Mashups and Internet Governance
The vision of the internet as a libertarian paradise has lately been challenged by the increasing perception that the internet needs to have limits and agreed upon rules/limitations. In other words Internet governance, but implementing or for that matter much less agreeing on the type governance is problematic due to the nature of the internet as a transnational vehicle which makes it difficult to apply any one country’s laws because it is hard to pin down exactly where responsibility and jurisdiction lie in such a space as the internet. Additionally there is also the issue of various conflicting views on how governance is too being approached. The answer to deal with this transnational issue is to set up a transnational organisation that can effectively administer Internet governance. There has already been steps taken to address this however it has had limited effect.
Enter mashups: which are a new kind of applications which combines the data of several different platform and then presents it in a useful manner. For Example Woozor is a Google Maps / Weather.com mash up providing 10 day weather forecasts all around the world. Another is visual headlines which displays current news via images of global happenings.
This would be useful to governments because if offers the potential for more easy solutions by allowing us to see the larger picture, on how various small issues are connected to each other. In terms of Internet Governance I also think that it can be a useful tool, because it can serve to combine the information from many separate sources. This is crucial because the whole problem with internet governance is how it lacks comprehensive knowledge and doesn’t have adequate communication between sources: This is seen in the attempts on governments to crack down on cyber crime which have unfortunately failed because of the aforementioned issues where the differences and lack of cooperation between countries made it impossible to effectively deal with the problem on cyber crime. Mishaps could help solve this by allowing governments to see a comprehensive display of information of cyber crime: which would in turn enable us to combat it at as we would have the appropriate info to take global transnational initiatives.
Add a comment March 20, 2010
Tags: blog, Cyber Crime, Governance, internet, ISTB01, Mashups, transnational, Visual Headlines., Woozor
Map
Global civil society allows me to participate in many dialogues and ideas around the world.
These are some of the people I ‘Connect with’
Ps. Zoom out to get the ‘big picture’
Add a comment March 13, 2010
Global Civil Society
Civil society is the element of our world which resides outside of traditional government and commercial spheres. In other words it is the grassroots component of society which allows for organization and enterprise on an informal level between all members of a community. From a modern perspective communities have ceased to be closed entities of concentrated individuals but rather have evolved to a point where an individual no longer has to identify so much with his local place, but is rather free to participate and interact with a variety of other people worldwide who may share the same interests. This is all made possible by globalization and in particular the internet which has increased horizontal networked communication to the point that as long as you are in the network (not everyone has the means) then you are truly globally connected with the whole world. Now this offers massive potential to affect the world we live in: this can seen in the sharp rise of NGO’s that correlates with the adaptation of the internet. NGO’s are not constrained by any government or commercial interests as such they can be powerful agents for change as they are able to unite many different people in the name of a particular cause. This would immediately appear to be a good thing as the rise of these Ngo’s contributes to a greater sense of self within the community at large, and providing the means of agency for many individuals. Also global civil society manifests itself in other forms such as culture movements and general interest groups. This is good because it fosters a greater sense of unity, creating the aptly named global village: where people, who according to the old rules should dislike each other, are to see past racial/cultural fault lines so as to share a common identity from another interest that they both enjoy or identify with. I.e. a Metal band from Israel has Jewish fans in its native country, while also having many Arab supporters in other Middle Eastern countries. Their fandom allows them to come together and transcend their differences through shared interest. While it easy to see the good aspects of this system, we must also contemplate the bad if we are to realize an accurate portrayal of global civil society. I find it a positive thing that the internet comes to spread western values and integrate and unifies the rest of the world along these lines. Yet there are many who would argue that it is a problem because it threatening individual identities and cultures, by over imposing western values at the expense of other value systems. Another issue is that because of the very fact that it is so informal, it lacks any sense of leadership with the activity generated online often amounting to little more than talk. In other words despite the potential that global civil society offers you still need to do the grunt work on the ground, if you want to do anything meaningful small concrete steps within your actual local community must be take so as to put in affect the discourse that takes place online. Overall I think that the positive outweigh the negative and we are now only beginning to see the real impact that a true global society can have.
