"Comments and Ethics" was written by Andris Reinman and Raul Reiska, under the GPL v3 licence, using the code.google.com wiki environment. The team paper can be found at: http://code.google.com/p/ethicsandlawinnewmedia/wiki/MainPage
Since the team consisted of only two people, some concessions regarding the length of the paper were expected. Although the length of the paper was expected to be in accordance with the number of the team members (and it was), in-depth analysis was still expected.
The first positive thing about the team paper involved the clear distinction of producing text under a specific licence (General Public Licence version 3). The use of local and region specific materials was also well received. Since Estonia has a good history regarding freedom of the speech in online media, the analysis was valid and spoken for.
The paper had less structure than expected, there were two individual contributions rather than a single team paper. Although, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Since the team consisted of only two members, it was easier to evaluate individual contributions this way. There was very little evidence to support the fact of cooperation.
The fist contributor, Andris Reinman, wrote about "anonymous bashing" and excelled in creating a decent overview on the said topic. Although, some of the translations were a bit raw or even missing. The contribution was good, but it would be a bit hard to understand if one is not from Estonia (e.g. "Delfi eelnõu" was not translated, but only explained).
The second contributor, Raul Reiska, wrote about "the internet phenomenon" also known as meme. Although the data presented in the contribution is correct and interesting, it's hard to see how it relates to the topic at hand.
In conclusion, the contributions were worth reading and the authors have done their part, but some additional cooperation among the team members would have resulted in a better team paper.
19 December, 2009
Analogue aliens, digital friends
Kaido Kikkas writes that:
"The Internet can be a serious chance for disadvantaged people. If some young lady meets a young man who is using a wheelchair, then in 'real life', it takes some courage to even think about any closer relations." The Internet offers some additional options regarding this scenario. While online, these two people are considered equal, thus enabling to get to know the other person without bias.
As the above video so humorously illustrates, the Internet can be used to create an illusion of oneself. A digital persona, if you may.
In terms of minorities more and more elderly people have started participating in online discussions (newspaper commentaries), thus making their voice more visible. For example, a well-known IT advisor and journalist Arvo Mägi is currently 74 years old. The Internet has allowed the elderly to reinvent themselves and feel more in touch with the world today.
"The Internet can be a serious chance for disadvantaged people. If some young lady meets a young man who is using a wheelchair, then in 'real life', it takes some courage to even think about any closer relations." The Internet offers some additional options regarding this scenario. While online, these two people are considered equal, thus enabling to get to know the other person without bias.
As the above video so humorously illustrates, the Internet can be used to create an illusion of oneself. A digital persona, if you may.
In terms of minorities more and more elderly people have started participating in online discussions (newspaper commentaries), thus making their voice more visible. For example, a well-known IT advisor and journalist Arvo Mägi is currently 74 years old. The Internet has allowed the elderly to reinvent themselves and feel more in touch with the world today.
18 December, 2009
Against intellectual poperty, strategies for change
Brian Martin suggests the following strategies to rebel against IP:
1) Change thinking. "The way that an issue is framed makes an enormous difference to the legitimacy of different positions. Once intellectual property is undermined in the minds of many citizens, it will become far easier to topple its institutional supports."
2) Expose the costs. "It can cost a lot to set up and operate a system of intellectual property. And once the figures are available and understood, this will aid in reducing the legitimacy of the world intellectual property system."
3) Reproduce protected works. "By trying to hide the copying and avoiding penalties, the copiers appear to accept the legitimacy of the system."
4) Openly refuse to cooperate with IP. "Once mass civil disobedience to intellectual property laws occurs, it will be impossible to stop."
5) Promote non-owned information. "Until copyright is eliminated or obsolete, innovations such as copyleft are necessary to avoid exploitation of those who want to make their work available to others."
6) Develop principles to deal with credit for intellectual work. "The less there is to gain from credit for ideas, the more likely people are to share ideas rather than worry about who deserves credit for them."
All of the above principles seem a little bit radical on black and white, but a large portion of people already acts according to these principles. Perhaps one of the more radical suggestions includes the notion to openly refuse IP. And it may also be a bit hard to expose the costs, but all the other principles seem sane enough to work if given the chance and time.
The fact that people are already adapting to these new practices regarding IP, shows that the consumers dictate the intellectual poperty development mechanisms.
The following videoclip has Stephan Kinsella talking about IP and libertarianism:
1) Change thinking. "The way that an issue is framed makes an enormous difference to the legitimacy of different positions. Once intellectual property is undermined in the minds of many citizens, it will become far easier to topple its institutional supports."
2) Expose the costs. "It can cost a lot to set up and operate a system of intellectual property. And once the figures are available and understood, this will aid in reducing the legitimacy of the world intellectual property system."
3) Reproduce protected works. "By trying to hide the copying and avoiding penalties, the copiers appear to accept the legitimacy of the system."
4) Openly refuse to cooperate with IP. "Once mass civil disobedience to intellectual property laws occurs, it will be impossible to stop."
