Essay

2. The idea of the internet as cyberspace has been a part of our contemporary culture for some time. But is the concept of cyberspace still relevant to our contemporary society?

Discuss with reference to your own experience of contemporary media.

The term cyberspace has no definitive definition, but is rather a metaphor for describing the virtual entity that occupies the space between computer systems. It was first termed by William Gibson in 1984 in his book, Neuromancer, in which he defines it as "a consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts... A graphical representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the non-space of the mind, clusters and constellations of data". (Jordan, T. 1999)

It as been accepted for some time that the idea of the internet as cyberspace has been a part of our contemporary culture. However, the fact that the internet is defined as the sum of interconnected computers and the software that runs it which is logically linked together demonstrates how the terms cyberspace and internet are two different concepts. (Lecture Notes) Billions of people enter the cosmic body of the internet every day, going about routine activities such as email, messenger, gaming and social networking. It’s the sum of all the individual users data and information that make up the cyberspace body. The internet is more of a channel to access different systems around the world. Therefore, cyberspace is not the connection between different computers but rather the connection of data between the users. It’s the conceptual space where people who may or may not meet each another face to face, and who exchange words and ideas, chat and argue, engage in intellectual discourse, exchange knowledge, share emotions, make plans, gossip, feud, fall in love, find friends, flirt and play games without leaving the computer screens but leaving the body behind. (Silver, D. 2000)

We live in a society where we are exposed to never-ending and attainable knowledge and all at the click of a mouse. More than ever, the concept of virtual communities within cyberspace is changing the way in which we view society and ourselves as individuals. Catching up with friends no longer requires the effort of organizing a time or place or the niceties of a handshake or kiss on the cheek. The advance of new technologies in communication means that billions of people world-wide can connect with each other without leaving the comforts of their house or even their desk chair. Instead, they rely on the wonders of the internet, without so much as a thought to the changing social standards within society. In 1995, the then vice president of America Al Gore remarked “These highways, or more accurately, networks or distributed intelligence, will allow us to share information, to connect and to communicate as a global community”. (Silver, D. 2000)

With an enormous number of social networking sites, chat rooms, blogs and forums, it seems that the direction of the social behavior of today’s society is shifting. Many people are using the online forms of communication to create and join communities within the cyberspace realm. This illustrates that the concept of cyberspace in contemporary society is more relevant than ever. The ease and ignorance at which individuals make their mark on these sites demonstrates the vastness of cyberspace and the way in which everyone who accesses the internet is inevitably connected through it. One common and very popular vessel for communication is networking sites such as Facebook. The statistics speak for themselves. Facebook has 300 million active users who spend on average, 8 billion minutes on Facebook per day, accompanied with 45 million status updates each day. (Facebook.com) Majority of the users are aged 35 years or younger and enter personal information on to their own link on the site, which is then released into the cyberspace sphere without so much as a thought as to who can or will access their information.

In contrast to explaining the relevance of cyberspace in contemporary society it is important to acknowledge the other forms of communication that do not enter cyberspace but are still accessed via the internet. Personal and private programs such as Windows Messenger, iChat and email provide a communication vessel, however are not entered into the virtual lands of cyberspace. They cannot be ‘googled’ unlike social networking pages; neither can they be accessed by anyone apart from the user. This illustrates the important differences between the cyberspace and the internet, although they are undeniably connected.

In conclusion, the relevance of cyberspace in today’s society is unquestionable. It is however, the interchangeable definitions of cyberspace and the internet that society needs to understand. The cosmic body that is cyberspace is filled with billions of individuals and business’s data, personal information and not so personal. It’s the concept that the internet is merely the technical connection between the vessels of virtual communities while cyberspace is the cosmic force that drives it.

Reference List

Facebook Statistics,

http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

Jordan, T. 1999. Cyberpower: The cultural and politics of cyberspace and the internet, Routledge, Great Britain.

New Communication Technologies Lecture Notes, 2009

Silver, D. 2000. Looking Backwards, Looking Forward: Cyberculture Studies 1990 – 2000, University of San Francisco

What is Cyberspace?

