I think that the future of digital cultures in incredibly interesting as our world is being driven by technology and as we find ways to make things better. Although it is a positive to have technological improvements, the negative side to that will be the controversy. With new technology in the last 20-30 years there has always been problems such as social-networking sites have issues concerning privacy and safety and users don’t feel safe using it, as they are not sure whether or not their information is protected.
I think that teaching is an area that will be most affected by the change in digital culture as we are now able to learn/teach without being in a magic circle and we are now able to see the information over the Internet. This can lead us to believe that the future of teaching is one that is not physical but one that will make it easier for both teachers and students and they will not have to commute to one place in order to have a lesson. Other ways in which I believe that technology will change teaching is that work/assignments now are being done over the Internet. As time passes and improvements are make to the reliability of the internet, we will no longer have to do coursework/assignments on paper which is good news for our economical position as we are in a time in where we should be recycling.
As a whole I think that the future for digital cultures in a bright despite it being a controversial one. Some areas will get more benefits of technology advancements than others, especially online companies as we are in a time in where more and more people are having access to the Internet.
Monday
Virtuality
The virtual world in where we can become anyone that we want if we wish to escape reality such as world events or if we just wish to change our identity. Margaret Morse said that "VR is like passing through the movie screen to enter the fictional world of the 'film', and entering a virtual environment is like being able to walk through one's TV or computer, through the vanishing point r vortex and into a three-dimensional world field of symbols" (Margaret Morse, 1998:281, in New Media: A Critical Introduction p.114). From this we understand that the virtual world is a place of easy access (as long as there is access to the internet) in where we can become immerse in anything that we are able to reach over the net.
A state of immersion is "Narrative immersion in games is much the same in books or movies. A player gets immersed in a narrative when he or she starts to care about the characters and wants to know how the story is going to end." (Ernest Adams, 2004). As we become so immersed within a game or a book or a movie, we wonder what world is the reality and which is the virtual as a majority of people spend most of their time in virtual reality than they do in the real world. An example of this would be the game called 'Second Life' in where the user is living in a virtual world that is very similar to the real world in where they can purchase property, clothes and socialise with other users.
Virtual reality is only what the users makes of it, for personal reason such as wanting to change their identity or wanting to meet new people, they make that world their own as they have the same characteristics as they would in the real world. Virtual reality is a reality.
Virtual Life
A state of immersion is "Narrative immersion in games is much the same in books or movies. A player gets immersed in a narrative when he or she starts to care about the characters and wants to know how the story is going to end." (Ernest Adams, 2004). As we become so immersed within a game or a book or a movie, we wonder what world is the reality and which is the virtual as a majority of people spend most of their time in virtual reality than they do in the real world. An example of this would be the game called 'Second Life' in where the user is living in a virtual world that is very similar to the real world in where they can purchase property, clothes and socialise with other users.
Virtual reality is only what the users makes of it, for personal reason such as wanting to change their identity or wanting to meet new people, they make that world their own as they have the same characteristics as they would in the real world. Virtual reality is a reality.
Virtual Life
Open Source
Through the World Wide Web, some information is given to us to see called an 'open source'. This allows us to see all the code to a website as long as owners and the servers that are used allow us to view it. In this source code, everything that makes the website is shown, including everything the user can see i.e. the layout, titles, colour and things that they cannot such as the functionality of the site, how a page would link us to another page once we click on a button. Open source material is difficult to use in some ways as their code can easily be taken to use for another users site. This is where copyright and intellectual properly comes into play.
Information can be used without permission if it is used as fair use. Fair use "s a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the copyright holders, such as for commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching or scholarship."(Wikipedia). If users follow the fair use rule, they will be allowed to use the material on other websites. If it is used for their own personal use, there is a high chance that they can face legal action as the information/data used is not their own.
Creative Commons is an idea that was developed by Lawrence Lessig. It is described as " a word in which creators enjoy a wide range of freedom but are left vulnerable to exploitation. Balance, compromise and modernation - once the driving forces of a copyright system that valued innovation and protection equally - have become endangered species. Creative Commons is working to revive them. We use private rights to create public goods: creative works sets free for certain users" (Creative Common website)
From this we can see that although sites are free to see they can have strong repecusions if they are used incorrectly. Creative Commons allows users to use data depending on the reason so that it does not have to go through legal action. It has become a lot more convinient for users and companies as they dont have to worry about who is using their site for the wrong reasons.
What is CC?
Information can be used without permission if it is used as fair use. Fair use "s a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the copyright holders, such as for commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching or scholarship."(Wikipedia). If users follow the fair use rule, they will be allowed to use the material on other websites. If it is used for their own personal use, there is a high chance that they can face legal action as the information/data used is not their own.
Creative Commons is an idea that was developed by Lawrence Lessig. It is described as " a word in which creators enjoy a wide range of freedom but are left vulnerable to exploitation. Balance, compromise and modernation - once the driving forces of a copyright system that valued innovation and protection equally - have become endangered species. Creative Commons is working to revive them. We use private rights to create public goods: creative works sets free for certain users" (Creative Common website)
From this we can see that although sites are free to see they can have strong repecusions if they are used incorrectly. Creative Commons allows users to use data depending on the reason so that it does not have to go through legal action. It has become a lot more convinient for users and companies as they dont have to worry about who is using their site for the wrong reasons.
What is CC?
Wednesday
Privacy and Survelliance
As we know Surveillance is everywhere, in the streets, shops and on the Internet. It has become impossible for us to do something without somebody else knowing about it. Improvements in technology has led to us leaving a digital footprint everywhere, internet history allows us to track the sites we have visited, everything that we purchase with debit/credit cards can be tracked and there has been an increase in CCTV cameras on the roads.
