Four Essential Characteristics of e-culture

We began our investigation of e-culture and communications by a discussion of the four qualities that characterize all phenomena, but are especially relevant to the world of electronic culture (Christine provided us a good definition of these four qualities.)

Impermanence The first, impermanence, is well illustrated by Louk's example of archive.org in his Hello the Blog. By looking at an archive of the web, you can see how much websites change and haved changed over a number of years, how their strategy, format, design, products--everything--changes, all of the time. Several students pointed out that most online versions of newspapers offer what their paper versions cannot: realtime updates of breaking news.

The rewards of an open mind The second principle we discussed is that electronic culture rewards those who are willing to let go of old habits and adopt new ones. Cultivating an open mind is a plus in electronic culture. Many good examples were proposed by class bloggers. Louk once again scored with a discussion of music. The habit of thinking of music as something delivered on a tangible object in the form of a disc or cassette or even CD is rapidly becoming a handicap. Sites like iTunes provide a much faster and more efficient way of managing music at home and acquiring music (legally) from distant sources.
Thierry reminded us (since it was tax time) that the French government literally rewards you (twenty euros, I believe) for adopting a new habit of filing your taxes on line. Those who refuse to adopt this approach must also file earlier. Estelle discussed the issue of music ripping on the internet and talked about some of the new, legal approaches to downloading music. This issue, hotly disputed on both sides, is one where an open mind is a very useful tool in evolving a new model.
In our discussions, the link between the first principle, impermanence, and the second, an open mind, was made to explain that because e-culture evolves at such a furious pace and changes all of the time, those who are unwilling to look at new approaches, or even slow to do so, are penalized for their hesitancy. It is a domain in which "tradition" takes on a strange quality. The tradition in e-culture is rapid evolution and constant change.
Shortly after having a child, one student discovered the joys of having groceries delivered directly to her house. Adopting this new habit provides her with extra time to do her schoolwork and blog, and is a good example of the rewards of trying new approaches.

Transparency Transparency refers to the way the web shines light into the actions and operations of every player involved. It imposes new rules on people, organizations, companies--everyone involved--whether they like it or not. Stories as diverse as Monicagate and the recent prisoner treatment in Iraq demonstrate that good and bad acts are inevitably revealed by the transparency and interconnections of e-culture, with important consequences for the organizations and institutions involved.
For example, the question of where products are produced and how is becoming easier to track. Thierry showed us how consumer organizations tracking Nike have news to report that differs significantly from that proposed on Nike's official website. The fact that many corporations and institutions feel inclined to communicate their code of ethics is a type of institutional or corporate transparency that is becoming the norm, in part due to the power of the web to tell the story if they don't. Estelle writes about the rise of blogs from within institutions written by employees to change or protest company policies such as the treatment of student nurses in hospitals in France.
Another example: the recent surge of donations, many internet based, for relief work following the tsunami disaster in SE Asia might lead some to ask how the money was spent, Max explained.
Cecile called our attention to one of the most talked about David and Goliath stories in recent times, Apple versus an individual who disclosed product initiatives before their launch.

Precious opportunities The last quality we discussed involves the precious opportunites that e-culture offer. This quality has several interpretations. Louk saw it as a description of the unique and special opportunities that the web can create for distant individuals with common interests to meet and benefit from that contact. Christine chose to highlight the way e-culture offers precious opportunities in the business sense--precious opportunities to launch or expand a business, citing the example of easyJet and the importance of the internet in the success of its founder.
Thierry reminded us of the Three Click Rule. When websurfer behavior is looked at closely, one of the things that is remarked is that if they can't find what interests them in three clicks, they move on.
We also discussed the fact that contact was itself a precious opportunity. Since good and bad acts will eventually have their impact (see our principle above of transparency) the contact you make should have a positive, ethical quality, and should be treated by yourself with respect. Anti-spam tools mentioned by Cecile are part of a reaction to the constant problem of unwanted promotional activities, but marketers and everyone else making contact with surfers on the net should consider the lasting impact their actions might have. Trust once lost, goodwill once spent, is very hard to get back.