5) Promote non-owned information. "Until copyright is eliminated or obsolete, innovations such as copyleft are necessary to avoid exploitation of those who want to make their work available to others."
6) Develop principles to deal with credit for intellectual work. "The less there is to gain from credit for ideas, the more likely people are to share ideas rather than worry about who deserves credit for them."
All of the above principles seem a little bit radical on black and white, but a large portion of people already acts according to these principles. Perhaps one of the more radical suggestions includes the notion to openly refuse IP. And it may also be a bit hard to expose the costs, but all the other principles seem sane enough to work if given the chance and time.
The fact that people are already adapting to these new practices regarding IP, shows that the consumers dictate the intellectual poperty development mechanisms.
The following videoclip has Stephan Kinsella talking about IP and libertarianism:
Too much force, the scoop on digital enforcement
The following video humorously illustrates the concept of DRM in the real world:
As many people point out, there's nothing wrong with the idea of creating copies of the materials one has purchased. This is a very common practice among people to preserve the acquired data carrier (e.g. DVD, CD) and use the copy instead for everyday viewing.
If a person has paid for it, he/she should reserve the right to reproduce or modify the data to a certain degree for personal usage.
As many people point out, there's nothing wrong with the idea of creating copies of the materials one has purchased. This is a very common practice among people to preserve the acquired data carrier (e.g. DVD, CD) and use the copy instead for everyday viewing.
If a person has paid for it, he/she should reserve the right to reproduce or modify the data to a certain degree for personal usage.
Software licensing landscape in 2015
The following video humorously illustrates the harrowing clauses in modern software licesing.
The given perspective of five years (2010 - 2015) offers us a very short timeframe. During those five years, a lot of the applications are bound to go online. Google Inc. has shown remarkable success in producing online software (Google Docs, Chrome OS) and this a growing trend.
This is something that may have an impact on proprietary software and on software licencing in general. Today Microsoft doesn't have to worry about free Unix based platforms, since there is a much bigger threat on the horizon - Google.
The given perspective of five years (2010 - 2015) offers us a very short timeframe. During those five years, a lot of the applications are bound to go online. Google Inc. has shown remarkable success in producing online software (Google Docs, Chrome OS) and this a growing trend.
This is something that may have an impact on proprietary software and on software licencing in general. Today Microsoft doesn't have to worry about free Unix based platforms, since there is a much bigger threat on the horizon - Google.
Divide and conquer, the digital divide in Estonia
Praxis (an institute for political research) determined that the barriers in internet usage in Estonia include: financial and emotional reasons and also the lack of skills. (see source)
Digital immigrants have been forced to embrace the internet in every step of the way. Doctors, nurses, teachers, policemen and people from many other fields have been forced to comply with the new rules of submitting information. This shift in methods has been fairly quick, but in many cases painful.
The following videoclip illustrates the severity of the digital divide and investigates a few ideas on how to overcome it.
Although Estonia has a very high rate of internetization and access is granted even in the rural areas (e.g. public libraries, RDSL solutions, WiMax solutions, community WiFi-s etc.), internet is not regarded as a useful tool by the digital immigrants. Reading the online newspapers and such, is what it's mostly used for. So, even by having the technology and the possibilities, people are still unable to overcome the digital divide, they still require training.
The following videoclip offers some insight regarding the economic impacts of the digital divide.
Digital immigrants have been forced to embrace the internet in every step of the way. Doctors, nurses, teachers, policemen and people from many other fields have been forced to comply with the new rules of submitting information. This shift in methods has been fairly quick, but in many cases painful.
The following videoclip illustrates the severity of the digital divide and investigates a few ideas on how to overcome it.
Although Estonia has a very high rate of internetization and access is granted even in the rural areas (e.g. public libraries, RDSL solutions, WiMax solutions, community WiFi-s etc.), internet is not regarded as a useful tool by the digital immigrants. Reading the online newspapers and such, is what it's mostly used for. So, even by having the technology and the possibilities, people are still unable to overcome the digital divide, they still require training.
The following videoclip offers some insight regarding the economic impacts of the digital divide.
11 December, 2009
Essay: Social media and the decline of privacy
Introduction
The essay at hand deals with four major new media aspects: social media, constructivism, privacy and security. The nature of these aspects and their relation to each-other will be discussed in detail. The emergence of new interaction patterns and social infrastructures has created a situation where people are able express themselves freely, communicate without boundaries and also expose themselves to a variety of risks.
The author of this essay is fascinated by the idea of overexposure resulting in a zero privacy world. In other words this essay sets out to prove that the cumulation of personal data on the internet is beyond our control, thus encompassing risks regarding our privacy and security in general.
On December 25th 1990 Tim Berners Lee was able to implement the first successful communication between an HTTP client and a server via the Internet. Thus creating the World Wide Web. (Lee 1990) But that was the beginning of Web 1.0. The definition of Web 2.0 (social media) was first mentioned by Darcy DiNucci in her article "Fragmented Future." (DiNucci 1999)
It's been roughly 10 years since the emergence of social media. In terms of private information people have neglected to hide their: phone numbers, social security numbers, home addresses, e-mail addresses, work related data, credit card numbers, real names, sexual preferences, hobbies, financial status, names of family members and friends, health information, licence plate numbers etc. What's going to happen during the next ten years?