The privacy that this has left us with has been questioned, as people are unable to do everyday activities without worrying about who are watching them. The CCTV cameras that are used as suppose to keep us safe and reduce crime as the police will be able to catch the criminal in a more effective way. Although some members of the government has said that it doesn't make the roads a safer place, it can be said that it makes us feel as if we were more safe knowing that we were being watched.
Social networking sites such as Facebook has also been focused on as question on their privacy and security of information put on facebook leads people to ask if they are actually owners of their own information of if the company own it. "The internet has created a plethora of new information and personal security issues, which range from e-mail spamming, computer virus proliferation and online harassment to forms of cyber-fraud and identity theft".
Rather than having surveillance to makes us safer, it seems that it has made us feel more under threat, as we are no longer able to do things in our own space electronically without it being recorded. This can only leave is to wonder on how technology will have an affect on privacy and surveillance in the future.
CCTV and crime
Facebook privacy issues
The privacy that this has left us with has been questioned, as people are unable to do everyday activities without worrying about who are watching them. The CCTV cameras that are used as suppose to keep us safe and reduce crime as the police will be able to catch the criminal in a more effective way. Although some members of the government has said that it doesn't make the roads a safer place, it can be said that it makes us feel as if we were more safe knowing that we were being watched.
Social networking sites such as Facebook has also been focused on as question on their privacy and security of information put on facebook leads people to ask if they are actually owners of their own information of if the company own it. "The internet has created a plethora of new information and personal security issues, which range from e-mail spamming, computer virus proliferation and online harassment to forms of cyber-fraud and identity theft".
Rather than having surveillance to makes us safer, it seems that it has made us feel more under threat, as we are no longer able to do things in our own space electronically without it being recorded. This can only leave is to wonder on how technology will have an affect on privacy and surveillance in the future.
CCTV and crime
Facebook privacy issues
Digital Divide - Does technology drive culture?
Different counties have access to certain amount of advanced technology, some countries more than others. "The development and spread of digital media across the world has culminated in the centrality of these media in the social, political and economic activities of people and organisations in many countries, especially in the developed world ... ". (P122, Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media Creeber G & Martin, R (eds).
Countries such as China and America, as well as a large amount of European countries are world leaders in technology in different ways. China is incredibly advanced in computing and is therefore world leaders in this department. Less technological developed countries that do not have access to the internet will not have the ability to socialise with networking sites such as Facebook or such engines such as Google. Seeing as they do not have access to particular new media technology, they tend to live differently that those that do. From this I believe that technology does drive culture and the way people conduct themselves.
Those that have new media technology such as Iphones and PDAs can tend spend most of their time on it rather than socialising face-to-face with others. Their lives are more centralized to the gadgets they use, which drives their culture.
"The idea that technology determines social and cultural trends and patterns in known as technological determinism and is often criticised" (Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging) others would say that their culture is not determined by the technology they use but by how they wish. And only use the technology because is it their for them to use at their disposal.
Countries such as China and America, as well as a large amount of European countries are world leaders in technology in different ways. China is incredibly advanced in computing and is therefore world leaders in this department. Less technological developed countries that do not have access to the internet will not have the ability to socialise with networking sites such as Facebook or such engines such as Google. Seeing as they do not have access to particular new media technology, they tend to live differently that those that do. From this I believe that technology does drive culture and the way people conduct themselves.
Those that have new media technology such as Iphones and PDAs can tend spend most of their time on it rather than socialising face-to-face with others. Their lives are more centralized to the gadgets they use, which drives their culture.
"The idea that technology determines social and cultural trends and patterns in known as technological determinism and is often criticised" (Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging) others would say that their culture is not determined by the technology they use but by how they wish. And only use the technology because is it their for them to use at their disposal.
Digital Games and Players - Why do people cheat in video games?
In Roger Caillois' book, 'Man, Play and Games', Paidea is defined as "wild, free and improvisional play" (p.36). When we get bored or playing a game and following the rules of the game we tend to divert from that and find new things to do in that game without any second thoughts of the rules of the magic circle we would be breaking. John Huizinga's Homo Luden says, "The spoil-sport shatters the play-world itself. By withdrawing from the game he reveals the relatively and fragility of the play-world in which he had temporary shut himself with others. He robs play of its illusion-apregent word, which means literally "in-play". (P.11).
This question that this can lead to is if Paidea (which is exploring games) is actually the same as cheating as you are not following the rules of the game but looking to expand on the boundaries. Titles given to "spoilsports" and cheaters are generally hackers that are looking for something new within a game to make it more interesting for them.
If we explore the rules of a game without breaking those rules but just understanding the boundaries, that can be known as Paidea as we are not changing anything but knowing the game more. If we intentionally search for glitches within a game, knowing that we are not staying within the boundaries and breaking the rules, that can be known as hacking due to the fact that we are searching for something that the designers of the game has not intentionally put in, meaning we are not suppose to find them.
People will also use walk throughs to help them complete a game as they find it too difficult and do not find satisfaction in finding ways to complete a particular 'mission' but just completing it, itself.
This can tell us that game players are finding it more difficult to follow game rules as they can become distracted and what to create their own rules of the game.
This question that this can lead to is if Paidea (which is exploring games) is actually the same as cheating as you are not following the rules of the game but looking to expand on the boundaries. Titles given to "spoilsports" and cheaters are generally hackers that are looking for something new within a game to make it more interesting for them.
