Transcript Document
The Internet and New Technologies: The Media Converge Chapter 9 The Internet & Social Movements • Uprisings against repressive governments in North Africa (Tunisia, Libya, Egypt), & the Middle East (Bahrain, Iran, Syria), led some to call the rebellions the “Arab Spring” • Central to the analysis of what was taking place was the role that social media played in the organization and coordination of the protests. Effects of Internet/Social Media • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j7YvDXotpo • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBocwdiJhPI What’s at Stake? “As governments, corporations, and public and private interests vie to shape the Internet so it suits their needs, the questions of who will have access to it and who will control it are taking on more urgency.” The Internet’s Early History • Military function • Developed by U.S. Defense Department in 1958 during Cold War struggles with Russia, then the United Socialist Soviet Republic (USSR). – Launched Sputnik satellite in 1957. – Meant the Soviet Union could launch a nuclear warhead and hit the USA. • In response, DOD designed, developed, and tested technological innovations Early Internet History: Development/Innovation • Civic roots • Connected large research companies and several universities. • Called ARPAnet from Advanced Research Projects Agency or “the Net” • Allowed a secure way for DOD and academic researchers to communicate on a distributed network system. (See p. 267for diagrams). Distributed Networks Early Functions of the Internet • E-mail – Developed by Ray Tomlinson of BBN Bolt, Beranek & Newman research firm. • Enabled researchers to communicate • Bulletin boards • Posted information on particular topics like health, technology, or employment services The Net Widens Entrepreneurial Stage • Microprocessors – Developed in 1971 – Enabled the development of first personal computers • Fiber-optic cable – Developed in mid-1980s – Enabled rapid data transmission • ARPAnet ends in 1990 – NSF allows commercial activity on network in 1991 Web 1.0 Mass Medium Stage • World Wide Web developed in late 1980s – Tim Berners-Lee of Switzerland • Used HTML (HypterText Markup Language) – Allowed computers using different operating systems to communicate – Enabled Web browsers to help users navigate easily Web 2.0 • Encouraged media convergence – Different types of content coming together • Includes features like – Instant messaging (Skype, Gchat, iChat) – Social networking sites (Facebook, Xanga) – Blogs (Talking Points Memo, TMZ) – Wikis (Wikipedia, WikiLeaks) Differences between 1.0 & 2.0 • http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics /internet-quiz.htm Web 3.0 • Changes cannot always be predicted – How content will be consumed, paid for and distributed is uncertain • Promises new innovations – Greater bandwidth for faster, more graphically rich 3-D applications – Layered databases – More personalized, or targeted, content – More mobile connectivity and convergence Money In, Money Out • Internet service providers (ISPs) – Broadband edging out dial-up – AOL loses monopoly • Web browsers – Microsoft, Apple, Google major players – Internet Explorer dominant • Directories and search engines – Yahoo! early innovator, Google now dominates • E-mail Web Advertising • Early roots – Display ads placed on Web pages – Not very profitable • Today – “Sponsored links” on search engines: advertisers pay for each click-through – Social networking sites send users targeted ads by sifting information from search terms, e-mails, profile information How Online Advertising works • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXXJYuPQyCw The Noncommercial Web • Open-source software – Source code can be updated by anyone – Linux • Digital archiving – Internet Archive: text, moving images, audio, software, Web pages – Open Content Alliance: all books in public domain, focus on collective ownership of public resources – Google Book Program: commercial competitor Google Books Security and Appropriateness • Information security – – – – – Government surveillance Online fraud Phishing Unethical data gathering Cookies, spyware • Online predators – Use Internet to meet potential victims • What should be online? – Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000 CIPA • http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act Government Surveillance http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nationalsecurity/obamas-restrictions-on-nsa-surveillance-rely-onnarrow-definition-of-spying/2014/01/17/2478cc02-7fcb-11e393c1-0e888170b723_story.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/us/politics/obamansa.html?_r=0 http://www.intelligence.gov/how-to-apply/career-search.html Closing the Digital Divide • Access increasing among some groups – Older Americans – Less educated citizens • Many individuals still lack access to Internet: – Lower-income citizens – People in developing countries • Efforts to remedy include: – Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – Wi-Fi Digital Divide Digital Divide Ownership and Customization • Commercial growth has outpaced nonprofits – Large corporations have gained much control • Defenders of the Digital Age – Makes life more enjoyable – Mass customization inspires creativity • Others want to regulate the Net – Commercial interests have too much control – Information determined, limited, controlled by corporate interests Update on Net Neutrality • http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/ 2014/01/14/262454310/feds-cant-enforcenet-neutrality-what-this-means-for-you • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L11kLmWha6o Net Neutrality with Jon Stewart Here are four myths about commercial search engines 1. Search engines are impartial information tools. 2. Search engines search the entire Web, gleaning the most relevant results. 3. Search engines vary greatly, thus offering choice and a competitive marketplace. 4. Search engines are the only place to go for relevant information on the web. Search for “digital cameras” on Google • http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/ • Because sponsored links are so highly targeted, they became enormously profitable, as a result search engines have experienced a gradual commercialization, hardly impartial information tools. • One of the biggest reasons for this is search engine marketing to influence placement within the database of search engine providers. Sidestepping Commercial S.E. • • • • Visit OAIster. http://oaister.worldcat.org/ Digital Librarian site: http://www.oclc.org/about.en.html Google Facts • Google doesn’t advertise where you can find its computer on Google Maps. • In one location, a barren stretch of desert along the Oregon-Washington border, a single computer complex stretches over two football fields. The multi-billion dollar “factory” of computer power handles such an enormous number of search queries that two, four story high cooling plants work 24/7 to keep the heat down. Gizmo reports Google controls over one million servers worldwide. – Campbell, Martin, Fabos.