also chose Metcalfe's law as the most agreeable. Although this law has flaws, the math makes the most sense to me. I feel like I have experienced this first hand through travelling to other less developed countries compared to my experiences in America with communication .
ReplyDeleteI Think it will be interesting to see how we progress over the next 5 years. I wonder if holograms will be a huge thing?