description, definition
INTRODUCTION
In organizing the networked events people with different skills and different technologies had to work together. The fact that the expertise people possess influences their identity as actors was one of my observations at the GHP. The words that programmers use are their actions. The insight into how technological realities come into existence changes people's perception and radius of action in this world. At the 0+Ball people did not have to know about the technology, it had already 'disappeared' in the interface. So people could just enjoy what the network had to offer them even though they had no idea what they were using. I assume that in this case they used it because a certain trustworthiness was conveyed by the crucial network that surrounded the 0+Network. For very different reasons the participants of the GHP and the 0+Ball both accepted most of the mediated presences and while some others were rejected (like the radio programme). Vital information is determined by the context an actor finds himself in, it is influenced by the actor's identity (including knowledge and skill) and is influenced by other actors in the environment. Collaboration between actors is also influenced by these elements.
For the hackers the important connections took place in mediated presence, the meeting in natural presence was a bonus. For the participants of the 0+Ball the important connections were in natural presence and mediated presence was the bonus. Presence in itself had become the issue; well-being and survival were the issue for many involved. When I compare the actors that participated in the networked events to a group of actors in an ordinary setting, I have to conclude that the people who participated in the networked events had their attention focused, were highly motivated and skilled, and had a strong sense of presence. Therefore, certain issues will not be addressed here, which are relevant for many organizations when thinking about offering a networked environment to professionals or lay people. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the issues I do address below will make sense for users, and designers, and the managers of such environments.
Both of the networked events can also be understood as an attempt to improve the practice of the actors involved. Any act requires that certain conditions be fulfilled for the act to take place. People can reflect upon these conditions. Such conditions are part of social, political and economic realities; therefore people discuss them, reflect upon them and make conclusions about them. Thinking about actions (labelled as processes of reflexivity in social sciences) in a certain context in which certain issues are at stake takes place all the time in our personal and professional lives.
Both in the production and the execution of the two networked events processes of reflexivity, of structural conversation, occurred. Such processes take place when people collaborate: when doing the dishes, when discussing how to deal with clients, when producing an event and when participating in public debates. In the networked events there were also many interactions that do not qualify as processes of reflexivity. I would consider though that the moments in which this occurred generally do enlighten issues that one has to confront when designing presence. Because both networked events also had an agenda for social change, and were each inspired in their own way by the human rights that were and are at stake, these moments of reflexivity were also crucial in the changing awareness of the situation we found ourselves in.
Both in the production and the execution of the two networked events processes of reflexivity, of structural conversation, occurred. Such processes take place when people collaborate: when doing the dishes, when discussing how to deal with clients, when producing an event and when participating in public debates. In the networked events there were also many interactions that do not qualify as processes of reflexivity. I would consider though that the moments in which this occurred generally do enlighten issues that one has to confront when designing presence. Because both networked events also had an agenda for social change, and were each inspired in their own way by the human rights that were and are at stake, these moments of reflexivity were also crucial in the changing awareness of the situation we found ourselves in.