Social media and constructivism
When discussing social media and how it relates to privacy issues, we must first define the term itself. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein state that social media is "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content" (Kaplan & Haenlein 2010). The mention of user-generated content is of great importance. That is the mechanism from which all the privacy issues derive from. Users are the ones to generate content regarding themselves and their peers.
These Internet based-applications include blogs, social networking sites, learning environments, wikis, photo and video sharing environments, audio and music sharing sites, bookmarking sites and many more. Simple asynchronous interaction mechanisms have been replaced by more complex collaboration based systems in order to create content and avoid delays in the process. It has become surprisingly easy to add information into different networks.
By adding information and generating content, users engage in a reciprocical process of creating knowledge for each-other. This notion brings us to the concept of constructivism, thus we have to define it. One can agree with McMahon who states that social constructivism emphasizes the importance of culture and context in understanding what occurs in society and constructing knowledge based on this understanding (McMahon 1997).
When we analyze social networking practices, similar patterns emerge. Social media can be viewed as a micro-society, nevertheless all conventional rules apply (including peer pressure). Social networking sites thrive on this knowledge and use it as a binding mechanism for users. If a user decides to join a group/community, he/she is instantly given the opportunity to invite his/her friends to the same group. The same principle applies to all user-generated content. It's very hard to say "no" to a friend, thus people willingly agree to cocreate content.
The decline of privacy
Digital natives are people who "grew up with internet and technology." Being "online" all the time has become a necessity. Blogging about their thoughts, using Twitter several times a day to send short status updates, participating in social networking environments (Facebook, Orkut, Friendster), using instant messaging, sending and checking e-mails and participating in social activisim initiatives - this is the new reality.
The amount of content creation by digital natives is so immense that nobody really has the time to control and censor the sensitive data. Tweeting about one's vacation may result in burglary. Leaving a complete profile of yourself online may result in malicious social engineering practices and scams. Leaving outdated childish information online about oneself can result in being turned down for a job.
Digital natives tend to maintain their relationships by using social networking sites. It's not uncommon at all to have detailed personal information about someone you knew 10 years ago and haven't seen since. So, having 500 or more "friends" on Facebook is not really an achievement. But each and every one of these people has access to sensitive information about the user he/she befriended.
Human resource executives, insurance companies, schools and many other institutions and individuals constantly monitor social media applications to gather intelligence on the prospective employees, students, partners etc. Using Google for "background checks" is very common and often implemented in business circles. People have learned how to use social media to their advantage and that tendency is growing rapidly.
But the decline of privacy doesn't stop there. Since people rarely read end user agreements (EULA-s), they may be unaware of how their data is being used for profit. For example, Google Inc. reserves the right to use the profile information of Orkut users for advertisment purposes. Google also records all the search queries by default, this function has to be turned off manually. There are very few aspects of person's online life that remain unrecorded by some entity.
The Google EULA states that: "By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services."
Security risks regarding openness
Sonia Livingstone is the Head of the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In 2008 she published an article titled "Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers’ use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression" (Livingstone 2008).
This article holds a great deal of relevance, since teenagers are the biggest risk group. Often times young people tend to overlook signs of danger. Since teenagers are very keen on self-presentation, they are the one group that is most likley to unveil excessive information about themselves.
In the introduction Livingstone states that "it is commonly held that at best, social networking is time-wasting and socially isolating, and at worst it allows paedophiles to groom children in their bedroom or sees teenagers lured into suicide pacts while parents think they are doing their homework" (Livingstone 2008).
While Livingstone's views may be a bit grim, she is still correct in terms of not underestimating the new playfield. How would one study the phenomenon of social networking when such infrastructures have only existed for the past 10 years? The apparent anonymity of the Internet is both a curse and a blessing. While being able to express oneself freely, people are still not in charge of the information distributed about their person. So, how can we fix it?
Conclusion
The most efficient solution would probably be "educated media consumers." Although media classes are appearing here and there in different curriculums, the focus on new media is very small. Trial and error practices will continue to flourish until social media practices remain unstandardized. At one point online security will probably be an individual course in most schools.
Kevin Mitnick has said that "security is too often merely an illusion, an illusion sometimes made even worse when gullibility, naivete, or ignorance come into play. In the end, social engineering attacks can succeed when people are stupid or, more commonly, simply ignorant about good security practices." (Mitnick 2002). One could agree with Mitnick by saying that common sense is the best tool we've got in terms of protecting ourselves on the World Wide Web.
Even though Google has "removal tools" for removing inappropriate content, this method remains ineffective. Getting rid of bad content is a very time-consuming endeavour. Implementing a "removal-tax" would not be a good solution either, since some people may want to erase their criminal records or sex offender statuses, thus creating more harm than good.