If we explore the rules of a game without breaking those rules but just understanding the boundaries, that can be known as Paidea as we are not changing anything but knowing the game more. If we intentionally search for glitches within a game, knowing that we are not staying within the boundaries and breaking the rules, that can be known as hacking due to the fact that we are searching for something that the designers of the game has not intentionally put in, meaning we are not suppose to find them.
People will also use walk throughs to help them complete a game as they find it too difficult and do not find satisfaction in finding ways to complete a particular 'mission' but just completing it, itself.
This can tell us that game players are finding it more difficult to follow game rules as they can become distracted and what to create their own rules of the game.
Game Theory
John Huizinga's book, Homo Ludens, shows how the "arena, the card-table, the magic circle, the temple, the stage, the screen, he tennis court, the court of justice, etc.are all form and function play-grounds, i.e. forbidden spots, isolated, hedged round, hallowed, within which special rules obtain Are all temporary worlds within ordinary worlds, dedicated to the performance of an act apart." (p.10). From this we see that he says that by playing a game, a special time and space is created which allow us to abide by those rules. Examples of these magic circles would be a football pitch, the office and the golf course. The reason why it is the magic circle is because, while you are in that space and time, everything else except for the rules of that game or that space that you are in is not important at that time.
A videogame is a more complex example of the magic circle as there are different aspects as to what the boundaries of the circle would be. Such as the space the game is played in (the living room) or the screen the game is played on. These boundaries can often change the rules of the magic circle, its is not always just the game. John's Homo Ludens also talks about the space and time of the game continuing after the game is played. If the game is multi-player, the player can often feel as being apart of something, which can lead to socializing with the other players and have community-building activities.
Roger Caillois’ Man, Play and Games have these for basic types of play, which are Agon, Alea, Mimicry and Llinx. These four can be put in the two categories of Ludus and Paidea. Paidea is defined as ". Wild, free-foam improvisational play..." (p.36). Ludus is defined as being "complementary to and a refinement of paidea" (p.29). Agon is described as being "competitive" with an outcome of a "winner" (p.14) Alea (Latin word for dice) is described as an "outcome over which he has no control" (p.17). Mimicry is a game, which uses imagination, "one is thus confronted with a diverse series of manifestations, the common element of which is that the subject makes believe or makes other believe that he is someone other than himself." (p.19). Llinx, being the final game is having the sense of sensation while playing a game. "Every child very well knows that by whirling rapidly he reaches a centrifugal state of flight from which he regains bodily stability and clarity of perception only with difficulty." (p.23).
Ludus is generally viewed as more grown, as Paidea is a lot more free and focus' more towards the inprovional play, that tends to be more for children although it also depends on the four types of play.
These game plays apply to digital games as they determine the type of game the player is going to have. Online multi-player shooter games are often Agon as they are extremely competitive and winners are provided. Adventure games such as Heavy Rain are Mimicry based, as the end result of the game is dependent on the users imagination within the magic circle.
From this, we see that games are all similar in terms of having a magic circle, a place in which a person can literally escape from reality and play a game as long as they follow the rules of the game and stay within the boundaries of the magic circle.
A videogame is a more complex example of the magic circle as there are different aspects as to what the boundaries of the circle would be. Such as the space the game is played in (the living room) or the screen the game is played on. These boundaries can often change the rules of the magic circle, its is not always just the game. John's Homo Ludens also talks about the space and time of the game continuing after the game is played. If the game is multi-player, the player can often feel as being apart of something, which can lead to socializing with the other players and have community-building activities.
Roger Caillois’ Man, Play and Games have these for basic types of play, which are Agon, Alea, Mimicry and Llinx. These four can be put in the two categories of Ludus and Paidea. Paidea is defined as ". Wild, free-foam improvisational play..." (p.36). Ludus is defined as being "complementary to and a refinement of paidea" (p.29). Agon is described as being "competitive" with an outcome of a "winner" (p.14) Alea (Latin word for dice) is described as an "outcome over which he has no control" (p.17). Mimicry is a game, which uses imagination, "one is thus confronted with a diverse series of manifestations, the common element of which is that the subject makes believe or makes other believe that he is someone other than himself." (p.19). Llinx, being the final game is having the sense of sensation while playing a game. "Every child very well knows that by whirling rapidly he reaches a centrifugal state of flight from which he regains bodily stability and clarity of perception only with difficulty." (p.23).
Ludus is generally viewed as more grown, as Paidea is a lot more free and focus' more towards the inprovional play, that tends to be more for children although it also depends on the four types of play.
From this, we see that games are all similar in terms of having a magic circle, a place in which a person can literally escape from reality and play a game as long as they follow the rules of the game and stay within the boundaries of the magic circle.
Digital Literature
As people we are used to a linear structure, a beginning, middle and end. The reason for this is because it is the easiest way to understanding something. The first films or television programmes we watched, was linear so that we could understand the plot as easy as possible. When we read books we start from the front (beginning) and make our way to the back (end). This is same for words, we do not understand them when they are put in random positions (single letters) but when they are together they have meaning and therefore we understand them.
As years pass by, events occur and technology improves in ways we have no imagined they would. In 1994 Annie Proulx said in Books on Top tat "nobody is going to sit down and read a novel on a twitchy little screen. Ever". 15 years later we have seen technology such as the Ipad and the Kindle that allow us to read book, interact and do many other things from a screen.
Could this then mean the end of books? Hundred of thousands of books are novel available over the web and a large amount of those books are available for free. Using the internet for books is a lot easier as we can find a book straight away without searching for it in a library Although it can be argued that books are more portable as you wont need a big laptop or a computer to carry around, it can be more convenient to use the web as you wont need to flick through hundreds of pages in order to get through the book.
