Interactivity Article

Article: Taxonomy of Interactivity on the Web

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.198.4493&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Internet communication and interactivity go hand-in-hand. If a website is set-up with interactive elements and the site user is engaging with these elements, then communication is happening. The site is communicating something to the user and the user is responding by interacting. In this article, Taxonomy of Interactivity on the Web, author Kumiko Aoki gives an in-depth description of interactivity including a look into the different types along with their effects on users, site quality, marketing, etc.

According to Ha and James, Interactivity is defined as “the extent to which the communicator and the audience respond to, or are willing to facilitate, each other’s communication needs” (1998). This definition shows just how directly related internet communication and interactivity are to each other. The article talks about five dimensions of websites including playfulness, choice, connectedness, information collection, and reciprocal communication. These dimensions parallel with the two aspects of interactivity which are interactivity with the web and interactivity through the web. In interacting with the web, media richness and personalization are key factors for success. In interacting through the web, being able to easily communicate with the site publisher along with other users of the site is very important. 

This article also talks about ways to measure this interactivity on the web. Aoki states that “ the most common way of measuring interactivity is to count the presence of interactive tools and features on the website”. Basically, the greater amount of interactive tools equals the greater chance for more user interactivity. It is also mentions that the degree of interactivity between the site publisher and site users can be measured “by the volume of information presented and the frequency of updating the content of the website”. In terms of interactivity among multiple site users, Aoki states that this is measured “by the number of tools and features that enable this type of interactivity and the volume of messages exchanged among the users”. As interactivity becomes more and more of a necessity for successful websites, the more opportunities there will be for better measuring its success. 

Information and Networks

1. I would say the network law that I most agree with would be Sarnoff’s law, which states that the value of a network increases linearly with the number of people on it. I like the simplicity of this law; being stated so plainly essentially makes it self-explanatory. For example, say CNN has 100,000 viewers in 2015. If their viewers increased to 200,000 in 2016 then they can say their value has indeed increased. This law is prominently used to explain traditional broadcasting channels such as television and radio. However, it can be used to better understand social media sites as well. As more and more people decide to use sites such as Instagram and Facebook, the more valuable they become to the users themselves and as a social medium overall.

2. In five years from now, I think people will attain their information much like we do now. So much of our communication is done through digital mediums, social media sites, and other networks that I believe this trend will continue as we move forward. As technology progresses, I believe information will only become more easily accessible to whoever wants it, whenever they want it. The more people are willing to share and provide information online, the greater the opportunity for other people to access and use your information. This can be both a positive and negative characteristic of advancing technology and communication tactics. While privacy may seem like an afterthought now, I believe it will only become more and more difficult to maintain and protect in the future. People like to be in the know and in constant communication with their peers, which in turn means more information will be out in the open as the years go by. I think in the future, if there is something you want to know, it will be readily available to you, even more than it is now, whenever you want it, no matter the time or location.