Preview
After spending some time browsing through Public Parts, I can see that Jeff Jarvis is going to cover in detail, the different benefits that he believes the public sphere provides. That being said, he also discusses the boundaries between private and public, and how much is too much. Jarvis also goes through history as a means to discuss public sharing, discussing the printing press, as well as how the introduction of basic technology affected everyday life. I'm happy to see that Jarvis discusses specific social media platforms, and the benefits that they individually possess.
Early Social Proof
Unfortunately I didn't get any responses to my initial posts about my plans for research combined with this book. However, I contacted several mission friends, and spoke with other friends who served missions as well, and they shared interest in my plans. Whether or not they were involved directly with using the internet to share the gospel while they were full-time missionaries, they saw the influence it had on others, and how many people's first exposures to the church were online. If anything, I now know that there is interest in my purpose!
Similar Books
As I browsed through the other books recommended on Amazon, it seems that a common topic is examining how social media in particular can drive social change. Jarvis's other book What Would Google Do? also popped up when searching on several different sites. Privacy concerns are also a big issue and topic, and it would be interesting to read some of these other books to see how their arguments compare with the one made by Jarvis in Public Parts.
Who Cares?
As I explored the conversation going on concerning Jarvis and this book, I discovered that Jarvis himself is very active on twitter. There was a lot of conversation going on between himself and others who appear to be fans of his book, and interested in learning the balance of the digital world. A lot of the discussion going on online is due to Jarvis's online presence. He has posted videos and has his own website and is very active online, which creates an opportunity for lots of discussion, on twitter, google+, etc. I also found Jarvis on storify!
Formal Reviews
Fortune reviewed the book, and I found the review extremely encouraging! They wrote, "Privacy has its advocates. Jeff Jarvis has made himself an advocate for publicness. In Public Parts, the original Internet optimist argues that if we become too obsessed with guarding al personal information on the 'Net, we'll miss important opportunities that come. with making information available." I found it interesting that Jarvis is referred to as the "original internet advocate". It seems that he is a credible figure on the topic. As I continued to read reviews by other papers and magazines, I've come to realize that Jarvis is very much an activist on the topic. USAToday refers to him "often taking corporatiosn and governments to task for assaults, as he sees them, on teh openness of the Internet." I'm gad to see that Jarvis is an authority on Internet publicness.
Informal Reviews
I found a review by Tim Peter who commented on the position this book plays among other business literature. He recommended a specific chapter for those interested in the internets affect on marketing, and I'm interested to start my reading later on in that chapter. He also mentioned that Jarvis keeps things funny! So I'm looking forward to that. On Goodreads, many of the reviewers commented that they read the book on audiobook and that it was fantastic. I was happy to see that both people who agreed with Jarvis's point of view, and those who disagreed both found the book informative. A reader named Terry praised the book for it's well formulated argument and the logical soundness of the book. I'm excited to read!
Educational Courses
I found that at Harvard the Berkman Center for Internet and Society uses this book and other lectures by Jarvis. I found some videos of Jeff Jarvis lecturing on their website that look interesting. UMBC had videos of him posted in their curriculum as well, and I learned that Jarvis is a professor of journalism at City University of New York.
Multimedia
While Jeff Jarvis is extremely preset online, posting his own photos, video, etc., I found many photos on flickr and other sites of him lecturing at various conferences. Many also made video reviews of the book, which I was able to listen to. I am excited to see that this is an ongoing discussion, which Jarvis himself is participating even after the book. I'm beginning to recognize how society will need to adapt and change before online sharing is the ultimate norm. I'm excited to see what this means for the LDS church moving forward.
First Impressions of the Book
After my initial research, I began reading in the chapters that focused on the benefits of public sharing, as I wanted to see what his argument was founded on. It was fascinating to see examples from all across the spectrum, not just social media companies, but from healthcare companies, government organizations, etc. as well. His arguments regarding the value of forming relationships and connections and how these relationships essentially "brand" and organization support my initial ideas regarding the continued use of digital media to share the gospel for the LDS church. I'm beginning to realize the "what" and "how" of sharing is something I don't understand as well as the "why", and I'm looking forward to continuing to learn more about that as I read.
My Thinking So Far
As I was reading I kept feeling that as I research this I need to be applying what Jarvis is advocating-I need to be more public. Not in the sense of posting my meals and daily schedule, but in regards to my research, and even my own experience with missionary work and digital culture, I need to be more open and public. I'm hoping to get in contact (via the internet) with missionaries I personally served with, as well as with other friends who have served missions or who have been exceptionally diligent at sharing the gospel online. I want to gather their thoughts and opinions in regards to this topic and actually experience the book as I read it.
This is a cool idea. I like that he casts digital media in a positive light. Connecting it with your experience with the church is a great angle. There is a lot to work with there. I think it would be cool to research the different ways that we share publicly. There are the obvious ways that we consciously share through social media, but what about some more of the nonstandard ways that we might share, such as liking something on Facebook? Even though we don't share it ourselves, we do share it to our friends because it shows them that we are interested. Just something to think about. Maybe the author covers this in some respect.
ReplyDelete