A larger question would be is this the end of libraries? The web has access to almost every bit of information that is possible. Going to a library can be seen as time consuming and pointless if you are unable to find the information you are looking for. Similar problems would be the death of the author. "The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author" (Roland Barthes). Narrative is become more and more like the web in which the reader is the author and the author is the reader. When information is put on the web, the reader becomes the author as they are creating that information and sharing it for others to use. Books however are very much restricted as it is author orientated as the author shares the book our to reader.
This shows us that narrative has become a lot more interactive in the last 15-20 years, which has meant our understanding of it has broadened. I think this is for the better as we are able to share our knowledge on a much larger scale through the net as books can restrict us from sharing throughout the world. Web 2.0 is easy to access and it is fast making everything around it easy to access too.
Books on top
linear story telling (beginning, middle and end)
The End of Books
Ipad 2 features
As years pass by, events occur and technology improves in ways we have no imagined they would. In 1994 Annie Proulx said in Books on Top tat "nobody is going to sit down and read a novel on a twitchy little screen. Ever". 15 years later we have seen technology such as the Ipad and the Kindle that allow us to read book, interact and do many other things from a screen.
Could this then mean the end of books? Hundred of thousands of books are novel available over the web and a large amount of those books are available for free. Using the internet for books is a lot easier as we can find a book straight away without searching for it in a library Although it can be argued that books are more portable as you wont need a big laptop or a computer to carry around, it can be more convenient to use the web as you wont need to flick through hundreds of pages in order to get through the book.
A larger question would be is this the end of libraries? The web has access to almost every bit of information that is possible. Going to a library can be seen as time consuming and pointless if you are unable to find the information you are looking for. Similar problems would be the death of the author. "The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author" (Roland Barthes). Narrative is become more and more like the web in which the reader is the author and the author is the reader. When information is put on the web, the reader becomes the author as they are creating that information and sharing it for others to use. Books however are very much restricted as it is author orientated as the author shares the book our to reader.
This shows us that narrative has become a lot more interactive in the last 15-20 years, which has meant our understanding of it has broadened. I think this is for the better as we are able to share our knowledge on a much larger scale through the net as books can restrict us from sharing throughout the world. Web 2.0 is easy to access and it is fast making everything around it easy to access too.
Books on top
linear story telling (beginning, middle and end)
The End of Books
Ipad 2 features
Monday
Tagging
Tagging is a user - generated way to organise a blog. This is a type of meta-data that uses key words instead of sentences to store data/information. This question around tagging is its reliability. Like many user-generated information they can be used in any way for whatever purpose the user wants. Due to think the information that the user has used to name a tag (holiday) may be misleading by having a tag that has no relation to the word holiday.
Search engines work by 'spiders' (software programmes) looking all over the web to find particular key words that the user has put in. The search engine then gives a list of links that best relate to the input information, the list is often organised by the most popular link being at the top and making its way down.
The search engine looks for key words that are stored in the meta-data (source page of the website). By picking up on the same words that are put in the search engine or closely relate to it, allows the user to see it.
Tagging is therefore similar to meta-data as they have data that is stored and in some cases categorised so that they will be easy to locate, whether that is through the users or through search engines.
Tagging is also like folksonomies as they both help organise information and make it easy to label as it is just one key word, it also means that if you have a picture on a networking site or just want to give any information a name so that you can go over it later, it can become very handy.
The difference between meta-data, tagging and folksonomies however is evident in their reliability. Meta-data is stored in web pages so that the information that is searched in a search engine can be found straight away. Tagging and folksonomies however is user generated, meaning any information or label given is dependent on the user that gave the label. If the user were to give a label of pizza to a picture of a car, if you were to go back and look for that photo, you would not be able to find it, which can mislead others.
Although tagging is incredibly unreliable, if it is used correctly it can be less time consuming and easier for others to find files that they are looking for without having great detail about it. As time passes are more users are using tags to label information, it is possible that this will become the primary way of looking for information rather than looking in libraries. By doing it online it is quicker and less effort. Search engine sites such as Google and Yahoo are now Internet giants as they are able to find any information through the web in seconds as they focus on getting the most important data users are most looking for. From this we can see that everything (on the web) is categorised.
folksonomies
folksonomy 2
Search engines work by 'spiders' (software programmes) looking all over the web to find particular key words that the user has put in. The search engine then gives a list of links that best relate to the input information, the list is often organised by the most popular link being at the top and making its way down.
The search engine looks for key words that are stored in the meta-data (source page of the website). By picking up on the same words that are put in the search engine or closely relate to it, allows the user to see it.
Tagging is therefore similar to meta-data as they have data that is stored and in some cases categorised so that they will be easy to locate, whether that is through the users or through search engines.
Tagging is also like folksonomies as they both help organise information and make it easy to label as it is just one key word, it also means that if you have a picture on a networking site or just want to give any information a name so that you can go over it later, it can become very handy.
The difference between meta-data, tagging and folksonomies however is evident in their reliability. Meta-data is stored in web pages so that the information that is searched in a search engine can be found straight away. Tagging and folksonomies however is user generated, meaning any information or label given is dependent on the user that gave the label. If the user were to give a label of pizza to a picture of a car, if you were to go back and look for that photo, you would not be able to find it, which can mislead others.
