The article that I read for class is “What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software.” by Tim O’Reilly. In this article he is hoping to help readers understand what Web 2.0 is. O’ Reilly says Web 2.0 can be visualized “as a set of principles and practices that tie together a veritable solar system of sites that demonstrate some or all of those principles, at a varying distance from that core” (O’Reilly n.p.n) This definition is quite broad and still does not make the idea of Web 2.0 clear.
In the article O’Reilly also breaks down the core components of Web 2.0, in regard to companies, into seven key principles. The first is “services”, the more people use these services the better they become (O’Reilly n.p.n). The second is gaining an advantage over unique data sources. The third is “trusting users as co-developers” (O’Reilly n.p.n). The fourth is “harnessing collective intelligence” (O’Reilly n.p.n). The fifth is “leveraging the long tail through customer self service” (O’Reilly n.p.n). The long tail is basically saying that companies need to incorporate every aspect of the Web instead of the focusing on one part. The sixth part is “software above the level of a single device” (O’Reilly n.p.n). The last one “lightweight user interfaces, development models, AND business models” (O’Reilly n.p.n).
One part of the article I found interesting was about how Itunes is one of the first devices that was able to mix portability with the Web (O’Reilly). I absolutely love my Ipod and I can’t imagine not having it with me. In order to use an Ipod you have to have access to the Internet. The only way to download music to your Ipod is to have Itunes. The computer also charges the device, so having a computer is a necessity for owning an Ipod.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Essay 2 Email List
The pre Web Internet used many different ways for people to communicate with one another. Some ways that this was done was through using different communication media such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC), MUDs/MOOs, Email lists and Usenet. Each of these communication channels function in a different way and they vary considerably through close examination. The Email lists are similar to the Bulletion Board System (BBS). They both enable members to post messages that are visible to all of its members (Kollock & Smith 1996). In order to learn more about the pre Web Internet I observed the Email lists channel. While observing this channel I discovered that gender plays an important role in communicating online.
What are Email lists? Wikipedia.org describes it as “a special usage of e-mail that allows for widespread distribution to many Internet users.” With an email lists someone can sign up for a group or forum. Whenever there is a question asked you are sent detailed messages; in these emails there is usually the question as well as responses. The beauty of an email list is everything is sent exclusively through email, so you would not have to worry about checking in with a group because you are being sent emails consistently.
The email list that I joined is titled “What do men want anyways?” I choose this because, 1. The members seemed pretty active and, 2.I knew a topic like this would stir up some great interaction. I know many people are dying to figure out the answer to this age old question. Clearly, through the title of this group, this is a group more for women, but I did observe that there were some men present.
Gender issues can often play a role while communicating on the Internet. According to Brenda Danet, there are people “experimenting with gender identity in typed encounters on the Internet” (1998:129). She also says that this text provides a “mask”, which makes it easier to impersonate any gender online (Danet 1998). Gender identities in the names that they use are not always clear. There are some names that are feminine and then some that are masculine and others that are neutral (Danet 1998). In my group interaction most of the names that I encountered were obviously female such as “ladyhawke2900”, obviously male such as, “jeff_miller983”and “josephbseaman” and a couple that I was not sure about which was “physicsnerd1” and “advice on the fly.”
When it comes to Gender online, I think one way of finding out whether the person is female or male is to look at their content. Most of the members of this group are women so I assumed that everyone responding was women. I realized that “physicsnerd1” was a guy after he wrote “I think that I would qualify as a good man and so would most of my male friends”, in response to a woman who was pretty much ragging on the opposite sex. I discovered “advice on the fly” was a woman when she said “I understand not wanting a child. I had two unwanted pregnancies in my youth, back when women couldn't get birth control unless they were married”, in response to woman who contemplated abortion after having an affair on her husband.
Through this observation I also noticed the ways in which women interacted. I think men and women generally interact with others the same, whether they are offline or online. The women’s interaction was stereotypical of how women act. It was caring, warm, and friendly; the women usually had longer posts than the men. This plays into the fact that women tend to be more social than men. A good example of this would be a woman was hoping to get advice on knowing whether or not a man means it when he says he loves you. Since no one had responded to her post yet she questioned whether or not anyone cared about her problem. Then another woman types that she was sorry because she did not have chance to see it. The woman “advice on the fly” helped the woman break down the problem and by the end the woman, who was called “lilredride_68” said, “well i want to thank you very much for breaking this down and helping me get my head round it all.” This is how women in reality tend to communicate, in a thoughtful manner.