The problem of "being naked" and "having no way to solve it" still remains. The only ones that are able to do any damage (control) are the content creators themselves.
Social networking sites nowadays have "privacy options" - if the user doesn't want to share his/her pictures with her family or collegues, he/she can opt to do so. But within this constant flood of infotainment, people rarely have the chance to make these modifications. If the beformentioned user has 500 friends in Facebook, it would take him/her a very long time to categorize these people in order to implement different privacy settings. So, people take calculated risks.
Tapscott & Williams argue that the youth today are active creators of media content and hungry for interaction, but also tend to value individual rights, including the right to privacy and the right to have and express their own views (Tapscott, Williams 2006, 47). Perhaps this need for privacy is the driving force behind what would one day be known as the "educated online media consumer." It's only logical to assume that people adapt during time.
References
1) Tim Berners Lee. (1990). WWW project history. Available: http://www.w3.org/History/19921103-hypertext/hypertext/WWW/History.html. Last accessed 11 December 2009.
2) Darcy DiNucci. (1999). Fragmented Future. Available: http://www.cdinucci.com/Darcy2/articles/Print/Printarticle7.html. Last accessed 11 December 2009.
3) Kaplan Andreas M., Haenlein Michael. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, Vol. 53. Issue 1, p. 59-68.
4) McMahon M. (1997). Social Constructivism and the World Wide Web - A Paradigm for Learning. Paper presented at the ASCILITE conference. Perth, Australia.
5) Sonia Livingstone. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers’ use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. New Media & Society. 10 (3), 393–411.
6) Kevin Mitnick (2002). The Art of Deception. New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 12.
7) Tapscott, D., Williams, A.D. (2006) Wikinomics: how mass collaboration changes everything, New York: Portfolio.
The essay at hand deals with four major new media aspects: social media, constructivism, privacy and security. The nature of these aspects and their relation to each-other will be discussed in detail. The emergence of new interaction patterns and social infrastructures has created a situation where people are able express themselves freely, communicate without boundaries and also expose themselves to a variety of risks.
The author of this essay is fascinated by the idea of overexposure resulting in a zero privacy world. In other words this essay sets out to prove that the cumulation of personal data on the internet is beyond our control, thus encompassing risks regarding our privacy and security in general.
On December 25th 1990 Tim Berners Lee was able to implement the first successful communication between an HTTP client and a server via the Internet. Thus creating the World Wide Web. (Lee 1990) But that was the beginning of Web 1.0. The definition of Web 2.0 (social media) was first mentioned by Darcy DiNucci in her article "Fragmented Future." (DiNucci 1999)
It's been roughly 10 years since the emergence of social media. In terms of private information people have neglected to hide their: phone numbers, social security numbers, home addresses, e-mail addresses, work related data, credit card numbers, real names, sexual preferences, hobbies, financial status, names of family members and friends, health information, licence plate numbers etc. What's going to happen during the next ten years?
Social media and constructivism
When discussing social media and how it relates to privacy issues, we must first define the term itself. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein state that social media is "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content" (Kaplan & Haenlein 2010). The mention of user-generated content is of great importance. That is the mechanism from which all the privacy issues derive from. Users are the ones to generate content regarding themselves and their peers.
These Internet based-applications include blogs, social networking sites, learning environments, wikis, photo and video sharing environments, audio and music sharing sites, bookmarking sites and many more. Simple asynchronous interaction mechanisms have been replaced by more complex collaboration based systems in order to create content and avoid delays in the process. It has become surprisingly easy to add information into different networks.
By adding information and generating content, users engage in a reciprocical process of creating knowledge for each-other. This notion brings us to the concept of constructivism, thus we have to define it. One can agree with McMahon who states that social constructivism emphasizes the importance of culture and context in understanding what occurs in society and constructing knowledge based on this understanding (McMahon 1997).
When we analyze social networking practices, similar patterns emerge. Social media can be viewed as a micro-society, nevertheless all conventional rules apply (including peer pressure). Social networking sites thrive on this knowledge and use it as a binding mechanism for users. If a user decides to join a group/community, he/she is instantly given the opportunity to invite his/her friends to the same group. The same principle applies to all user-generated content. It's very hard to say "no" to a friend, thus people willingly agree to cocreate content.
The decline of privacy
Digital natives are people who "grew up with internet and technology." Being "online" all the time has become a necessity. Blogging about their thoughts, using Twitter several times a day to send short status updates, participating in social networking environments (Facebook, Orkut, Friendster), using instant messaging, sending and checking e-mails and participating in social activisim initiatives - this is the new reality.
The amount of content creation by digital natives is so immense that nobody really has the time to control and censor the sensitive data. Tweeting about one's vacation may result in burglary. Leaving a complete profile of yourself online may result in malicious social engineering practices and scams. Leaving outdated childish information online about oneself can result in being turned down for a job.
