Society needs many forms of outlets to maintain organized chaos. Before the advent of mass media through the internet, people received their news from the papers and the television, were able to socialize through dinner parties, groups and other social events. Society needs to be able to take in information and share that information with others. This need stems from the idea of interaction, (the idea that no man is an island) as through interaction society can share interests, needs, wants, desires etc. But now with the internet that same society structure has shifted, now receiving much of its news from online, and foregoing dinner parties for online chats, the social structure is still the same but the shift has taken place to what are called Network societies.
These types of Network societies (like blip.tv) have sprung up all over the internet. Each site offers their own form of interaction. Fulfilling different wants and needs of the people that visit the site. Network societies take different platforms of information, news, television, as well as other forms of digital media. A social network gives a voice to those that use it. Places like blip.tv and Hulu put people in the seat of producer, being able to watch whatever they wish when they want. They can share their interest, likes or dislikes with the rest of that network society through comments, voting etc. This gives the viewer a voice, which is an ongoing theme in a network society.
This sense of structure or organized chaos leads to the next part of a network society, the interaction of the masses. Being able to share opinions, voice view points and express their feelings on something in a completely anonymous way. This anonymity lets people take on any persona they want. From the aggressor to the wise digital hermit, it is this anonymity that takes the old form of society and changes it around. In a sense society is governed in part though the actions we can see, we can see the person standing in front of us that says he does not like something, we can hear the person that says we should do one thing over another all the while we are able to watch them as they speak. Yet online, in a network society all the people that partake in the network can change their stance on something as quickly as changing their user name for the site.
Blip offers the common person the chance to be a director as well as the producer. You can create your own show, host it etc. All the while you can watch whatever you wish when you wish. That voice many people need, to share a opinion, to get your ideas out there and to let others see what you have to say. A network society in all forms always comes back to the user’s ability to make choices based on what they want. There is no need to change the channel, wait through a commercial or sit around bored. Those choices of on demand I want to do this now all encompass the organized chaos we call society. Digital media has just given the user a way to act out according to their own needs and wants.