The men acted somewhat different in the online group. Men in general tend to socialize less than women and when they do it is not as sensitive. I noted on one of my observation blogs there was a woman who had a posts complaining about men. A lot of the women that commented agreed with her and the men pretty much said that she should reexamine herself; “robbyxly” told her “If you are concerned about your welfare then you have to have your sense of values and what kinds to know what you are searching for.” I noticed when it came to really serious issues the men behaved more similar to the women. One woman was being abused by her husband and she was pregnant. A lot of the guys on the post offered her sympathies and advice;”killer8724” suggested she go to a shelter and inform law enforcement.
In closing, observing this has given me greater incites in the ways in which men and women communicate. At times when there is a serious problem, communication between them can become similar. The online world also allows one to hide their identity behind a screen name or email address, making it impossible to know who you are communicating with on the other end. The important thing to look for is context clues that will help, in most cases, determine their true identity. Identity itself can be called into question because transgendered or transsexual people identify themselves as a “she” if it is a “he” or vice versa making it difficult for anyone to truly know.
Cited Works
Danet, Brenda. (1998). Text as mask: Gender , play, and performance on the Internet. In Steven G. Jones (Ed.), Cybersociety 2.0: Revisiting computer-mediated communication and community (pp.129-158). Thousand Oaks, NJ: Sage.
Kollock, Peter &Smith, Marc. (1996). Managing the virtual communities. In Susan C. Herring (Ed.), Computer –mediated communication: Linguistic, social and cross-cultural perspectives (pp.109-128). Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Wikipedia.org. “Electronic Mailing List.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_mailing_list#Types_of_mailing_lists
What are Email lists? Wikipedia.org describes it as “a special usage of e-mail that allows for widespread distribution to many Internet users.” With an email lists someone can sign up for a group or forum. Whenever there is a question asked you are sent detailed messages; in these emails there is usually the question as well as responses. The beauty of an email list is everything is sent exclusively through email, so you would not have to worry about checking in with a group because you are being sent emails consistently.
The email list that I joined is titled “What do men want anyways?” I choose this because, 1. The members seemed pretty active and, 2.I knew a topic like this would stir up some great interaction. I know many people are dying to figure out the answer to this age old question. Clearly, through the title of this group, this is a group more for women, but I did observe that there were some men present.
Gender issues can often play a role while communicating on the Internet. According to Brenda Danet, there are people “experimenting with gender identity in typed encounters on the Internet” (1998:129). She also says that this text provides a “mask”, which makes it easier to impersonate any gender online (Danet 1998). Gender identities in the names that they use are not always clear. There are some names that are feminine and then some that are masculine and others that are neutral (Danet 1998). In my group interaction most of the names that I encountered were obviously female such as “ladyhawke2900”, obviously male such as, “jeff_miller983”and “josephbseaman” and a couple that I was not sure about which was “physicsnerd1” and “advice on the fly.”
When it comes to Gender online, I think one way of finding out whether the person is female or male is to look at their content. Most of the members of this group are women so I assumed that everyone responding was women. I realized that “physicsnerd1” was a guy after he wrote “I think that I would qualify as a good man and so would most of my male friends”, in response to a woman who was pretty much ragging on the opposite sex. I discovered “advice on the fly” was a woman when she said “I understand not wanting a child. I had two unwanted pregnancies in my youth, back when women couldn't get birth control unless they were married”, in response to woman who contemplated abortion after having an affair on her husband.
Through this observation I also noticed the ways in which women interacted. I think men and women generally interact with others the same, whether they are offline or online. The women’s interaction was stereotypical of how women act. It was caring, warm, and friendly; the women usually had longer posts than the men. This plays into the fact that women tend to be more social than men. A good example of this would be a woman was hoping to get advice on knowing whether or not a man means it when he says he loves you. Since no one had responded to her post yet she questioned whether or not anyone cared about her problem. Then another woman types that she was sorry because she did not have chance to see it. The woman “advice on the fly” helped the woman break down the problem and by the end the woman, who was called “lilredride_68” said, “well i want to thank you very much for breaking this down and helping me get my head round it all.” This is how women in reality tend to communicate, in a thoughtful manner.
