eCulture refers to the « culture of
communication by mail ». We also talk about eCommunication, and digital
communication. The main properties of the digital influence the “sphere of
ideas”. A few properties:
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Instantaneity: send it receive it
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Symmetry: the sender and the receiver of an information are equal, the
roles can be exchange easily
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Real time or not: we can consult the post whenever we want.
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Everywhere: we can be on the web from everywhere, home, school,
holidays, work
The use of Internet changes
our ways of working and even of thinking. The social organisation is totally
changed. For an example, people don’t meet oonly in the pub or in school but
first on the Web and after in real. For example, CGA (Certified Alliance
Gamers) is a forum which gather mainly boys keen on games. Most of them didn’t
know each other. But they meet each other once or twice a year. They are all
connected by the same e-culture. They have their own vocabulary, private jokes,
favourite movies… We can say that eCulture units behaviours influenced by the
power of e-tools used on a daily basic.
Nerds versus Geeks
The
e-communication world is full of social perceptions and those addict users
could be divided in two parts: the nerds and the geeks. Nerd is a pejorative
word which defines people keen on computers and spending all its time on
internet. Nerds are the bad side of electronic culture because they are defined
like people who don’t have good social relationships and who hide it behind
electronic tools. In the opposite, Geeks are the good side of electronic
culture. They are keen on computers too but use it with cleverness to
ameliorate social relations and interactivity between users.
So, what
side are you ?
