First Post Due by Class – Network Theory -9/1

Remember, your first post here is due by class time, September 1, 2021. Please write a response to the readings about Network Theory.

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  1. Following the rapid emergence of the internet in the late 90s and early 2000s, networks have become an increasingly more important element in daily life but also particularly in digital media. There exists a myriad amount of applications for this technology and how its derived networks serve an important element within digital media. Simply put, networks enhance pre-existing relationships and communication on a multitude of levels. Within the article Barabási mentions “But do we seriously believe that real networks are random?” No. Successful functioning of cells or society must be governed by laws and organizing principles that should be reflected in their architecture as well” and I found this to be quite applicable to the correlation between networks and digital media. Networks are also important elements of digital media because they provide guidelines and regulations which allow for the form of digital media to function effectively. This however, comes with an inherent disadvantage. Networks can fall apart from the inside but only if a “critical threshold” is crossed. In the case of Google, it not only owes its massive success to its algorithm but also to networks. These networks were vital in all its stages of development. But it’s been more critical in particular two stages in my opinion. The first being when it first was released to the public back in 1996 and the second being something which is currently ongoing and serves in maintaining its reputation with the public. In order to first be released to the public Google needed networks which would promote or even criticize it since this would draw very much needed attention. All these years later and Google has continued to use its exceptional algorithm to expand its user base and establish itself as the pioneering and leading search engine in the world. Interacting with it’s users through its complex yet easy to learn interface and by allowing people to search and find things in seconds.

  2. where are the readings?

    1. on the Syllabus link… here

  3. Networks are a fundamental component within multiple ranges of disciplines like transportation, physics, technology, and digital media. Networks are undoubtedly rooted in various arrangements of our day to day. For instance, transportation, something that can be easily looked past, is based on a principle of networks to reach a certain point due to the various nodes that it takes to get you to your destination. With that being said, networks are essential to digital media and the consumption of the world wide web. In general, the internet is a super network with “documents connected to each other by URLs” (Taming Complexity). Furthermore, networks provide a primary element to digital media because the “systems follow common laws precisely because the decisions of where to connect are distributed, delegated to the individual nodes”(Taming Complexity). In simple terms, networks follow a dynamic law that improves digital media in information distribution and communications. For example, “Google, whose phenomenal success is rooted in its algorithm that uses the topology of the Web to rank the search results” (Taming Complexity). I found this critical because it touched on the importance of (SEO) search engine optimization, which is the method of improving the volume and quality of commerce to your website through organic search engine results. A better ranking enhances your brand’s visibility, giving you more opportunities to convert fitted candidates into buyers. A great ways for companies or merchants to get their products across to consumers. Additionally, I found it remarkable when hearing the audio Networks: The Science-Spanning Disciplines / Anna Nagurney due to its simplicity and overwhelming complexity. I thought about digital media and how networks play an essential role. Anna Nagurney stated something significant, “In computer science, networks are used to design all sorts of routing algorithms.” And later on, those same algorithms produce the application and make it functional for users to use and companies to track. These are the things that make networks and improves our ability to use the internet.

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