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/c/cyberspace.html

Viewed 13 October, 2009

Week 8.

This week we had to explore the scope of political participation on the internet. I dont particularly take a huge interest in politics other than the major issues so i tried to achieve some of the following as a learning experience.

• I signed a petition against the 20% increase in car registrations costs.

• I read up on the Kenmore Bypass on their blog, which would affect me as i live in the area.

• I also follow PM Kevin Rudd on twitter!!!

What do you think of the Australian Government's plans to censor the internet (the so-called "Clean Feed")???

I dont think the Australian Government should censor the internet. One aspect of this that i believe is important is who decides what Australians can and cant access on the internet? I think that if the internet is censored, Australians will have a disadvantage in news and global affairs as we will only be told what they want to know. In regards to children on the internet, i think it is up to the parents or guardians to decide at what age their child should be allowed to access the content on the internet as well as installing their own software to protect their children. I don't think it is the Australian Governments responsibility to regulate our internet usage.

Week 5. Virtual Reality

The socialising that takes place in the 3D worlds within cyberspace is very different to the instant messenger site such as msn messenger and AIM. The 3D chat room environments are constructed to form a virtual world, whereby users can interact with each other usually via an avatar and form communities and social groups. Instant messenger and other such IM programs work on the basis of adding friends via email, usually people you know in real life, and chatting individually or in a group conversation. The set up is simple and easy to use through individual windows for each conversation and the use of personal display pictures or web cam. It does not create a virtual world but rather is more similar to sending a txt message through your computer. The virtual reality created by the 3D chat rooms inspire a different and unique form of socialising. Through the 3D reality like display and the personal avatars created, the socialising take on more of a real life form, by which users can interact emotionally and physically, without leaving their computer screens. Many users feel bolder and more comfortable through the use of avatars than they would feel in real life social situations. Therefore, the varieties of interaction through this social portal are wide. I have heard and read stories about the use of Secondlife and am slightly worried about the context of the interaction between users. It scares me that in these virtual realities anything is possible and things that would be frowned upon or even illegal such as sexual misconduct can take place. Yes, the decision in in the 'mouse clicks' of each user, but can entering these virtual words obscure what is actual reality and virtual reality in the minds of some users?

Week 4. Im sorry Google

On a quick note, i find it kind of ironic that im using a search engine to find a different search engine and to find out how a search engine works. Mainly because i have never given it a second though till now. I apologize google, for taking you for granted.

How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the Internet?

Search engines use an algorithm to determine to relevancy and frequency of a site when a search is done. One of the the main rules in a ranking algorithm involves the location and frequency of keywords on a web page.

Who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?

Pages with the search terms appearing in the HTML title tag are often assumed to be more relevant than others to the topic. Search engines will also check to see if the search keywords appear near the top of a web page, such as in the headline or in the first few paragraphs of text. They assume that any page relevant to the topic will mention those words right from the beginning. Frequency is the other major factor in how search engines determine relevancy. A search engine will analyze how often keywords appear in relation to other words in a web page. Those with a higher frequency are often deemed more relevant than other web pages.

I found this information at http://searchenginewatch.com/ and it was actually quite interesting so i recommend to visit this site if you want to find out more.
What are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others?

The only search engine i use is google, mainly because until now, i didnt really know or give much thought to any others. However, after completing this weeks tutorial task, i have found that i also like using Bing and perhaps Yahoo. I think i like these ones the best because i find them quite easy to navigate and they deliver reasonable search results, without having to file through a load of useless websites to get what you are looking for.

But...

Google, you are still my favourite :-)

Week 4. Google Vs. Bing

For the Week 4 Tutorial task, we had to find answers to set questions without using Google or Wikipedia. My first reaction was, is there anything other than google? Gah! I use google for absolutely everything so it was interesting finding and trying to navigate different search engines. Here were the answers i got, mostly using www.yahoo.com, www.ask.com and the one i have seen advertised on t.v, www.bing.com

1. What did Alan Turing wear while riding his bicycle around Bletchley Park?

He wore a gas mask, he suffered from Hay fever (www.bing.com)

2. On what date did two computers first communicate with each other? Where were they?

It was called APRANET, September 2 1969, UCLA (www.bing.com)

3. What is Bill Gates’ birthday and what age was he when he sold his first software?

28th October 1955, Bill Gates developed his first software at the age of 13. (www.yahoo.com)

4. Where was the World Wide Web invented?

The World Wide Web was developed in 1989 by English computer scientist Timothy Berners-Lee at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics near Geneva, Switzerland. (www.ask.com)

5. How does the power of the computer you are working on now compare with the power of a personal computer from 30 years ago?

