This is the final video Zamanur and I made about second life and virtual existences.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Digital Divide ( Where We Are )
"The digital divide is most commonly defiined as the gap between those individiuals and communities that have, and do not have access to the information technologies that are transforming our lives." (Dickard , Schneider, 2002) The divide itself covers two types of people in this era of the digital age and these two are Digital Immigrant and Digital Native.
Personally I relate more to the Digital Native as I grew up with technology surrounding me such as Computers, Mobile Phones, Television and various others things and even to this day I still am surrounded by similar, more updated technology such as HD Television, the Playstation 3, the Internet, the Android Tablet and so on.
Figures from a census called "A Nation Online" in 2002 stated that "143 million Americans, or about 54 percent of the population are using the Internet." So ten years ago the Internet consumed over half the lives of people living in America and since then has risen. It was estimated that there was"2 million new Internet users per month"overall showing growth in bridging the gap between the two groups of digital users and non digital users. However due to this growing figure of Internet users it was said that "The rationale is that Americans are gaining access to computers at an acceptable pace and as a result the role of government can be curtailed." This is saying that as more people use the Internet the role of help and control is being reduced and is deminishing."
In general the Internet has had a profound and positive effect on not only America but the world over the last ten years or so, Online distribution has not always been a positive experience this became clear on 11th September 2001 as a tragedy struck America as two planes crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York. This may have been a pivotal reason as to why the Internet became popular as a worldwide media as people were filming and uploading videos of the crash from their mobile phones and video cameras. I watched a documentary online about 9/11 and how "the footage from more than 100 different eyewitnesses" (0.00.11) was used to tell the story of true events. This has become a key of using visual evidence that has connected millions of people all over the world through the online distribution of media. The reactions to the destruction such as "OH MY GOD!" and " We've got to get out of here!" capture the essence of the situation and it's reality and if it was not shown or recorded visually I believe it would have weakend the impact of those people.
Back in 2002 Some people such as Arrison who at the time was director for the Center for Technology Studies at the Pacific Research Institute spoke out against the divide stating that "the digital divide is not a crisis that places citizens in urgent need of more government help." Arrison also said that we have a "Mercedes Divide" saying that "many of the Internet's so called 'have-nots' are really 'want-nots.'" Overall the digital divide is seemingly based on choice as to whether you wish to be involved within the current era or dwindle into the past.
References:
Dickard, N and Scheider, D (2002) The Digital Divide: Where We Are A status report on the digital divide from 2002
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-today
Date Accessed: 27/11/12
Arrison, S (2002) The Digital Divide: Where We Are A status report on the digital divide from 2002
TDPUK (2011) 102 Minutes That Changed America - 9/11 September 11th - [ Full Documentary ] (2001)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ZmMtXQ3gM
Date Accessed: 27/11/12
Personally I relate more to the Digital Native as I grew up with technology surrounding me such as Computers, Mobile Phones, Television and various others things and even to this day I still am surrounded by similar, more updated technology such as HD Television, the Playstation 3, the Internet, the Android Tablet and so on.
Figures from a census called "A Nation Online" in 2002 stated that "143 million Americans, or about 54 percent of the population are using the Internet." So ten years ago the Internet consumed over half the lives of people living in America and since then has risen. It was estimated that there was"2 million new Internet users per month"overall showing growth in bridging the gap between the two groups of digital users and non digital users. However due to this growing figure of Internet users it was said that "The rationale is that Americans are gaining access to computers at an acceptable pace and as a result the role of government can be curtailed." This is saying that as more people use the Internet the role of help and control is being reduced and is deminishing."
In general the Internet has had a profound and positive effect on not only America but the world over the last ten years or so, Online distribution has not always been a positive experience this became clear on 11th September 2001 as a tragedy struck America as two planes crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York. This may have been a pivotal reason as to why the Internet became popular as a worldwide media as people were filming and uploading videos of the crash from their mobile phones and video cameras. I watched a documentary online about 9/11 and how "the footage from more than 100 different eyewitnesses" (0.00.11) was used to tell the story of true events. This has become a key of using visual evidence that has connected millions of people all over the world through the online distribution of media. The reactions to the destruction such as "OH MY GOD!" and " We've got to get out of here!" capture the essence of the situation and it's reality and if it was not shown or recorded visually I believe it would have weakend the impact of those people.