Add a comment March 13, 2010
Tags: blog, Communication, community, culture, Global, grassroots, induvidual, internet, Israel, ISTB01, Metal, network, ngo
The Internet:A consumer prespective
The inerternet is a marvellous technology which has latterly changed all aspects of our lives. Compared to how we lived 20 years ago, I would say that we are freer and this is in no small part due to the internet and the liberalizing/democratizing effect that it has had on society, and in particular the consumer. The internet offers a wide spectrum of new factors that act to democratize the consumer; by offering information on many products and services it gives the consumer options to as what they want to do. The key word is choice, where before companies monopolized the services offered to consumers, they can no longer do that as the internet provides unlimited competitor between firms to get the consumers. Competition is the catalyst for choice, choice means that the consumer is free or democratized, as such the internet acts as the ultimate equalizer which makes the marketplace both fare and democratic.
In regards to the idea that the internet offers too much choice and is actually limiting consumer freedom, I don’t buy that for a minute. Anyone with knowledge of economics knows that competitor among firms is good for the consumer, as it ensures superior product/service while allowing for many alternatives to suit every individual set of need. I can see where frustrated consumer is coming from, but the reality is that their frustration is simply a manifestation of being unable to adjust to this new found freedom. They do not feel comfortable with the new power afforded to them as they are used to the market being dictated by firms and having no say in whets offered. In my opinion this is a temporary phenomenon and as consumers adjust to the new reality they will realize the benefits of it. Given the choice no-one would go back to the old system as they realize that although they thought they were “happy” it was simply ignorance on their part and they could no longer be content to go back to that knowing the alternatives offered.
Unfortunately, this democratization of the internet has at least been partially responsible for privacy concerns that are becoming real issues in today’s society. The internet allows for marketing and demographic targeting on previously unimagined scale, as such this facilitates the means for companies to gather vast information on consumers. In fact these so called demographic dates highly invasive and the consumer should be worried about the increasing invasion of their privacy by large corporate firms that have invested a large stake into the internet. As the consumer can do relatively little about this matter, it is up to national government to enact laws and regulation that will limit and curtail this activity. Unfortunately beaurocracys are usually slow at making decisions and are often severely behind on matters such as this as they simply cannot keep up with the rapid changing technology and marketplace
Add a comment March 6, 2010
Tags: choice, competition, consumer, corprate, Democracy, internet, ISTB01, privacy
Apps
Applications aka apps are programs for the I-phone which can fulfill different functions that range from serious things like News updates or travel information, to frivolous one which will let you play a game to kill sometime. I don’t personally have an I-phone so I can’t comment from first hand experience but I know many people who are enthralled with it. In essence it’s a bunch of tools for your disposal to make life more easy/pleasant, however I’m not that excited by it as I do not want to be constantly plugged in an worrying about things like the latest news updates, and I’m not really worried about having distraction like games to pass the time, as my music is all I will ever need to not be bored. In a sense what I’m saying is that I like to live my life in a more organic fashion, still one app I would absolutely love to have is Shazam which lets you identify the music that is currently playing on someone else’s speakers. No more frustration of having a melody/vocal line stuck in your head for days without knowing the name of the song.
Add a comment March 6, 2010
Tags: App, I-phone, ISTB01, music., news, Shazam
CyberSpace
Podcast: A metal podcast, the episode I have selected covers one of my favorite styles within the genre which is symphonic meta- an interesting style that combines traditional metal with elements such as choirs, orchestral arrangements, and some epic subject matter.
http://www.metalcastshow.com/archives/1403
In this week’s articles two differing view points are offered on the progression and future of cyberspace.
1. In cosmopolitan ideal or Cybercentris Charles Ess presents the view point that although there appears a to be truly free global village ,it is in fact restricted by the cultural and value barriers that manifest itself in different parts of the worlds. While the internet seems to be based on and espouses western values, nonetheless it does not necessarily contribute to the spread of these values worldwide because of the cultural barriers, where some places might not agree with the western values of freedom. Essentially while the internet is based in western thought and principles, the idea that it will spread in a free manner, reflects the culture bias of western society. Instead what is increasingly being recognized is that the internet is simply a tool, and can be used toward different ends depending on the means of the user. This is best explained in Chinas use of internet security tech to help the chins government subvert the freedoms of their citizens. As such the internet while it has western principles in mind will not necessarily reflect those ideals in practice.
2. Betting’s key idea is that the internet started out as a free institutions which reflect the western values of liberty and choice, however despite this it is becoming subject to increasing corporate influence and control. The ultimate fear is that the internet will become a virtual prison that is controlled by corporations who will have monopolized the means of access to the internet. In his view this will come about from companies limiting choice consumers have by limiting some products in order to create profit.