3000 times faster, but always changing

6. What is the weight of the largest parsnip ever grown?

The Guinness World Records states that the heaviest parsnip was grown by Norman Craven (Canada) in 2004 and weighed 5.7 kg (12lb 9oz) (www.bing.com)

7. When did Queensland become a state and why is the Tweed River in New South Wales?

Queensland became a state in 1904. (www.yahoo.com)

8. What was the weather like in south-east Queensland on 17 November 1954?

cyclone, rain it was the beginning of cyclone Wanda (www.bing.com)

9. Why is is Lord Byron still remembered in Venice?

Lord Byron was a romantic poet who had an affair with Teresa Guiccioli, the wife of an Italian nobleman, while staying in Venice. It was in this period that Byron wrote some of his most famous works, including 'Don Juan'. (www.bing.com)

10. What band did Sirhan Chapman play in and what is his real name?

The Black Assassins, Stephen Stockwell (www.bing.com)

In conclusion to this exercise i found that the Bing search engine was the easiest and most efficient one to use.

Did you know?

I started off searching through youtube trying to find a funny video featuring twitter or something but came across this video instead. I chose it because it is interesting and full of freaky statistics on the advances of technology and communication and how it will affect the way we live in the future. One particular part of the video that stood out for me was the fact that "we are studying for jobs that dont exist yet using technologies that havnt been invented in order to solve problems we dont even know are problems yet". This shows the extent of technological advance in our world and the way in which every single part of our lives function with the use of technology.

Week 3. I heart my iPhone

My main form of communication and the most technological gadget i use is my iPhone. I use it to make calls, txts, listen to music, watch YouTube videos and movies, and use network sites such as facebook and twitter. I think the introduction of the 'smart phones' has made a big impact on communication because we can now use email and Internet wherever we go. There is no longer the need to log onto a computer to use networking sites or download music which makes life more easy going and efficient. I remember when mobile phones were a new gadget and my friend received her mothers old phone when we were about 10. It was seriously the size of a brick, bigger than a home phone and with a massive antennae. Now looking at the mobile phones in today's market really makes you realize how quickly technology is evolving and the endless possibilities for new things in the future that we cant even comprehend now.

I received my first phone and my own computer in grade 8, 2002. I mostly used msn to communicate with friends and started off with one of those msn profile things that are similar to myspace. I then joined myspace and facebook as the craze went through school. If it wasn't for school i probably would never have known about them. Nowadays, i generally only use facebook and have recently made a twitter account, although i have no idea how to use it. The original reason for me joining the networking sites is because everyone else had one and its how everyone keeps in contact. I joined twitter mainly to see what all the hype was about as it is constantly talked about on the radio and on t.v. I don't play many online games or anything, as im not really computer savvy. I mostly just use the Internet to search for information and to use online banking services (when im not on facebook :-p). I dont have a credit card, which is probably a good thing, so i havn't yet got into online shopping.

To be honest, when it comes to privacy, i never think about the collection of my details by networking sites such as facebook or myspace. However i always make sure that my profile is private and i only accept friend requests etc. from people i know. I use these sites as a way to stay in touch with friends and family rather than meeting new people. I dont really use chat sites or anything as it doesn't really interest me to talk to random people on the net. However, i have started to learn how to use Skype, because i have alot of family overseas. My dad constantly uses it to stay in contact with them as it is cheaper than a phone call.

When writing this, i realized how much i actually use the Internet and it is alot more than i first thought. I didnt think i was particularly computer literate but im beginning to think i manage just fine. I think alot of my knowledge of communication technologies has come from high school, even though i didnt realize it at the time.