Back in 2002 Some people such as Arrison who at the time was director for the Center for Technology Studies at the Pacific Research Institute spoke out against the divide stating that "the digital divide is not a crisis that places citizens in urgent need of more government help." Arrison also said that we have a "Mercedes Divide" saying that "many of the Internet's so called 'have-nots' are really 'want-nots.'" Overall the digital divide is seemingly based on choice as to whether you wish to be involved within the current era or dwindle into the past.
References:
Dickard, N and Scheider, D (2002) The Digital Divide: Where We Are A status report on the digital divide from 2002
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-today
Date Accessed: 27/11/12
Arrison, S (2002) The Digital Divide: Where We Are A status report on the digital divide from 2002
TDPUK (2011) 102 Minutes That Changed America - 9/11 September 11th - [ Full Documentary ] (2001)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ZmMtXQ3gM
Date Accessed: 27/11/12
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Copyright ( Reading )
Copyright is content that is owned by an artist, company or establishment that have sole ownership of it and if used for public distribution by others without permission it is deemed illegal and the owner can take action against that person or group. Music and Film are among some of the most copyrighted material there is as it has a large content these include sound, lyrics, diaglogue, scenes, logo's and so and so fouth. A subject of copyright that is not really focused on is Reading for the simple premise that it is not really convienent to copy or plagerise a book/ text yet from an online perspective it could be said that copyright has been overlooked.
An example of this would be Kindle and online fraud that was going on last year where people were hacking and downloading eBooks and putting certain content on Amazon whilst at the same time setting up fake accounts giving the fake book good ratings online so the people paying for the books on Amazon "ended up buying dud content." This is a way of bypassing fake content and selling it on to others more schemeatic than copyright breach but it shows how content can be manipulated and distorted so you are not getting what you paid for. Kindle broke copyright regulations with it's Kindle Marketplace where "people who do not own the copyright" were uploading the books for sale anyway. This is mainly due to flexible publishing and PDF distribution making traces and evidence harder to find.
Books from an analogue standpoint are being considered a rellik of the past as WIRED magazine have said "what was once previously considered a common human resource, distributed among the minds and libraries of the world is now being fenced and deeded." this from a consumer standpoint makes it harder to source the material desired as it's a dying breed of media based on the lack of interest from the current generation onward. Some also say this maybe why David Cameron wishes to close public libraries in certain areas of the country for financial reasons for the economy. Overall the point of publishing books and written texts and documents have not really been effected by copyright problems and therefore it seems posession of written media still lies with the big main publishing companies.This is not to say it could never be broken like Music or Film but in general it seems unlikely that it will.
References:
Metcalfe, B (4/4/11) Amazon's incorrect priorities when it comes to copyright enforcement on the Kindle
http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/2011/04/amazons-incorrect-priorities-when-it-comes-to-copyright-enforcement-on-the-kindle/
Date Accessed: 25/11/12
Date Accessed:25/11/12 .
An example of this would be Kindle and online fraud that was going on last year where people were hacking and downloading eBooks and putting certain content on Amazon whilst at the same time setting up fake accounts giving the fake book good ratings online so the people paying for the books on Amazon "ended up buying dud content." This is a way of bypassing fake content and selling it on to others more schemeatic than copyright breach but it shows how content can be manipulated and distorted so you are not getting what you paid for. Kindle broke copyright regulations with it's Kindle Marketplace where "people who do not own the copyright" were uploading the books for sale anyway. This is mainly due to flexible publishing and PDF distribution making traces and evidence harder to find.
Books from an analogue standpoint are being considered a rellik of the past as WIRED magazine have said "what was once previously considered a common human resource, distributed among the minds and libraries of the world is now being fenced and deeded." this from a consumer standpoint makes it harder to source the material desired as it's a dying breed of media based on the lack of interest from the current generation onward. Some also say this maybe why David Cameron wishes to close public libraries in certain areas of the country for financial reasons for the economy. Overall the point of publishing books and written texts and documents have not really been effected by copyright problems and therefore it seems posession of written media still lies with the big main publishing companies.This is not to say it could never be broken like Music or Film but in general it seems unlikely that it will.
