Fred Turner writes in his essay, “Where the Counterculture Met the New Economy,” about the emergence of the “network forum.” He discusses the Whole Earth Catalog as a precursor for the WELL, or the Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link.’ The WELL, as he describes it is a place where journalist Howard Rheingold was able to, “converse with friends and colleagues, meet new people, and over time build relationships.” He also writes about the emergence of the Catalog as a “network forum.” By this he writes that the Catalog featured listings for items to buy with a brief review and gave information on where and how to acquire it.
I relate this concept of the Catalog to the concept of Rotten Tomatoes, or reviews of a product on say Barnes and Noble.com. People are given a reflexive venue where they can share opinions on products, experiences of bad films or customer service. When I first came to the university years ago I tried looking for a local BBQ place to eat, sure enough I was able to find the best one in town just from entering BBQ in Iowa City into Google. This idea of a network forum gives users access to voice their opinions, and small businesses with great products or food are often greatly rewarded without having to lift a finger. I try to never purchase particularly pricy items without first consulting online reviews because of the network forum.
Published by Mike Anderson
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