The men acted somewhat different in the online group. Men in general tend to socialize less than women and when they do it is not as sensitive. I noted on one of my observation blogs there was a woman who had a posts complaining about men. A lot of the women that commented agreed with her and the men pretty much said that she should reexamine herself; “robbyxly” told her “If you are concerned about your welfare then you have to have your sense of values and what kinds to know what you are searching for.” I noticed when it came to really serious issues the men behaved more similar to the women. One woman was being abused by her husband and she was pregnant. A lot of the guys on the post offered her sympathies and advice;”killer8724” suggested she go to a shelter and inform law enforcement.
In closing, observing this has given me greater incites in the ways in which men and women communicate. At times when there is a serious problem, communication between them can become similar. The online world also allows one to hide their identity behind a screen name or email address, making it impossible to know who you are communicating with on the other end. The important thing to look for is context clues that will help, in most cases, determine their true identity. Identity itself can be called into question because transgendered or transsexual people identify themselves as a “she” if it is a “he” or vice versa making it difficult for anyone to truly know.
Cited Works
Danet, Brenda. (1998). Text as mask: Gender , play, and performance on the Internet. In Steven G. Jones (Ed.), Cybersociety 2.0: Revisiting computer-mediated communication and community (pp.129-158). Thousand Oaks, NJ: Sage.
Kollock, Peter &Smith, Marc. (1996). Managing the virtual communities. In Susan C. Herring (Ed.), Computer –mediated communication: Linguistic, social and cross-cultural perspectives (pp.109-128). Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Wikipedia.org. “Electronic Mailing List.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_mailing_list#Types_of_mailing_lists
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Observing Yahoo Groups #5
I notice that since I have been observing this everyone has been discussing the same topics. The topic that has been going for the last few days is a posting that is titled "what is the deal with men?" This is driving me crazy reading the responses time after time. I find it annoying reading over 100 responses to the same question. I know that this is one of those topics that people usually have strong opinions about, but I wish they would jump to something new. While reading it, I noticed that the answers to the questions were similar to one another and then there were some that were off topic a bit. In my opinion, a question like this can go on forever because it is something that can never be answered.
The woman who posted it is complaining that all the men that she has had interaction with has been jerks. She has a negative outlook when it comes to men and she wants to know why they are the way they are. Like I said before there has been a lot of response to this, but one person told her that she needs to create her own forum so she can complain. I also felt that she was complaining, but I guess that would be the right place to do that. These forums are at your disposal and as long as you obey the rules of the community, you can use them anyway you want.
The woman who posted it is complaining that all the men that she has had interaction with has been jerks. She has a negative outlook when it comes to men and she wants to know why they are the way they are. Like I said before there has been a lot of response to this, but one person told her that she needs to create her own forum so she can complain. I also felt that she was complaining, but I guess that would be the right place to do that. These forums are at your disposal and as long as you obey the rules of the community, you can use them anyway you want.
Observing Yahoo Groups #4
I'm looking at my email right now and it is full of emails from my group. This is one of the annoying aspects of this. It can also be annoying because it makes it hard for me to keep up with everything. I have about 100 new emails from just a couple of hours ago. I guess this is also a good thing because that shows the high level of activity going on in the group. I notice that the same people are usually the ones giving advice. They are active in not just one question, but many others. I like this community they seem to respect one another and they seem to really care. Observing this interaction makes it seem as if a group of friends are conversing with one another. The members have a vested interest in the group and that is what will keep their community together.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Observing Yahoo Groups #3
Today, I admit, I was a bit excited to check my email. I am enjoying my experience with the email lists. I really enjoy it because you get to read some of the most random things that you will ever read in your life. The situations vary from person to person, but they usually fall within the range of "relationship problems." Occasionally, you will see an email that just says "HI, let's be friends" and that is quite annoying, but mostly it's serious. I am playing the role of observer, but some of the questions are so touching that I want to give advice.
One thing I read was about a woman whose husband completely ignores her. I felt really bad for her because according to what she said, she takes care of everything in their home. The only thing that he notices when it comes to her is if she is cheating on him or not. I think this is ridiculous and what makes it worse, they have children and he doesn't pay any attention to them. She is torn between staying with him or leaving because she is hoping that there is a chance things will get better. Reading this made me realize that there is a lot more to just being apart of one of these groups, it is real life.