Although tagging is incredibly unreliable, if it is used correctly it can be less time consuming and easier for others to find files that they are looking for without having great detail about it. As time passes are more users are using tags to label information, it is possible that this will become the primary way of looking for information rather than looking in libraries. By doing it online it is quicker and less effort. Search engine sites such as Google and Yahoo are now Internet giants as they are able to find any information through the web in seconds as they focus on getting the most important data users are most looking for. From this we can see that everything (on the web) is categorised.
folksonomies
folksonomy 2
Hard AI vs Soft AI
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is “the study and design of intelligent agents, where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes action, which maximises its chance of success” (Wikipedia).
Throughout the web, there are AI systems that are able to mimic human responses, leading the recipient to believe that there are talking to someone else (i.e. through social-networking sites) when they are actually communicating with computing intelligence. This is in fact known as “hard AI”, this creates machines that are made to think like us in order to understand how the human brain works, in a result whenever we communicate with AI we tend to think we care talking with another human being. Many sites however use security checks (CAPTCHA) when making a social-networking site or new e-mail account (such as Facebook and Hotmail) so that these AI cannot make fake accounts, as they cannot see the text but just hidden code.
‘Eliza’ is a computer program that tries to communicate in human form. Due to it being very basic programming, Eliza is extremely limited in terms of responses, only picks up on a few key words and doesn’t give a straight answer but tends to answer a question with a question.
Another similar type of AI programming is ‘A.L.I.C.E’, which is far more developed in terms of thought structure and explaining questions with impressive detail. It is far more human like as it uses ‘smiley faces’ which would leave us to believe that it was another human as smiley faces represents emotions.
Eliza first appeared in the 1960’s and A.L.I.C.E was connected to the net in 1995. The advancements it took from the basic program of Eliza has been impressive as A.L.I.C.E was created 35 years later. This shows that technology and AI advancements are on the rise. The question that arises would be if they are able to create an AI that is superior to its creator meaning it will become human like in every way such as showing emotion or having conversations with humans beyond the intellectual level but on something that will differ a robot from a human or if there is a limit on how human like they can make a robot.
I think that robots will always be robots, as they can only read texts that are put in, they are unable to get around the (CAPCHA) security and therefore unable to read text that humans can read, therefore limiting them. Although they can gives responds that are human like, they cannot give genuine opinions that they have thought of as they only come from the person that created them. Then again in another 35 years this may all be possible.
A.L.I.C.E
Eliza
AI deffinition
A.L.I.C.E
Eliza
AI deffinition
Wednesday
Being networked together
The internet connects everyone together and because of this we are networked together. Without people using the web in order to communicated or share information with each other, web 2.0 has no meaning. An example would be having a laptop but having no battery in order for it to run, you need one in order to support the other.
Norbert Weiner created the term, cybernetics which uses "computer technology as a means to extend human capabilities" (http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_wiener.htm). This shows the connection between both humans and technology and how the are so closely related (human beings communicating through technology like a vessel).
Computer technology can be related so closely to artificial life as it stereotypically uses the idea that comes to our minds when we think of aliens or life that is literally out of this world. Technology such as the Nintendo Wii or Microsoft Kinect make us believe that such advancements in technology are unreal. Controlling what occurs through the television are extremely similar to that of sci-fi films that use communicational methods that are beyond their time and as we pick up how to use this technology so quickly, it can result in questions such as 'are we technology?' Marshall Mcluhan describes us as being the " the sex organs of the machine world" (Understanding Media, 1964).
As we all generally live life in a particular way, (birth, school/learning, working, retirement, death) it is possible that we are also machine like as we live life in a pattern/structure that we rarely control. In being machine like we can therefore see ourselves as being cybernetic organisms which is a term "put forward by Manfred E. Clynes and Nathan S. Kline in 1960 to describe a self-regulating man-machine system, supposed to be more flexible than the human organism thanks to the fusion of orgnic and mechanical parts.” (Dani Cavallario, Cyberpunk and Cyberculture page 45).
Norbert Weiner created the term, cybernetics which uses "computer technology as a means to extend human capabilities" (http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_wiener.htm). This shows the connection between both humans and technology and how the are so closely related (human beings communicating through technology like a vessel).
Computer technology can be related so closely to artificial life as it stereotypically uses the idea that comes to our minds when we think of aliens or life that is literally out of this world. Technology such as the Nintendo Wii or Microsoft Kinect make us believe that such advancements in technology are unreal. Controlling what occurs through the television are extremely similar to that of sci-fi films that use communicational methods that are beyond their time and as we pick up how to use this technology so quickly, it can result in questions such as 'are we technology?' Marshall Mcluhan describes us as being the " the sex organs of the machine world" (Understanding Media, 1964).
As we all generally live life in a particular way, (birth, school/learning, working, retirement, death) it is possible that we are also machine like as we live life in a pattern/structure that we rarely control. In being machine like we can therefore see ourselves as being cybernetic organisms which is a term "put forward by Manfred E. Clynes and Nathan S. Kline in 1960 to describe a self-regulating man-machine system, supposed to be more flexible than the human organism thanks to the fusion of orgnic and mechanical parts.” (Dani Cavallario, Cyberpunk and Cyberculture page 45).
A remix manifesto
A remix manifesto is a documentary discussing the use of mash ups and how they have lead to lawsuits due to copyright infringements. It shows people that have been sued as a result of copying original material without understanding that what they are doing is illegal although they are taking samples in order to create something new.
As intellectual property means that if you did not create it your are not allowed to use it, is now being closely watched, it can result in creativity of an individual not being shared or restricted so that information is no longer shared which goes against what web 2.0 stands for in a whole.
