Posted 11/24: will do extra credit “writing disaster” to offset the lateness!!!
Cognitive mapping – how do we keep track of the interconnectedness of things? The gist of cognitive mapping (from what I understand) is that ideas do not exist within a vacuum. Ideas have complicated societal components built into them (IE: ideas exist within a matrix), thus my goal from this exercise is to try to interpret these ‘social elements/trends’ and reflect on my own position – maybe there are some underlying values that are not immediately obvious.
From a bystander’s point of view, I have been monitoring various stories related to net neutrality / internet policy / ISP strategy on Reddit or shared on Facebook (which are compiled as my personal database). What can I learn about the collective identity, and how? I figure my best bet is to look to the comments (when applicable) to pick up on emotions / values / general opinions.
As an example (or ‘thought experiment‘), one story from my list is: http://redd.it/2mw2sw
From the article, Comcast unveils a rather lackluster marketing ploy to charge consumers more for less (surprise, surprise). The general vibe, or mood that I am picking up on is that many people –as a collective identity- lean toward consumer advocacy. Many seem disgusted by the ridiculous “pay by usage” scheme:
In this trial, XFINITY Internet Economy Plus customers can choose to enroll in the Flexible-Data Option to receive a $5.00 credit on their monthly bill and reduce their data usage plan from 300 GB to 5 GB. If customers choose this option and use more than 5 GB of data in any given month, they will not receive the $5.00 credit and will be charged an additional $1.00 for each gigabyte of data used over the 5 GB included in the Flexible-Data Option.
In terms of just the numbers, it’s quite obviously a bad deal for the consumer. But to some, who may not be completely aware of how to quantify GB usage, it may be tempting to opt in to saving five bucks a month.
But zooming out farther, why would a story like this be so controversial in the first place? Why did it compel people to write their own opinions and comment on the thread (at over 7000 comments) – especially if the folks who don’t know any better definitely would not be browsing the web and lurking in the comments section of a story like this?
I think that it’s because this story does not exist as a stand alone marketing pitch. It’s representative of a bigger issue – and actually, maybe it’s some form of fear. With internet fast lanes recently being on the table, netizens are wary of what ISPs or the FCC will do next. Sure, a plan like UBB (usage based billing) would probably just be ignored by most us, since it is an opt-in program. But it would be a step in the wrong direction.
As a bystander, I believe it would be fair to say that most netizens care more about the neutral structure of the internet than they would care about saving $5.00 a month. The Reddit comments section for this story, and others along this nature seem to become an echo chamber – preaching to the quire, as they say – but Net Neutrality is an integral piece of the collective identity online and it seems to draw in more and more comments and attention as the debate moves forward.
As a mediated witness, I will continue to observe and (try to) create a MEmorial for this ongoing disaster, as the story of Net Neutrality unfolds…
Internet Policy Monitor 
I enjoyed reading this exercise. I think it is worth saying out loud that prices of consumables, marketing ploys, and outraged responses go together like Comcast and rate adjustments. No one idea or concept came into this world alone, there is a cause and a reason for everything (vague, but important in understanding the world). To understand the internet one must understand who controls it, and who uses it (everyone). So policies composed by the controllers (Comcast) will inevitably affect how people view and use the internet as a device and a tool.
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