In looking at both of these view points I see a similarity that they both agree on the internet had a good start, and then warns us of a future danger. The first being primarily concerned with cultural limitations while the second with commercial limits. I don’t think the points of these articles are mutually exclusive in the sense that it’s not one or the other that has to be right, and in a sense I disagree with both of them: as I think that ultimately you cannot stop the internet. If I had to pick one, than I would say the cultural aspect resonates more with me. This is because it has already been proven in history that commercial attempts to limit the freedom of the internet have failed I.e. AOL. On the other hand while I believe in the superiority of western values, that view is only an opinion and can in turn be fallible: so it is plausible that the freedom on the net could be foiled through different value systems.
Add a comment February 13, 2010
Tags: China, cyberspace, freedom, global village, internet, ISTB01, Metal, podcast, Western values
Folksonomies
A folksonomy is a system to classify content based on annotated tags that are assigned to documents by users. The use of this technology is prevalent in today’s internet and can be seen in many popular content sharing websites such as flicker Unlike a traditional taxonomy which would look to categorize information, a folksonomy attempts to sort through peoples ideas and documents that would appear on the aforementioned sites. An underlying theme so far in my studies has been the transformation from a hierarchal direct approach to a more open horizontal approach. We saw this with the shift to web 2.0 and we can see a similar trend in the use of folksonomies. with the key being that folksonomies are dynamic so their structure is constantly changing and adapting itself to fit itself with the current content. This leads us to the answer of how a folksonomy structures itself; the answer would be that it is the content. You could make an argument for code but this is unrealistic as it is nothing more than a tool and not an accurate representation of what folksonomies are really about or how they function. Content on the other hand is dynamic and in turn actively determines how folksonomies come to be shaped, as the content points the direction in which it will go. I don’t mean to discount the social progress but I feel that it is more than anything a reflection of the flow of content throughout folksonomies, because it is the means and not the result which shape folksonomies.
I would break it down like this
1. Input- code, it is the enabler but has no real affect on the structure of taxonomies as it will adjust to fit the content
2. Process-content, Shapes the direction and flow of information
3. Result-Social progress, is not autonomous but rather a reflection of the change in content
Globalization at least in my mind is connected to the idea that content actively shapes how folksonomies function. The dynamic flow of information globally ultimately determines how the world will take shape, folksonomies provide the means for people to share information and will facilitate the free and wide reaching flow of global information. The social progress that will see be enabled by the applications/platforms for this kind of discussion, but it will ultimately be the content that is responsible for determining the social progress that is the measure of change. Ultimately this shows that as globalization does not have as much to do with how or for what purpose information is distributed, but rather what information people are exposed to and the effectiveness of its spread.
1 comment February 6, 2010
Tags: blog, content, Flicker, folksonomy, Globalization, internet, Istb 01, Social progress, tags, web 2.0
Wikis
Wikis are our modern source for knowledge. In contrast to the past where people would rely on traditional encyclopedias or archives, people in the new age simply use wikis to retrieve knowledge. This change is symbolic of our transition to a 2.0 web as well the general principal of a horizontal rather than hierarchal approach. However there are always skeptics, so when it comes to communication can wikis truly be effective? To be clear what I mean by effective is that it has to meet previous criteria for mass communication, and then also add something new to the mix that older methods cannot provide. Wikis provide reliable mass communication on a global scale, so it meets the basic parameters to be effective. However what really makes it effective is that it is dynamic, and that it is a medium under which different users can truly cooperate to produce the best and least biased information possible. It is dynamic but this is hardly ground breaking (though it is integral to the overall process that makes it successful) as other platforms such as twitter provide similar if not more dynamic forms of communications. Cooperation is the essence of wikis and it that which makes it a truly effective form of communication. By allowing anyone to edit or post info you create a mass global network which makes wikis a self sustainable form of mass communication. Since anyone can edit, it means that things can be changed with relative ease in order to keep up with the latest information. He true beauty of the system is that as long as solid rules/guidelines are laid out it will act self-sufficiently to provide its own natural filtration of content: with the mass community of wiki user acting as sort of an honor rule system where they keep other users honest, and prevent facetious information to be posted As a result of sites like wikipedia are always at the forefront of news as they happen, and are constantly relevant and up to date on every topic. To illustrate the usefulness of this communication device I will draw on a personal experience. I like have an interest in world events and various topics which I like to be up to date on. Wikis act sort of like massive RSS aggregators which compile information about news and subjects, because of the way wiki communities are setup the crap gets filtered out and only the important information is left so as to present the reader with a view that is both balanced and current. In particular it is a tremendous help when following ongoing events such as conflicts or disasters: with the help of wikis I’m able to get reliable real-time information without having to sift through a ton of articles which repeat the same information or that provide unbalanced or overtly biased analysis.