As the internet shares information and allows access to everyone in most websites it can change the way people view looking at other information in general. When people browse through websites, they never really look to read the terms and conditions that certain websites may have, they just tend to go straight to the information they are looking for. A result of this could potentially change people off the World Wide Web and continue their habits of looking straight into the information they want in real life without really thinking about the consequences.
Napstar (1999) was a on-line peer-to-peer music website which let people share music to each other and download music tracks. Napstar faced lawsuits as the songs from music groups were let free to download which meant that the record label of the songs were not making any profit through CD sales. Rock band Metallica and Dr. Dre were noticeable by the media for suing for copyright infringement.
An advantage and disadvantage of intellectual property is that once you create something, others are not allowed to use it while it means that if another individual makes an idea for themselves that is similar to another persons, they can be seen as copying it and trying to make it their own regardless of if it is innocent or not. Although there are loop holes such as creative commons which allow you to use another persons material as long as they do not claim it to be their own work.
A remix manifesto (part1)
A remix manifesto (part 2)
A remix manifesto (part 3)
A remix manifesto (part 4)
A remix manifesto (part 5)
A remix manifesto (part 6)
A remix manifesto (part 7)
A remix manifesto (part 8)
A remix manifesto (part 9)
Napstar lawsuits
Creative commons
As intellectual property means that if you did not create it your are not allowed to use it, is now being closely watched, it can result in creativity of an individual not being shared or restricted so that information is no longer shared which goes against what web 2.0 stands for in a whole.
As the internet shares information and allows access to everyone in most websites it can change the way people view looking at other information in general. When people browse through websites, they never really look to read the terms and conditions that certain websites may have, they just tend to go straight to the information they are looking for. A result of this could potentially change people off the World Wide Web and continue their habits of looking straight into the information they want in real life without really thinking about the consequences.
Napstar (1999) was a on-line peer-to-peer music website which let people share music to each other and download music tracks. Napstar faced lawsuits as the songs from music groups were let free to download which meant that the record label of the songs were not making any profit through CD sales. Rock band Metallica and Dr. Dre were noticeable by the media for suing for copyright infringement.
An advantage and disadvantage of intellectual property is that once you create something, others are not allowed to use it while it means that if another individual makes an idea for themselves that is similar to another persons, they can be seen as copying it and trying to make it their own regardless of if it is innocent or not. Although there are loop holes such as creative commons which allow you to use another persons material as long as they do not claim it to be their own work.
A remix manifesto (part1)
A remix manifesto (part 2)
A remix manifesto (part 3)
A remix manifesto (part 4)
A remix manifesto (part 5)
A remix manifesto (part 6)
A remix manifesto (part 7)
A remix manifesto (part 8)
A remix manifesto (part 9)
Napstar lawsuits
Creative commons
Tuesday
Web 2.0
Web 1.0 was primarily about connecting people together around the world. Web 2.0 is based more upon the sharing of information and data through networking. Sites that have come up through web 2.0 such as Wikipedia, Youtube, Myspace and Facebook are so popular, not just because they connect people together, but they can share a large amount of data that anyone with internet access can altar to a certain extent.
Wikipedia, is a free on-line encyclopaedia that anyone can edit. It is user-generated and relies on trust that the information being shares by others is in fact true and not misleading. As the existence of web 2.0 is information sharing, Wikipedia is semi-protected and protected, depending on the importance of the subject. The Wikipedia page of Elizabeth II would have a protected profile due to her high status and the information that is edited would only be able to be done by someone that has a good history of publishing correct information on the site. Semi-protected pages such as a profile based on a sport can be edited by anyone but once the information has been seen to be not true or misleading, it will automatically be deleted and restored to the way it was previously.
This would question how reliable Wikipedia is because anyone is capable of editing, deleting, adding or replacing the entry but no previous history for a certain amount of time. It could then question how much of the data is actually used and which is overlooked as a person looking for information could believe anything that is put in front of them.
Mash ups are also information sharing and are used to combine two or more mediums together. It has been done for films or television programmes but are most popular for its use of music. By combining two or more completely different songs together to create a new one is called a mash up. It has come under a lot of criticism as the original songs used to combine are property of record labels and without the permission to use them come under a breech in copyright. Although a new song has been created, it still used the notes of the original songs and that is enough for a record label or music artist to sue the creator of the mash up. They are usually non-profit but increase the reputation of the creator of the mash up songs.
Another example of a mash up would be 'UK snow map' which is a combination of both 'Google Maps' and 'Twitter'. It works by tweeting your location through the Twitter site and Google will find your location through its the maps. This does not come under copyright infringement as both companies have agreed to do so in order to create something new.
The web has now become something that relies heavily on user generated products, although it will cause problems along the way such as if it is illegal or not. Web 2.0 has become a lot more open as we are able to do more with it such as edit information by the audience and not just by the creator of the site.
What is Web 2.0
Mash up website
Example of a mash up
UK snow map
Wikipedia, is a free on-line encyclopaedia that anyone can edit. It is user-generated and relies on trust that the information being shares by others is in fact true and not misleading. As the existence of web 2.0 is information sharing, Wikipedia is semi-protected and protected, depending on the importance of the subject. The Wikipedia page of Elizabeth II would have a protected profile due to her high status and the information that is edited would only be able to be done by someone that has a good history of publishing correct information on the site. Semi-protected pages such as a profile based on a sport can be edited by anyone but once the information has been seen to be not true or misleading, it will automatically be deleted and restored to the way it was previously.
This would question how reliable Wikipedia is because anyone is capable of editing, deleting, adding or replacing the entry but no previous history for a certain amount of time. It could then question how much of the data is actually used and which is overlooked as a person looking for information could believe anything that is put in front of them.
