"The Machine is Us/Using Us"

The title of the video that you were asked to view this week is "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Using Us." Referencing what you have learned about Web 2.0 through the readings in the Courtney text and through watching the video, why do you think that Professor Wesch gave this title to the video?

I believe this question could be answered even prior to reading Chapter 1 in the Courtney textbook or watching the video. When thinking about the internet it was something created by man and in its continuous growth continues to grow and develop based on decisions and creations by users, people. On the flip side we can only do with the internet what is made available to us, so in that way it dictates how we use it. In addition the internet offers so much many of us have become very reliant on it, as we are as distance learners.

One example from the Courtney text that I think shows both sides is from page 2 to 3: "In fact, they view their users as extensions of the development team. The programmers regularly put out new features and evaluate how web users make use of them. If the new features get a lot of use, they are offered more broadly, if they get little use, the new features are pulled for revision or discarded altogether." There are people on both sides of this explanation making "The Machine Us." But those people are also manipulating "the machine" and viewing how users go about using the features and adapting from that information, which for me is "The Machine Using Us."