Monday, April 19, 2010

Privacy on the Web



When it comes to the web, privacy is a matter of great concern. With the billions of people with access to the internet, there is tons of people’s personal information available online. Especially now with the ever so popular social networking sites, people information is widely available. Google and other search engines have ties with these sites, which means you and your personal information could be easily access.



Many large companies like to take advantage of this. This is referred to as mining the internet for information. This is used widely by advertising companies. The companies view your basic information such sex, hobbies, and interest. They then use your information to try to sell you things they think may interest you. This information is found because of cookies, small text files created on your computer that contain information left there by the websites you visit.



Future employers may also access your personal information via the internet. They may Google your name and see what comes up. Things find on social networking sites such as photos, and status updates could be detrimental to your being hired if there is something negative pops up.



People can control a majority of the information that is found about them. The key to that is to setup your personal privacy settings. For example, Facebook allows its user too have their information public to “everyone,” or people can choose to have only certain people to access their pages. This way, even Google can not access your information. I have my account settings this way, and it actually works. I Google my name before I did this and my account showed. But now with the privacy settings, nothing came up when I searched.

In 2006 in Italy, Google was prosecuted for putting up a video of an autistic boy who was being taunted by other children. Google ran the video for two months, and it actual became the top entertaining video, until numerous viewers reported to them that it should be taken down. I personally believe that the prosecution for was not fair. What makes the internet popular is that any and everything can be found. For Google to monitor and look at everything that goes on the web (which is nearly impossible), would be a form a censorship. The internet is supposed to be an open field where everything is allowed. Censoring it would definitely change the dynamic of it.

People that are now growing up with the internet may have different expectations on the internet and privacy. They may be more aware of the dangers and disadvantages that having your personal information on the web may bring. They may be wiser and not put personal information out there or if they do may have a greater concern for protecting it with available privacy features.





Posted by Sierra H. at 5:27 PM 3 comments  

The Future of Television



With cable prices continuously rising, many have found an alternative way of viewing their favorite programming. This way is the internet. With websites like http://www.hulu.com/, people are able to watch many of the same programming that is found on television, whenever they want, and the great part is that it is free.


With traditional television, the big networks, such as NBS, ABC, Fox and the others have full control of what and when programming is on television. But with internet distribution, this is somewhat challenged. The networks control when many of the programming is available online. The program first airs on television, and then later on it is available on the web. Another way they still have control is by not having every channel or program, available online.


In the book The Television Will Be Revolutionized, the author Amanda Lotz discusses the five C’s. The five C’s are: choice, control, convenience, customization, and community. Lotz says that choice and control are reflected upon the expectations and adjustments of the use of networks on television. Convenience and customization refers to choice and control after network-era norms "eroded and conventions of the multi-channel transition started to dominate". And finally is community, which refers to people sharing interests and ideas with one another.


With the question could an independent producer have a popular TV show and distribute it to TVs nationwide through YouTube and ignore the networks? I would have to say yes it is possible. A person can easily come up with a television plot, record it themselves, and post it on YouTube. Then the viewers can easily follow their work and watch it on their televisions with such devices as Playstaion 3 or Apple TV. With that being the case, broadband TV relates to issues that we have learned about in the Long Tail, the internet as a democratizing tool, and Creative Commons. People can create videos or TV shows and protect them through creative commons, and then anyone who is interested in viewing them can watch them as long as they have access to them.

In ten years, there will still be television. The only difference is that standardized television will work together with the internet. There will be television that allow users to access the internet, and watch TV simultaneously. So with that, TV will not lose to the Internet, but they will simply join forces.



For More Info:








Posted by Sierra H. at 1:42 PM 0 comments  

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Death of Traditional Media?





In recent years, traditional media such as TV, newspapers, and magazines have been having been facing a problem. They have began competing with the internet. The internet offers all types of news media from blog sites and newspapers with their own sites. With these changes in journalism, consumers and news organizations are finding ways to adapt. Many newspapers and news stations have websites that offer the same information and sometimes even more.



One thing I will discuss is citizen journalism. This refers to a form of journalism that lets everyday people put out information on the web in the same manner as journalists. In there work they also include things like photos and videos. As citizen journalist, there are still rules. For example, according to Reuters Handbook of Internet Reporting, they are required to still include sources.

Here is a list with some citizen journalism sites: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=List_of_citizen_journalism_websites



As for the shift from traditional media to internet news, it can be for better or worse. The great about getting news off the web is its connivence. People are able to find out what's going on whenever they want to. It also great because it allows just about anyone to inform others. Another benefit is that the news can reach many people compared to traditional media. The disadvantages of this would be losing some followers. Many older followers may find it difficult to go on to a newspaper website compared to the simplicity of just reading a paper. Another disadvantage would be the credibility. Especially for blogers, they could hear something and just run with it. With traditional media everyone is required to do extensive researching.


What will journalism be like in 10 years? I honestly believe that there will still be forms of traditional media. Even with the many newspaper closings, there will always be people that prefer gaining their information through newspapers and television. So with that there will always be a niche to fill.


For More Information check out these sites:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/04/media-insiders-say-internet-hurts-journalism/7410/

http://handbook.reuters.com/index.php/Reporting_from_the_internet

http://www.j-learning.org/

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=List_of_citizen_journalism_websites

http://www.ourblook.com/The-Media/The-Future-of-Journalism.html


Pictures From:

http://blogs.courierpostonline.com/mojodojo/files/2009/02/futurejourno_tagcloud.jpg

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Posted by Sierra H. at 3:10 PM 1 comments  

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