Smart Mobs and Wikinomics

Smart Mobs pt. 2:

In Smart Mobs chapter 6, Howard Rheingold analyzes the three challenges of wireless technology and risks we face moving forward as a WiFi community.

WiFi Security, Radiation and Interference problems

Rheingold highlights the potential risks of living and doing business in a wireless world. He states that many businesses have installed “un-secure, wide-open wireless networks” that any roving laptop can tap into. (p.142) This puts a network at risk to face “borrowing” or monitoring by unauthorized users. The confidential information communicated across these networks is also at risk of exposure. This poses to be an intriguing problem in the internet community. Users like the ability to get online from anywhere, but they also want to know that their personal information is safe. Where do you draw the line in the sand? I personally have “borrowed” internet signal from my neighbors when my connection was down. I knowingly put myself at risk and assumed that I don’t have a super hacker living next door preying on my trust in his or her network. Rheingold points out that this “borrowing” may also be considered stealing– based on the contract provided by the ISP.

Rheingold discusses legal internet sharing as well with NYCWireless– a group that shares commercial grade internet with hundreds of people and divides the cost among them, thus making it more economical. I think this is a fantastic solution. The internet should be a unifying tool that helps all people. Many ISPs put a high cost on their services and make it difficult for low income communities to have access. The internet does not need to be a pricey gate kept item.

Rheingold’s next risk is a public health concern: Radiation. He states that WiFi technology operates off of radio technology that gives off the same radiation levels as a microwave oven. With people installing WiFi beacons all over the world it is something to be mindful of. I wouldn’t say that it is a big enough risk to stop using WiFi all together, but more important to be aware of.

The third concern Rheingold raises is that of electromagnetic frequency interference. This risk carries political consequences. The FCC regulates the WiFi frequencies. As people try to improve WiFi frequency and signal strength they run the risk of violating government regulation. As with much of the government it takes time to find the right solution and in the mean time people will continue to crack the code so to speak to improve the Internet’s use-ability and function.

Rheingold’s Questions for the Future:

Howard Rheingold presents some interesting food for thought items in chapter 8 of Smart Mobs. In knowing that the smart mob mentality exists and will continue to grow and shape our societies we must learn how to deal with and harness the power of their existence. In order to do so we must examine the following issues (p. 202):

• How to regulate the mobile Internet in ways that free innovation and promote competition without undermining the foundation of democratic societies
• The interdisciplinary dynamics of cooperation systems natural and artificial
• The cognitive, interpersonal, and social effects of mobile, pervasive alway-on media
• How ubiquitous mobile Internet access and information embedded in places might reshape cities.

Wikinomics:

Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams’ book Wikinomics is a very interesting read. In the first 5 chapters the authors focus on the following principles of web 2.0:

• being open
• peering
• sharing
• acting globally

These four principles are changing the “old tenets of business” (p.20) Using examples from the Business Industry Tapscott and Williams show how people and organizations are innovating their workplaces, communities and industries.

Being Open

This practice refers to being flexible to new forms of technology and incorporating new business practices. Being Open helps businesses keep up with the growth and progress of the internet. Wikinomics sites examples of companies opening their doors to outsiders for help with R&D projects.

Peering 

Peering relates to open source technology. Groups are working together to solve problems and build software and platforms rather than working in secret. This allows for faster growth and modification.

Key Benefits of Peer Production:

1. Businesses are able to harness external talent and advance their projects faster than ever before.
2. This allows a business to keep up with its users– users can contribute to the code.
3. Boost demand for complimentary offerings– grow a reputation and user base that sticks.
4. Reduce Costs.
5. Shift the locus of competition.
6. Taking the friction out of collaboration–open source takes away ownership conflicts over code.
7. Develops Social Capital–learn from your peers free of cost.

Sharing 

The section about sharing in Wikinomics relates to intellectual property or IP. Companies are no longer hording their patents, but licensing them to other organizations that can fully utilize their capabilities. This helps pad the IP patent owner’s bottom line– creating greater revenue for the company.

Acting Globally

Businesses are thinking and acting globally. They are utilizing the world’s resources and tapping into the larger global talent pool. This allows for global alliances, human capital marketplaces, and peer production communities to provide access to new markets, ideas, and technologies. (p.29)

A thought provoking idea: 

I was most drawn into the discussion regarding Proctor & Gamble. P&G learned that they could earn extra revenue of their R&D patents. The company was only using 10 percent of the thousands of patents they owned, so why not put these expensive tools to work. The company is able to license these patents to other groups who in turn fully utilize and make money off P&G’s technology. Interestingly enough I had recently heard of a scheme P&G was using to take advantage of these resources. The United States Government was in a Civil Tax suit with P&G regarding their IPs. P&G had given away some of the licenses to take a tax right off and keep/get back some of the money they pay to the government. They were valuing their IPs at astronomically high prices in order to claim more tax money. Reading Wikinomics provided me with a clear understanding of the case.