References:
Metcalfe, B (4/4/11) Amazon's incorrect priorities when it comes to copyright enforcement on the Kindle
http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/2011/04/amazons-incorrect-priorities-when-it-comes-to-copyright-enforcement-on-the-kindle/
Date Accessed: 25/11/12
Barlow, J. (1994) 'The economy of ideas', Wired,
2.03, March [Online]. Available at:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.03/economy.ideas.html?pg=1&topic=
Date Accessed:
Democracy (Beijing Massacre)
On the 4th June 1989 there was a protest in Beijing, China that lead to military action and the "massacre" of many of these civilians. This is a post about how we use technology to uncover dark events from the past and discover the truth. The website Wikileakes stumbled across and released exclusively to The Daily Telegraph, documents and information of the events that took place the morning of June 4th 1989 that were the opposite of accounts documented by the Chinese Government. The Cables which were the documents found by Wikileaks stated "10,000 to 15,000 helmeted armed troops moving into the city, some of whom were carrying automatic weapons." I think this is conveyed that Chinese military soldiers were armed with the intention of opening fire on these demostrators and willing to show no mercy for their actions.
The BBC from a broadcasting perspective would argue that it was in Tiananmen Square where most of the violent shootings and rioting happened and that most of the protestors "were naive about the savagery of the situation" As technology has progressed over time we use more visual mediums as evidence of an event and the video I watched showed footage of the anarchy in the square and the sounds of rapid gunfire. Visually it gives you the experience of what it was like so in that respect technology has given us access to parts of the story but as seen by Wikileaks most did not know what fully happened.
The Beijing massacre is a contraversial subject as China was and is a communist country therefore most if not all political and environmental decisions made are up to the government. This means that what you saw and heard through media sources for example radio, television, newspapers e.c.t had to be taken as the account of what actually happened. One man that had spoken about the massacre was a former BBC correspondent in Beijing James Miles who said in 2009, 20 years after the massacre that "He had conveyed the wrong impression" "Protestors who were still in the square when the army reached it were allowed to leave after negotiations with martial law troops [ . . . ] there was no massacre on Tiananmen Square but there was a Beijing massacre." it seems as though different accounts have been made and with the use of technology you can backtrack events to compare stories to interpret your own views on what happened.This means that technology has broadened our perspectives on certain political subjects as we have a variety to look at more than what we would have seen over 20 years ago.
References:
Moore, M 4/6/11 (8:00 am BST) Wikileaks: no bloodshed inside Tiananmen Square, cables claim
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8555142/Wikileaks-no-bloodshed-inside-Tiananmen-Square-cables-claim.html
Date Accessed: 20/11/12
taozhuo 17/11/06 BBC News - June 4 1989, Tiananmen Square Massacre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJBnHMpHGRY
Date Accessed: 25/11/12
The BBC from a broadcasting perspective would argue that it was in Tiananmen Square where most of the violent shootings and rioting happened and that most of the protestors "were naive about the savagery of the situation" As technology has progressed over time we use more visual mediums as evidence of an event and the video I watched showed footage of the anarchy in the square and the sounds of rapid gunfire. Visually it gives you the experience of what it was like so in that respect technology has given us access to parts of the story but as seen by Wikileaks most did not know what fully happened.
The Beijing massacre is a contraversial subject as China was and is a communist country therefore most if not all political and environmental decisions made are up to the government. This means that what you saw and heard through media sources for example radio, television, newspapers e.c.t had to be taken as the account of what actually happened. One man that had spoken about the massacre was a former BBC correspondent in Beijing James Miles who said in 2009, 20 years after the massacre that "He had conveyed the wrong impression" "Protestors who were still in the square when the army reached it were allowed to leave after negotiations with martial law troops [ . . . ] there was no massacre on Tiananmen Square but there was a Beijing massacre." it seems as though different accounts have been made and with the use of technology you can backtrack events to compare stories to interpret your own views on what happened.This means that technology has broadened our perspectives on certain political subjects as we have a variety to look at more than what we would have seen over 20 years ago.