One thing I read was about a woman whose husband completely ignores her. I felt really bad for her because according to what she said, she takes care of everything in their home. The only thing that he notices when it comes to her is if she is cheating on him or not. I think this is ridiculous and what makes it worse, they have children and he doesn't pay any attention to them. She is torn between staying with him or leaving because she is hoping that there is a chance things will get better. Reading this made me realize that there is a lot more to just being apart of one of these groups, it is real life.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Observing Yahoo Groups #2
So far, I'm having a good experience with my group. I was having a hard time navigating my way around it yesterday, but now I am a lot more comfortable using it. I find this experience quite exciting and interesting. What I love about this experiment I am exposed to so many different opinions and I feel like I am learning so much. The people that are apart of the group seem to be very interested in what is going on. The responses that I read to the questions were thoughtful and abundant. The members of the group seem to care about the other members and are willing to give the best advice they could. Since this is still the beginning I'm looking forward to new discoveries.
New Media and Web Production
Teazia Vincent
COM 430Z
The article that I read for today’s class is titled "New Media and Web Production" by Jason Whitaker. This article describes new media as “a catch-all term applied to the various components that constitute digital production, whether for the Web or other formats such as digital video" (57). This article sheds light on web production and how hypertext, audio and video, digital imagery and html are important components to this “new media.” Each one of these things mentioned has an important role in the development of the web. While reading this article, Whitaker describes to the reader how the importance of image has heightened since the invention of the computer and how issues of image manipulation can be a problem (62).
Image and text are two important components to the web. There are many different formats that are used, but the two most important are Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) (82). Although they are both image formats, they can be used differently. Text is obviously important because it allows people to communicate, but users are also able to communicate using images (82).
Reading this article introduced me to a lot of different elements of web production. One that interested me most was the layout of the webpage. According to Whitaker, “a web page can be extremely long or wide; in practice, users get bored after too much scrolling and it is generally better to include links to multiple pages" (84). It can be annoying having to scroll down a page for such a long time or having to scroll it from side to side. Whitaker notes that those are common problems if the layout i s bad. Web pages are easier for me when the information is in large print and easy to find. I think the creators of some web pages do not think of the audience. They do not create the page to fit into the browser and that can affect the amount of users visiting the page (84).
COM 430Z
The article that I read for today’s class is titled "New Media and Web Production" by Jason Whitaker. This article describes new media as “a catch-all term applied to the various components that constitute digital production, whether for the Web or other formats such as digital video" (57). This article sheds light on web production and how hypertext, audio and video, digital imagery and html are important components to this “new media.” Each one of these things mentioned has an important role in the development of the web. While reading this article, Whitaker describes to the reader how the importance of image has heightened since the invention of the computer and how issues of image manipulation can be a problem (62).
Image and text are two important components to the web. There are many different formats that are used, but the two most important are Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) (82). Although they are both image formats, they can be used differently. Text is obviously important because it allows people to communicate, but users are also able to communicate using images (82).
Reading this article introduced me to a lot of different elements of web production. One that interested me most was the layout of the webpage. According to Whitaker, “a web page can be extremely long or wide; in practice, users get bored after too much scrolling and it is generally better to include links to multiple pages" (84). It can be annoying having to scroll down a page for such a long time or having to scroll it from side to side. Whitaker notes that those are common problems if the layout i s bad. Web pages are easier for me when the information is in large print and easy to find. I think the creators of some web pages do not think of the audience. They do not create the page to fit into the browser and that can affect the amount of users visiting the page (84).
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Observing Yahoo Groups #1
For class my job is to observe a social medium. I decided to observe Yahoo Groups. Yahoo Groups can be considered an email lists. You can choose to join any group that you would like. The groups range from advice about love and relationships, politics, leisure, health and a wide variety of other topics. When I first visited Yahoo Groups it took me awhile to figure out the group that I wanted to observe. I finally decided to join a group that asked the age old question, what do men want anyways? I thought that this would be interesting to observe because I believe that I will see some interesting dialogue.