Digital natives tend to maintain their relationships by using social networking sites. It's not uncommon at all to have detailed personal information about someone you knew 10 years ago and haven't seen since. So, having 500 or more "friends" on Facebook is not really an achievement. But each and every one of these people has access to sensitive information about the user he/she befriended.
Human resource executives, insurance companies, schools and many other institutions and individuals constantly monitor social media applications to gather intelligence on the prospective employees, students, partners etc. Using Google for "background checks" is very common and often implemented in business circles. People have learned how to use social media to their advantage and that tendency is growing rapidly.
But the decline of privacy doesn't stop there. Since people rarely read end user agreements (EULA-s), they may be unaware of how their data is being used for profit. For example, Google Inc. reserves the right to use the profile information of Orkut users for advertisment purposes. Google also records all the search queries by default, this function has to be turned off manually. There are very few aspects of person's online life that remain unrecorded by some entity.
The Google EULA states that: "By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services."
Security risks regarding openness
Sonia Livingstone is the Head of the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In 2008 she published an article titled "Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers’ use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression" (Livingstone 2008).
This article holds a great deal of relevance, since teenagers are the biggest risk group. Often times young people tend to overlook signs of danger. Since teenagers are very keen on self-presentation, they are the one group that is most likley to unveil excessive information about themselves.
In the introduction Livingstone states that "it is commonly held that at best, social networking is time-wasting and socially isolating, and at worst it allows paedophiles to groom children in their bedroom or sees teenagers lured into suicide pacts while parents think they are doing their homework" (Livingstone 2008).
While Livingstone's views may be a bit grim, she is still correct in terms of not underestimating the new playfield. How would one study the phenomenon of social networking when such infrastructures have only existed for the past 10 years? The apparent anonymity of the Internet is both a curse and a blessing. While being able to express oneself freely, people are still not in charge of the information distributed about their person. So, how can we fix it?
Conclusion
The most efficient solution would probably be "educated media consumers." Although media classes are appearing here and there in different curriculums, the focus on new media is very small. Trial and error practices will continue to flourish until social media practices remain unstandardized. At one point online security will probably be an individual course in most schools.
Kevin Mitnick has said that "security is too often merely an illusion, an illusion sometimes made even worse when gullibility, naivete, or ignorance come into play. In the end, social engineering attacks can succeed when people are stupid or, more commonly, simply ignorant about good security practices." (Mitnick 2002). One could agree with Mitnick by saying that common sense is the best tool we've got in terms of protecting ourselves on the World Wide Web.
Even though Google has "removal tools" for removing inappropriate content, this method remains ineffective. Getting rid of bad content is a very time-consuming endeavour. Implementing a "removal-tax" would not be a good solution either, since some people may want to erase their criminal records or sex offender statuses, thus creating more harm than good.
The problem of "being naked" and "having no way to solve it" still remains. The only ones that are able to do any damage (control) are the content creators themselves.
Social networking sites nowadays have "privacy options" - if the user doesn't want to share his/her pictures with her family or collegues, he/she can opt to do so. But within this constant flood of infotainment, people rarely have the chance to make these modifications. If the beformentioned user has 500 friends in Facebook, it would take him/her a very long time to categorize these people in order to implement different privacy settings. So, people take calculated risks.
Tapscott & Williams argue that the youth today are active creators of media content and hungry for interaction, but also tend to value individual rights, including the right to privacy and the right to have and express their own views (Tapscott, Williams 2006, 47). Perhaps this need for privacy is the driving force behind what would one day be known as the "educated online media consumer." It's only logical to assume that people adapt during time.
References
1) Tim Berners Lee. (1990). WWW project history. Available: http://www.w3.org/History/19921103-hypertext/hypertext/WWW/History.html. Last accessed 11 December 2009.
2) Darcy DiNucci. (1999). Fragmented Future. Available: http://www.cdinucci.com/Darcy2/articles/Print/Printarticle7.html. Last accessed 11 December 2009.
3) Kaplan Andreas M., Haenlein Michael. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, Vol. 53. Issue 1, p. 59-68.
4) McMahon M. (1997). Social Constructivism and the World Wide Web - A Paradigm for Learning. Paper presented at the ASCILITE conference. Perth, Australia.
5) Sonia Livingstone. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers’ use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. New Media & Society. 10 (3), 393–411.
6) Kevin Mitnick (2002). The Art of Deception. New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 12.
7) Tapscott, D., Williams, A.D. (2006) Wikinomics: how mass collaboration changes everything, New York: Portfolio.
Environments: Linked in ... to what?
Linked in is both a collaborative environment and a social network for people who wish to define and map their work-related contacts. The Linked In website states that "over 50 million professionals use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas and opportunities."
Through your network you can (see reference):
1) Manage the information that’s publicly available about you as professional
2) Find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers, and experts
3) Create and collaborate on projects, gather data, share files, solve problems
4) Be found for business opportunities and find potential partners
5) Gain new insights from discussions with likeminded professionals
6) Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
7) Post and distribute job listings to find the best talent for your company
As the above video sarcastically states, the "network of professionals" may be a bit misunderstood by some groups of people. The theory of constructivism states that reality is not something that exists on it's own, reality is constructed and thus perceived as something that is. So, by linking ourselves to different people, we create an illusion we wish other's would perceive as reality.
Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams stated in their book (Wikinomics. How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything) that "recently, smart companies have been rethinking openness, and this is beginning to affect a number of important functions, including human resources, innovation, industry standards, and communications." Today companies that make their boundaries porous to external ideas and human capital outperform companies that rely solely on their internal resources and capabilities (Tapscott & Williams, 2006).
In other words, networking on different levels (personal and/or organizational) may prove to be fairly profitable if implemented correctly.
Through your network you can (see reference):
1) Manage the information that’s publicly available about you as professional
2) Find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers, and experts
3) Create and collaborate on projects, gather data, share files, solve problems
4) Be found for business opportunities and find potential partners
5) Gain new insights from discussions with likeminded professionals
6) Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
7) Post and distribute job listings to find the best talent for your company
As the above video sarcastically states, the "network of professionals" may be a bit misunderstood by some groups of people. The theory of constructivism states that reality is not something that exists on it's own, reality is constructed and thus perceived as something that is. So, by linking ourselves to different people, we create an illusion we wish other's would perceive as reality.
Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams stated in their book (Wikinomics. How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything) that "recently, smart companies have been rethinking openness, and this is beginning to affect a number of important functions, including human resources, innovation, industry standards, and communications." Today companies that make their boundaries porous to external ideas and human capital outperform companies that rely solely on their internal resources and capabilities (Tapscott & Williams, 2006).
In other words, networking on different levels (personal and/or organizational) may prove to be fairly profitable if implemented correctly.
Media & economy: Virtual sex, real money
DISCLAIMER: The video below is "office safe."
At first it may seem a little pretentious and arrogant to talk about sex in relation to new media and economy. While learning to design iPhone applications I came across a book titled "Building PhotoKast: Creating an iPhone app in one month."
There is a chapter in that book about "Designing the 7 deadly sins." The concept is fairly simple: if you want your product/idea to be successful, you have to focus on one or more of the seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride). As the video below clearly illustrates, "virtual sex" is a very popular commodity.
Just look at the facts:
1) 12% of all websites are pornographic
2) 25% of search engine requests are pornographic
3) 35% of all internet downloads are pornographic in nature
4) "Sex" is the most searched word on the internet
5) US revenue from internet porn in 2006: $ 2,84 billion
6) ... more information available in the video
At first it may seem a little pretentious and arrogant to talk about sex in relation to new media and economy. While learning to design iPhone applications I came across a book titled "Building PhotoKast: Creating an iPhone app in one month."
There is a chapter in that book about "Designing the 7 deadly sins." The concept is fairly simple: if you want your product/idea to be successful, you have to focus on one or more of the seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride). As the video below clearly illustrates, "virtual sex" is a very popular commodity.
Just look at the facts:
1) 12% of all websites are pornographic
2) 25% of search engine requests are pornographic
3) 35% of all internet downloads are pornographic in nature
4) "Sex" is the most searched word on the internet
5) US revenue from internet porn in 2006: $ 2,84 billion
6) ... more information available in the video
Privacy & security: The risk of being human
Although there are many software and hardware related privacy/security risks, there's one risk that experts know about, but tend to overlook - the human factor.
Kevin Mitnick has said that "companies spend millions of dollars on firewalls and secure access devices, and it's money wasted because none of these measures address the weakest link in the security chain: the people who use, administer and operate computer systems."
In the following video Kevin Mitnick describes in high detail how he managed to fake his way into LA Telco Central Office by using his skills in social engineering.
Mitnick wrote in his book (The Art of Deception) that "security is too often merely an illusion, an illusion sometimes made even worse when gullibility, naivete, or ignorance come into play. In the end, social engineering attacks can succeed when people are stupid or, more commonly, simply ignorant about good security practices."
Anyone who thinks that security products alone offer true security is settling for. the illusion of security. It's a case of living in a world of fantasy: They will inevitably, later if not sooner, suffer a security incident (Mitnick, 2002).
Kevin Mitnick has said that "companies spend millions of dollars on firewalls and secure access devices, and it's money wasted because none of these measures address the weakest link in the security chain: the people who use, administer and operate computer systems."
In the following video Kevin Mitnick describes in high detail how he managed to fake his way into LA Telco Central Office by using his skills in social engineering.
Mitnick wrote in his book (The Art of Deception) that "security is too often merely an illusion, an illusion sometimes made even worse when gullibility, naivete, or ignorance come into play. In the end, social engineering attacks can succeed when people are stupid or, more commonly, simply ignorant about good security practices."
Anyone who thinks that security products alone offer true security is settling for. the illusion of security. It's a case of living in a world of fantasy: They will inevitably, later if not sooner, suffer a security incident (Mitnick, 2002).