1 comment January 30, 2010
Tags: Communication, dynamic, Gloabal, information, internet, ISTB01, knowledge, Mass Communication, RSS aggregator, Web 3.0, Wiki
The Digital Devide
The digital divide is a serious issue, it essentially splits people into 2 groups: those in the know, and other who do not have access to new tech. This is worrisome as it echoes that the most potent divide across history: class, is still in full effect. On the other hand if you think about it do you actually know anyone who does not have access to new media? With people in Canada being universally connected nobody in our community truly lack access to the internet and new media. So in that sense the digital divide is no longer a prominent issue on the national scale: unlike in the 90′s where internet was only available to those who are well off it is now generally available to everybody across the spectrum of Canadian society. As such the digital divide is no longer an issue as long a country is sufficiently developed. On the other hand these countries in total make up less than a third of the world’s population, so in reality the majority of people in the world do not have access to new media. As such we see that the digital divide is really a problem on a global scale. It’s not per say a huge problem in the sense that the people that have not experienced the digital revolution will just continue to live as they have before. In contrast I see it more as missed opportunity that hinders the potential of the world to become a truly interconnected global society. After all new media has transformed developed countries, one can only think the economic, social, and political changes that would result form a from a global integration of new media on a mass scale. Of course it is only speculative but a change of this sort could bring about all kind of tangible effects on a global scale, for example some possible consequences are
1. Economic expansion, and increased parity between countries.
2. Spread of Democracy on a global scale.
3. Reduction of Ethnic/Racial fault lines, and less global conflict.
So yes we should be worried about the digital divides it is in fact a barrier to advancement of human civilization. Unfortunately I do not see the digital divide being bridged (at least not in the near future), as it is in my mind foremost an issue of class, and I do not see this as changing easily based on human history.
1 comment January 23, 2010
Tags: blog, Democracy, Digital DEvide, Digital Revolution, Global, internet, ISTB01, New Media
What is the Internet?
The Internet is much more than a useful tool; it is an integral part of my life and Identity. This is only natural as I’m a digital native, yet in some sense I consider myself a digital immigrant because I spent the formative years of my life without Computers/Internet; only being introduced to it when I moved to Canada at the age of 11. This is not to say that I’m uncomfortable with new technology, or that I don’t use it. However I find that I have tendencies to perform certain tasks and activities in traditional fashion even though I could easily use tech to do it. A Whole different story is my Grandparents, to me their ways of communication seem primitive and almost alien to an extent. I have no idea why they insist writing physical letters, or prefer to manually phone relatives when the same tasks could be much better handled through email and skype. Then again I have to pause and remind myself that the world they grew up in was immensely different from my own. The Soviet Union in 1950′s was limited when it came to communication. For instance in the place where my Grandparents lived, phone was not readily available so the only methods of communication was actual physical interaction (i.e. visiting your neighbor) or sending letters (which took a long time) for long distance communication. With this in mind I understand why they are unable to adapt to these new innovations in communications tech.
Web 3.0 is the next advancement in communication tech. and I foresee that it will have a significant impact on my life and the world around me. For instance it will be much easier and remarkably quick to find information. With new smart computers traditional research will become a thing of the past, after all why meticulously search for something when a Computer can do it for you. Personally I have some doubt and misgivings about this technology as it is foreign to my way of thinking. I find it difficult to reconcile the fact that essentially I’m being analyzed and told what do by a machine: by its very nature it is disturbing to me to not be in control/perform every step of the thought process which would lead me to perform certain actions. In the case of this technology I foresee that my implementation of it will be reactive rather than proactive in the sense that I will not actively seek to use it, but will at some point have to pick it up as it will be necessary to function. By being a digital native I will be fine with this technology and integrate it fairly easily into the functions of my life where it will be required, however in a sense I’m also a bit old school (i.e. I prefer more traditional modes of communication, and have resisted new innovations like twitter/facebook) because of the aforementioned circumstances. So in a nutshell I will have adopted the technology due to need and not because of desire.
1 comment January 16, 2010
Tags: blog, Communication, digital native, facebook, Grand Parents, internet, ISTB01, Smart computer, Soviet Union, Web 3.0