When I finally got into the group it took me awhile to figure out what I had to do. I discovered how I could post answers to questions as well as photos and links. Then I took a look at the questions. A few questions I found amusing were I'm pretty and smart but don't have a boyfriend?, should I leave my girlfriend forever if she likes someone else? as well as a person that is torn between 3 lovers. All the questions that I read had some similarities and differences with one another. I can't wait to continue my observation to see what else I will find.
When I finally got into the group it took me awhile to figure out what I had to do. I discovered how I could post answers to questions as well as photos and links. Then I took a look at the questions. A few questions I found amusing were I'm pretty and smart but don't have a boyfriend?, should I leave my girlfriend forever if she likes someone else? as well as a person that is torn between 3 lovers. All the questions that I read had some similarities and differences with one another. I can't wait to continue my observation to see what else I will find.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Managing the Virtual Commons
Teazia Vincent
COM 430Z
The reading for class that I did is titled Managing the Virtual Commons: Cooperation and Conflict in Computer Communities by Peter Kollock and Marc Smith. In this reading they discuss the problems of conflict and cooperation in regards to the usage of Usenet. Usenet is a largely used computer mediated communication. The uniqueness of Usenet is that it is similar to a Bulletin Board System where you post something and all the members of the “newsgroup” are able to see it. A newsgroup is the name that Usenet uses to describe their discussion groups (p.111).
Throughout this article Kollock and Smith are discussing the importance of computer communities. They said that cooperation is one of the most important aspects because that is the only way everything can continue to run smoothly. Sometimes with cooperation comes the free rider problem; that is when one person does not contribute to the community but they “ride” on the efforts of others (p.110). Other than the social dilemma of free riding, they also said that use of bandwidth can be a problem if people abuse it; in Usenet everyone has to be courteous so information can continue to flow freely (p.114). Bandwidth is “the volume of information per unit time that a computer, person, or transmission medium can handle” (Raymond 1993 as cited in Kollock & Smith). One of the final things Kollock and Smith used was an article by Ostrom in 1990 which included a few design principles that can be found on Usenet; they were group size and boundaries, rules and institutions, and monitoring and sanctioning (p.118). Each of these things discusses ways in which the virtual commons can be managed (p117).
An interesting thing that I read in this article is the problem of free riding. According to Kollock and Smith people will also free ride if they feel like they are being ignored. Especially in an environment such as Usenet there are a lot of people where it would be easy for that to happen. Some people decide to free ride because they do not think they will get caught. In the case with Usenet it is visible for everyone to see and it can be recalled days or weeks later (p.124). I think that sometimes people are lazy and do not want to contribute, but I also think that people do not know what to say sometimes; so they read the work of others and form an opinion around it.
The idea of cooperation in online communities is important. If people do not respect the rules of the community then it will discourage others from wanting to be apart of it. Posting topics in groups that have nothing to do with the subject is a disruption and it produces problems within the group itself. If people come in off topic then those that are responding to it also become off topic and then it creates a big mess. That is considered flaming when people violate the decorum of the group (p.116, 117). Many people do not realize that online communities are very important to its members and as long as you follow the rules of the community then everything will be fine.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Characteristics of the Internet Essay
Teazia Vincent
COM 430Z
The invention of the Internet is probably one of the greatest things that have ever happened to man. I may be exaggerating a bit, but it is definitely up there with the first walk on the moon, the invention of a portable phone and the “idiot box”, or television. These things are all great but they just do not compare to the greatness that is the Internet. Of all those things mentioned the most similar are the television and Internet. They are pretty similar because you can watch movies, videos and just basically waste your life while using both. Besides those obvious similarities, there are many characteristics that make the Internet in a league all its own.
One of the defining characteristics of the Internet is its rich history. Initially it was created out of fear; the United States was fearful of a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. This fear was brought on by the launching of Sputnik I, which was a satellite the Soviets launched into space (Adams & Clark). In the minds of Americans, this could mean a possible attack can occur from out of space at any time, and they would have no way of intercepting it (Adams & Clark). With this taking place the US developed their own satellite named Explorer I in 1958, thus began the “space race”; which was a time when the United States and the Soviet Union were in a competition to conquer outer-space (The Space Race).