Media & society: New media and democracy
The quote "knowledge is power" has been attributed to many people (e.g. Sir Francis Bacon, Kofi Annan, William Alexander and many others). The new media provides a revolutionary platform for social activism and democracy. Spreading ideas and sharing knowledge has become so easy that anyone can have have their say in matters at hand. So, in theory, people now have the power to change the world. And that is what many individuals and groups are trying to achieve.
Jakob Kangur has posted an example of internet based activism regarding the presidential elections in Estonia. A total of 26 881 signatures were collected during the course of this initiative.
While some people try to influence specific events or causes, others try to change the world and unveil the deep and dark secrets of society in general. The following video, Zeitgeist: Addendum, is distributed freely in different video-sharing environments. The author, Peter Joseph, is thoroughly convinced that we live in a giant conspiracy.
While cutting corners and bending facts may be considered unethical, it's still very important that people maintain their freedom of speech. With the exception of China (and few others), most of the countries in the world have embraced the Internet as a platform for democracy.
Jakob Kangur has posted an example of internet based activism regarding the presidential elections in Estonia. A total of 26 881 signatures were collected during the course of this initiative.
While some people try to influence specific events or causes, others try to change the world and unveil the deep and dark secrets of society in general. The following video, Zeitgeist: Addendum, is distributed freely in different video-sharing environments. The author, Peter Joseph, is thoroughly convinced that we live in a giant conspiracy.
While cutting corners and bending facts may be considered unethical, it's still very important that people maintain their freedom of speech. With the exception of China (and few others), most of the countries in the world have embraced the Internet as a platform for democracy.
Human & technology: Extending our lives into digital reality
"Mens sana in corpore sano" is a famous Latin quotation, often translated as "a sound mind in a sound body." This quotation expresses the holistic concept very precisely, stating that one cannot be distinguished from another. In modern times, we may play with the idea of adding another ingredient to that formula - technology.
A modern person has become so dependent on technology that often times it´s hard to tell apart where the person ends and the technology begins. This is much more than not being able to work or leave home without a cellphone. We may have a person virtually paralyzed from the neck down and physically unable to speak giving us a lecture and later on just driving away (e.g. Stephen Hawking). (Mühlberg, 2009).
The above video humorously illustrates the concept of extending our lives into digital reality. When someone says that "I was playing football", it doesn't necessarily mean that he/she went to the stadium and played real live football. Sony Playstation and a copy of Fifa 2009 are just as good.
A modern person has become so dependent on technology that often times it´s hard to tell apart where the person ends and the technology begins. This is much more than not being able to work or leave home without a cellphone. We may have a person virtually paralyzed from the neck down and physically unable to speak giving us a lecture and later on just driving away (e.g. Stephen Hawking). (Mühlberg, 2009).
The above video humorously illustrates the concept of extending our lives into digital reality. When someone says that "I was playing football", it doesn't necessarily mean that he/she went to the stadium and played real live football. Sony Playstation and a copy of Fifa 2009 are just as good.
Locative media: The world at your fingertips
Locative Media describes a set of location-based technologies – wireless, surveillance, tracking and positioning technologies – that enable information to be tied to geographical space. These include Global Positioning Systems (GPS), mobile phones, wireless laptops, bluetooth, wireless networks and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), WiFi1 and Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM); these enable people to locate themselves and others within geographical space, while also attaching information to geographical positions (by using the longitude and latitude received from the GPS device). (see source)
Most modern mobile devices as well as having location aware capabilities are also able to access the Internet, allowing information to be stored and retrieved from remote databases. The mass proliferation of these technologies has rendered them almost ubiquitous. (see source)
The following videos have been selected to illustrate the common fears regarding locative media applications and implementations, loss of privacy being the main concern. Nowadays even cellphones have integrated GPS receivers with map-view capabilites to determine one's location.
Most modern mobile devices as well as having location aware capabilities are also able to access the Internet, allowing information to be stored and retrieved from remote databases. The mass proliferation of these technologies has rendered them almost ubiquitous. (see source)
The following videos have been selected to illustrate the common fears regarding locative media applications and implementations, loss of privacy being the main concern. Nowadays even cellphones have integrated GPS receivers with map-view capabilites to determine one's location.
Design: Think differently
Design is innovation. When we design something (be it a website or a trash can), we want it to stand out. Ofcourse, practical criteria have to be met as well.
Oliver Grau states in his book (Virtual art. From Illusion to Immersion) that "media artists represent a new type of artist, who not only sounds out the aesthetic potential of advanced methods of creating images and formulates new options of perception and artistic positions in this media revolution, but also specifically researches innovative forms of interaction and interface design, thus contributing to the development of the medium in key areas, both as artists and as scientists." (Grau, 2003)
Grau is correct about media artists, but he neglects to mention the "client factor." Even if the designer comes up with brilliant solutions, there is no guarantee that these solutions will be implemented. He who pays the piper, calls the tune.
The videoclip below is added to illustrate the effects of innovation and design on everyday items.