Mash ups are also information sharing and are used to combine two or more mediums together. It has been done for films or television programmes but are most popular for its use of music. By combining two or more completely different songs together to create a new one is called a mash up. It has come under a lot of criticism as the original songs used to combine are property of record labels and without the permission to use them come under a breech in copyright. Although a new song has been created, it still used the notes of the original songs and that is enough for a record label or music artist to sue the creator of the mash up. They are usually non-profit but increase the reputation of the creator of the mash up songs.
Another example of a mash up would be 'UK snow map' which is a combination of both 'Google Maps' and 'Twitter'. It works by tweeting your location through the Twitter site and Google will find your location through its the maps. This does not come under copyright infringement as both companies have agreed to do so in order to create something new.
The web has now become something that relies heavily on user generated products, although it will cause problems along the way such as if it is illegal or not. Web 2.0 has become a lot more open as we are able to do more with it such as edit information by the audience and not just by the creator of the site.
What is Web 2.0
Mash up website
Example of a mash up
UK snow map
Identity and representation
Through cyberspace we create represent ourselves with characteristics that we wouldn't normally do in real life. As it is a world where you do not have to show your true identity or personal information, people are likely to feel a lot more at ease if they distance themselves personally and choose an identity which portrays how they would like to be seen by the audience.
Depending on the audience, different users may want to publicise different information as the response they are likely to recieve due to the nature of the site will differ from one another. Sites that involove a love for music such as 'Myspace' might have the user describing their love for music and a list of artist they may enjoy but might not put that on a site such as 'Facebook' where they might find photos shared to be more relevent to the type of response they believe they would get.
"Goffman suggest that there are many ‘sign vehicles’ that are widely recognized as expressions given off unintentionally by people, by which others can evaluate how successful or sincere the self-presentation is. Some sign vehicles, like sex, age and race, are extremely difficult to conceal or manipulate in face-to-face interaction. Although the rest – such as clothing, posture, speech pattern, facial expression, bodily gesture and intonation – are relatively more manipulatable” (Charles Cheung, Presentations of Self on Personal Homepage in web.studies page 47). Profile pictures usually posted on 'Facebook' represent the type of person the user want others to identify them, clothing, facial expression, bodily gesture will present a person in a way that they set out to, even if this given identity is false. An individuals interests in reality and cyberspace may merge and come under both as they might want to be viewed to have some of the characteristics that they might have in the real world, such as name and interests.
Multi-User Domains (MUD) are online role-playing games, where the virtual world is the real world. Both worlds become completely merged and users represent their avatars (World of Warcraft) how they wish. Real money can be used to change the characteristics of the avatar which is what makes both reality and the virtual world become one.
People then can change from reality to cyberspace in the lightest or most drastic way depending on the viewing audience. The reason for some people changing could be due to the reason they want to stand out among other users or to fit in, which also depends on their life in the real world and how much they want to be represented in a different or a similar light.
Multi-user domains
Multi-user domains
Monday
The birth and death of cyberspace
Cyberspace can be viewed as a place where people generally go to in order to escape reality and enter a world where they can enter a world a become anyone or anything they wish. It is a world where people are able to create an identity they wish to go by. Generally people that are unhappy with the reality they live in tend to spend more of their time in cyberspace than in real life. This could also what is reality and what is virtual. Millions of people a day enter the cyberspace world to socialise with others, gaming or on-line banking,. it could be said that the difference between both reality and virtual worlds depends on the individual and as not something that can be put under the category of reality is being in the real world and cyberspace is being in the virtual.
Second life is a virtual world where people literally live a natural life, in terms of shopping, meeting people and making money. People would put their real money in order to upgrade their avatar and the world they have become apart of. This has become more of a place of how people wish they could live rather than a virtual game. By having spent more time in this world than in the meatspace, it questions if we ever leave the virtual world if we are always using virtual technology or which world do we actually define as being the real one as they both merge together the way they do.
Social networking sites such as 'Facebook' is becoming more like a virtual world we live in as we create images of ourselves which reflects on how we want others viewing our profiles to see us, such as posting certain pictures to gives impressions of being an extrovert and socialising with friends when the user is actually an introvert that doesn't go out much, but only posts pictures that say otherwise. The same applies to the user names people apply to themselves, it is not generally their name but the type of person they are or the type of person they wish to be, such as 'peterlikestoparty123' when they hold no characteristics of the name but what other users to believe that they do.
This would suggest that in most occasions, people may be living in a virtual world but it becomes more of a reality as they work harder to create an image of themselves than they do in the real world.
Cyberspace was originally a place where people could literally go, but with technology developing like it does we are able to take the cyberspace with us on our mobile phones or PDAs. We no longer escape the real world to go into another but are now able to mix the two together how ever we want. As we are always connected to the virtual world it is possible to be living two very different lives as two different identities of us no exist.
Second life is a virtual world where people literally live a natural life, in terms of shopping, meeting people and making money. People would put their real money in order to upgrade their avatar and the world they have become apart of. This has become more of a place of how people wish they could live rather than a virtual game. By having spent more time in this world than in the meatspace, it questions if we ever leave the virtual world if we are always using virtual technology or which world do we actually define as being the real one as they both merge together the way they do.
Social networking sites such as 'Facebook' is becoming more like a virtual world we live in as we create images of ourselves which reflects on how we want others viewing our profiles to see us, such as posting certain pictures to gives impressions of being an extrovert and socialising with friends when the user is actually an introvert that doesn't go out much, but only posts pictures that say otherwise. The same applies to the user names people apply to themselves, it is not generally their name but the type of person they are or the type of person they wish to be, such as 'peterlikestoparty123' when they hold no characteristics of the name but what other users to believe that they do.