The Internet’s creation was purely for military purpose but, as time moved the Internet began to slowly evolve. In the 1970s Ray Tomlinson created the email system that is widely used today; around the same time a guy named Steve Walker created a way for one email to be sent to multiple people (Adams & Clark). In the 1980s the rate in which we receive information over the Internet improved drastically (Adams & Clark). The trend of improvement continued throughout the 80s into the 90s and by the 1990s the internet is pretty much how we know it today; by this time the original military use of the Internet was abandoned and created to a separate network because of the immense overcrowding online (Adams & Clark).
Another defining characteristic of the Internet is it acts as if it has its own sense of time. Synchronicity in the realm of the online world is defined as communication occurring “at the same time”or“where your response follows my comment instantly” (Adams & Clark C.2). An example of synchronous communication could be AOL instant messenger where if you sent an instant message to your “Buddy” they could instantly send you one back, if they are connected to the service. Time on the internet is often faster than you can possibly imagine; sometimes downloads can appear quicker than the time that you have to actually see it (Adams & Clark C.2). Asynchronous time is the opposite of synchronicity which would be an example of email as well as saving loads of information and responding to them when you see fit (Adams & Clark C.2).
Hypertext is an essential part of the Internet. Hypertext has mad it much easier to navigate your way around the web. It can allow you to view a document or video by clicking on an underlined text (Adams & Clark C.2). The great thing about is it allows you to stumble upon information on top information that you may not normally see; it helps to discover more than you could imagine. Another great thing about it, it could make your search easier and save your some time if you are doing research. With this you are given the option to pick and choose what you want or do not want to see (Adams & Clark C.2).
Interaction is another key quality of the Internet. The ‘net is one of the few places where you are able to watch a movie in windows media player, tell your best friend you love them with an emoticon and order a textbook for your dreaded stats class; all at the same time. Not only are you interacting with the Internet but it also interacting with you; some web sites make it possible for you to set your preferences (Adams & Clark C.2). By doing this whenever you access that site they automatically know that it is you and fit everything to what you asked for.
Packet switching is what helps information to flow adequately over the Internet. Packet switching takes data sent over the Internet with information on its location and its destination (Adams & Clark C.2). This system is so sophisticated that it knows when there is trouble and works around it; it is able to navigate its way making it impossible to halt the flow of information (Adams & Clark C.2). Without this technology, the large amount of communication that we have between one another would have been nearly impossible; the affects that we could have had are unbeknownst to us.
I know at one point, we lived in a world where the words packet switching, interactive, hypertextuality and synchronous were just what they are, words. They had their own meaning, but now they form the basis of the Internet. All of these things play a pivotal role in its formation. They function together to give us the entertainment, guidance and obsession that we call the Internet. From its inception, to now it has evolved greatly and as long people are roaming into cyberspace it is going to continue to do that.
Bibliography
Adams & Clark. C.1. How Did We Get Here? The Development of a new medium
Adams & Clark. C.2. What Is It? Characteristics of the Medium
The Space Race. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2008, from
http://www.newseum.org/cybernewseum/exhibits/dateline_moon/space.htm
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Communicating Online
The Internet: A New Medium!
With the creation of the Internet an entire new form of communication was born. The popularity of the Internet enabled people in all parts of the world to communicate, with just the click of a button. The Internet is very multifaceted which makes it difficult to identify the medium in which it falls (Adams & Clark p.28). Though the Internet has been in use for quite some time, there are still a lot of problems that arise when you are connected to the World Wide Web. The problems are mostly because people from all over the world are connected to one another, most often than not, at the same time (A & C p.30). Despite these setbacks, the developments of the Internet have made it a great experience. The multimedia aspect of the internet has enhanced the experience, by enabling the user to listen to music, download movies, and create their own home movies and a variety of other things (A&C p.35). Even if you are using the Internet to do homework, playing around with these services make it more like a learning experience within itself. The interactivity of the Internet also appeals to me because I am able to enjoy chatting on AOL instant messenger, as well as watch movies, email friends and family as well as shop online (A&C p.39). I love these aspects of the Internet; it makes me wonder how people ever lived without it. I know the Internet is used as a platform for people to learn and share their ideas, but I am concerned with the lack of privacy, that comes with its usage. Although certain websites attempt to protect their users, there are many people who are able to get around this and use this for there advantage (A&C p.42). This has the potential to be damaging to the victim and it also alters the reality, leaving the viewer misinformed. The Internet has its positives and negatives, but it is definitely an important aspect of our lives and will continue to play an important role into the future.
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