References:
Moore, M 4/6/11 (8:00 am BST) Wikileaks: no bloodshed inside Tiananmen Square, cables claim
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8555142/Wikileaks-no-bloodshed-inside-Tiananmen-Square-cables-claim.html
Date Accessed: 20/11/12
taozhuo 17/11/06 BBC News - June 4 1989, Tiananmen Square Massacre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJBnHMpHGRY
Date Accessed: 25/11/12
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Identity: ( Phone Hacking Scandal )
Identity is a key part of your databody online, as this is a profile that allows others to gain insight into who you are digitally. Over the last few years a scandal has been kept behind closed doors and away from prying eyes which has been a main news headline over the last year or so and that was the ''Phone Hacking Scandal'' utilised by News Of The World to target certain Celebrities and even MP's to track their information digitally and illegally through use of phones and other media in order to gain headline news stories.
One main aspect of the aftermath of the scandal was The Leveson Inquiry, The inquiry was a series of interviews and accounts of the people involved and it's soul purpose was to hopefully draw a conclusion as to who and what was involved and why things ecsalated the way they did. Scotland Yard have recently looked into the hacking of computers and online behavior as reports claimed 142 allegations of online theft. Sue Akers, Deputy Assistant Commissioner stated that
''70 different "storage devices", such as computer hard drives, were being searched for evidence". This inquiry particularly relates to the death of Milly Dowler as it was hacking and online tracing that got her killed. This shows that identity online is a risk when it should be a simple formality in a safe and relatively controlled environment.
As a result of this we can see technology in the wrong hands has a profound effect on the way society reacts to mass problems in real life. To ask ourselves the question Has The Leveson Inquiry helped to raise awareness of technology? most would agrue that it has, Peter Hunt news correspondent for BBC news states " Long after the publication has been recycled, the words uttered by several of the victims of media malpractice will linger." Hunt is saying quite simply the aftermath of The Leveson Inquiry will leave a blueprint so to speak on online resources and the hackings effect not only the people doing it but also the victims who have to live with that knowledge.
To summarise the Inquiry hacking leads in certain cases to more than just the removal of data as seen with Milly Dowler the effects of hacking could lead to worse fates. In my opinion hacking people's phones, computers and other variable forms of media is a key reason as to why we should be aware when giving information online, as you could be the next victim.
References:
Rayner, G (16/11/12) Scotland Yard investigating 142 complaints of computer hacking, Leveson Inquiry told (2012)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9684369/Scotland-Yard-investigating-142-complaints-of-computer-hacking-Leveson-Inquiry-told.html
Date Accessed: (18/11/12)
Hunt, P (24/7/12) Leveson Inquiry: Hearings end after eight months (2012)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18964165
Date Accessed: (20/11/12)
One main aspect of the aftermath of the scandal was The Leveson Inquiry, The inquiry was a series of interviews and accounts of the people involved and it's soul purpose was to hopefully draw a conclusion as to who and what was involved and why things ecsalated the way they did. Scotland Yard have recently looked into the hacking of computers and online behavior as reports claimed 142 allegations of online theft. Sue Akers, Deputy Assistant Commissioner stated that
''70 different "storage devices", such as computer hard drives, were being searched for evidence". This inquiry particularly relates to the death of Milly Dowler as it was hacking and online tracing that got her killed. This shows that identity online is a risk when it should be a simple formality in a safe and relatively controlled environment.
As a result of this we can see technology in the wrong hands has a profound effect on the way society reacts to mass problems in real life. To ask ourselves the question Has The Leveson Inquiry helped to raise awareness of technology? most would agrue that it has, Peter Hunt news correspondent for BBC news states " Long after the publication has been recycled, the words uttered by several of the victims of media malpractice will linger." Hunt is saying quite simply the aftermath of The Leveson Inquiry will leave a blueprint so to speak on online resources and the hackings effect not only the people doing it but also the victims who have to live with that knowledge.
To summarise the Inquiry hacking leads in certain cases to more than just the removal of data as seen with Milly Dowler the effects of hacking could lead to worse fates. In my opinion hacking people's phones, computers and other variable forms of media is a key reason as to why we should be aware when giving information online, as you could be the next victim.
References:
Rayner, G (16/11/12) Scotland Yard investigating 142 complaints of computer hacking, Leveson Inquiry told (2012)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9684369/Scotland-Yard-investigating-142-complaints-of-computer-hacking-Leveson-Inquiry-told.html
Date Accessed: (18/11/12)
Hunt, P (24/7/12) Leveson Inquiry: Hearings end after eight months (2012)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18964165
Date Accessed: (20/11/12)
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