Oliver Grau states in his book (Virtual art. From Illusion to Immersion) that "media artists represent a new type of artist, who not only sounds out the aesthetic potential of advanced methods of creating images and formulates new options of perception and artistic positions in this media revolution, but also specifically researches innovative forms of interaction and interface design, thus contributing to the development of the medium in key areas, both as artists and as scientists." (Grau, 2003)
Grau is correct about media artists, but he neglects to mention the "client factor." Even if the designer comes up with brilliant solutions, there is no guarantee that these solutions will be implemented. He who pays the piper, calls the tune.
The videoclip below is added to illustrate the effects of innovation and design on everyday items.
Perception: Photoshop extreme makeover
There is a popular joke regarding plastic surgery. One of the clinics is said to advertise itself by cautioning men to be careful while picking up ladies in front of their building, since "you might run into your grandma."
Would you like to alter the reality? No problem.
Would you like to lose 20 pounds in 5 minutes? No problem.
Would you like to look 10 years younger? No problem.
The video below gives us some insight on how people can tinker with perception by using Photoshop. The virtual reality is a world of make believe, people are inclined to experiment and construct their virtual personas. There's no harm in "making yourself appear better" as long as you don't deceive anyone by doing so.
People need to sell themselves and companies need to sell products and services. You can do all these things on Facebook for example. While constructing your online profile, you are forced to define your characteristics.
Since all's fair in love and war (in this context business is war), people will stop at nothing to bend the reality just a little bit. Photoshop disasters is a good collection of such endevours not working out the way they should have.
Would you like to alter the reality? No problem.
Would you like to lose 20 pounds in 5 minutes? No problem.
Would you like to look 10 years younger? No problem.
The video below gives us some insight on how people can tinker with perception by using Photoshop. The virtual reality is a world of make believe, people are inclined to experiment and construct their virtual personas. There's no harm in "making yourself appear better" as long as you don't deceive anyone by doing so.
People need to sell themselves and companies need to sell products and services. You can do all these things on Facebook for example. While constructing your online profile, you are forced to define your characteristics.
Since all's fair in love and war (in this context business is war), people will stop at nothing to bend the reality just a little bit. Photoshop disasters is a good collection of such endevours not working out the way they should have.
Knowledge: Artifical intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the holy grail of information technology. We try to imagine it and we strive for it constantly. The semantic web is a fairly simple concept: a network that will provide us with necessary data, without the excessive effort. A network that is able to "understand" our requests.
The concept may seem easy, but the implementation is not. There are a few initiatives (projects) that aspire to conquer these heights, unfortunately significant success is yet to be seen. The founder of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners Lee, is introducing his ideas regarding linked data in the following video.
A curious mind may want to check out these two projects:
DBpedia is a project aiming to extract structured information from the information created as part of the Wikipedia project (see source).
Wolfram Alpha is an answer engine developed by Wolfram Research. It is an online service that answers factual queries directly by computing the answer from structured data, rather than providing a list of documents or web pages that might contain the answer as a search engine would (see source).
The concept may seem easy, but the implementation is not. There are a few initiatives (projects) that aspire to conquer these heights, unfortunately significant success is yet to be seen. The founder of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners Lee, is introducing his ideas regarding linked data in the following video.
A curious mind may want to check out these two projects:
DBpedia is a project aiming to extract structured information from the information created as part of the Wikipedia project (see source).
Wolfram Alpha is an answer engine developed by Wolfram Research. It is an online service that answers factual queries directly by computing the answer from structured data, rather than providing a list of documents or web pages that might contain the answer as a search engine would (see source).
Interaction: Me and my 500 friends
There are certain inevitabilities in life. Finding a spouse or accepting your dream job may result in relocating to a new city or country. Starting a family usually means having less time for friends. Growing distant with some of your old friends and acquaintances is very common. Well, at least it used to be. This scenario usually applies for the digital immigrants.
Digital natives on the other hand tend to maintain their relationships by using social networking sites. It's not uncommon at all to have detailed personal information about someone you knew 10 years ago and haven't seen since. So, having 500 or more "friends" on Facebook is not really an achievement.
Digital natives are very talkative and often times very open to new technology. Trying out new things like Twitter (noted, it was new at one point, but not anymore) and engaging in alternative interaction practices/patterns has changed people and their behavior. Often times to the extent of appearing very humourous to outsiders. The "Twitter Bar" is a satirical representation of "how Twitter may seem like in a real world."
Digital natives on the other hand tend to maintain their relationships by using social networking sites. It's not uncommon at all to have detailed personal information about someone you knew 10 years ago and haven't seen since. So, having 500 or more "friends" on Facebook is not really an achievement.
Digital natives are very talkative and often times very open to new technology. Trying out new things like Twitter (noted, it was new at one point, but not anymore) and engaging in alternative interaction practices/patterns has changed people and their behavior. Often times to the extent of appearing very humourous to outsiders. The "Twitter Bar" is a satirical representation of "how Twitter may seem like in a real world."
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