This would suggest that in most occasions, people may be living in a virtual world but it becomes more of a reality as they work harder to create an image of themselves than they do in the real world.
Cyberspace was originally a place where people could literally go, but with technology developing like it does we are able to take the cyberspace with us on our mobile phones or PDAs. We no longer escape the real world to go into another but are now able to mix the two together how ever we want. As we are always connected to the virtual world it is possible to be living two very different lives as two different identities of us no exist.
Sunday
Issues over interface
Interface is a means of output that allows users to manipulate the system or to interact with a particular machine or a program run by a computer. Graphic interfaces are slightly different but still allow us to manipulate computer programs. The information that is run by the programme are shown on screens which makes it easier to access files or further programmes. The first graphical interfaces were the sketchpad which was a computer program run written by Ivan Sutherland in the early 1960s.
Since the `1960s, improvements more programs have been made so therefore improves to the graphical interface also had to be made. The WIMP model (windows, icons, menus and pointing) allowed a user to use a mouse to literally click on a window and drag it to the side, this also let users use more than one program at a time.
Software developers such as Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows were the first to use the WIMP model and to modernise it to something we still use today. This consists of visual design of the interface, information design, interaction design, functional specifications and, user needs and site objectives(information or user orientated). This is everything that is needed in order to make a software interface attractable to its user.
These interfaces have been improved to the point where we can use it on our mobile phones and access programs through it, such as applications and the ability to access the internet.
Modern social networking sites such as Facebook have used the ability to use graphic interfaces and extend their site from being computer based to being accessible through PDAs (personal digital assistants) which has also been done for a lot of modern websites that want to expand to other platforms. By doing this, information design as well as interaction design will have to be suited to a mobile phone as important information is likely going to be the only things used on the mobile site. However this could change the orientation of the elements of the user experience from user to information, meaning that the overall purpose of the site could potentially change.
The elements of user experience
Since the `1960s, improvements more programs have been made so therefore improves to the graphical interface also had to be made. The WIMP model (windows, icons, menus and pointing) allowed a user to use a mouse to literally click on a window and drag it to the side, this also let users use more than one program at a time.
Software developers such as Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows were the first to use the WIMP model and to modernise it to something we still use today. This consists of visual design of the interface, information design, interaction design, functional specifications and, user needs and site objectives(information or user orientated). This is everything that is needed in order to make a software interface attractable to its user.
These interfaces have been improved to the point where we can use it on our mobile phones and access programs through it, such as applications and the ability to access the internet.
Modern social networking sites such as Facebook have used the ability to use graphic interfaces and extend their site from being computer based to being accessible through PDAs (personal digital assistants) which has also been done for a lot of modern websites that want to expand to other platforms. By doing this, information design as well as interaction design will have to be suited to a mobile phone as important information is likely going to be the only things used on the mobile site. However this could change the orientation of the elements of the user experience from user to information, meaning that the overall purpose of the site could potentially change.
The elements of user experience
Thursday
News and technology
News contains, political, cultural, economical, social information that is of interest to a local, national and international audience.
The development of technology in news is extremely important as it can determine the audiences interest in the information given to them. By having up to date technology on news institutions such as the BBC, the technology used to distribute the news has to be equally as important in order to get its point across. News is something that has thrived on technology, as gathering information from around the world as well as broadcasting twenty four hours a day is the primary objective for all news institutions, they rely on it in order to get as detailed information as possible.
Developments in the internet has allowed us to access in depth information that is not always on the television or in the news paper. This would mean that more people are likely to access information at a time that suits them, as well as being good for the news company.
Questions have been asked on the reliability of the news and weather the information that is initially given is correct. An example would be the 2000 US presidential election where to wrong result was given by the media before the result was made official. Other questions have been made about the reliability of citizen journalism, this being citizens that record events as they occur, such as the mobile phone recordings of the 9/11 bombings. As it is such amateur material, some would ask if it is something that can be used as proof of an event that should be accessible to people on a international level. Overall citizen journalism is something that is incredibly important to the BBC and other major news industries as they can be first to spontaneous news and therefore get the loyalty of the audience. In saying this, the future of citizen journalism is looking strong as most breaking news originates from photos or videos taken for citizens, which are then made public through the internet, magazines or through television.
The development of technology in news is extremely important as it can determine the audiences interest in the information given to them. By having up to date technology on news institutions such as the BBC, the technology used to distribute the news has to be equally as important in order to get its point across. News is something that has thrived on technology, as gathering information from around the world as well as broadcasting twenty four hours a day is the primary objective for all news institutions, they rely on it in order to get as detailed information as possible.
Developments in the internet has allowed us to access in depth information that is not always on the television or in the news paper. This would mean that more people are likely to access information at a time that suits them, as well as being good for the news company.
Questions have been asked on the reliability of the news and weather the information that is initially given is correct. An example would be the 2000 US presidential election where to wrong result was given by the media before the result was made official. Other questions have been made about the reliability of citizen journalism, this being citizens that record events as they occur, such as the mobile phone recordings of the 9/11 bombings. As it is such amateur material, some would ask if it is something that can be used as proof of an event that should be accessible to people on a international level. Overall citizen journalism is something that is incredibly important to the BBC and other major news industries as they can be first to spontaneous news and therefore get the loyalty of the audience. In saying this, the future of citizen journalism is looking strong as most breaking news originates from photos or videos taken for citizens, which are then made public through the internet, magazines or through television.
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