The Future of the Internet

There is a myriad of possibilities of a social structure that will guide the future of the Internet. With the introduction of Google Earth that provides 3D, real live satellite images, I personally feel we may be moving in the same direction. There will be three-dimensional images and virtual reality applications that will enable us to connect with people all around the world. This will also change our communication patterns as we can see the person as though as he/she is in the room, instead of through a web-camera. In addition, the global distribution of information and knowledge at our finger tips through the Internet will only make the costs of knowledge cheaper, and also more accessible and get people smarter. The world will be so inter-connected that we will no longer be confined and affected by news and happenings in our country, but to the world as a whole. Moreover, with such great demands of the Internet in the future, physical transmission methods may be extinct and all networks will be wireless and technology will be even more advanced.

Currently, NASA has came up with a Virtual Collaborative Clinic whereby doctors around the world are connected and able to share and manipulate high resolution, high definition and three-dimensional MRI scans as well as any other medical images. Moreover, besides the use of consultations and diagnosis, doctors can also simulate a surgery using the 'Cyber Scalpel', in other words, it is a virtual surgery. Such amazing discovery shows the extent and influence the Internet can be.


The following are examples taken from the science-fiction movie "The Minority Report". In the movie, the lead actor Tom Cruise is being identified through real time web and security systems that can be tracked globally just through the biometric iris scan. It shows the advancement of technology and how remarkable people can relay data to one another.

Social Networking Sites

As discussed in the previous blog posts, the Internet and the web has tremendously changed the way we communicate these days. Social networking sites , which we are so familiar with, have also helped us in connecting with friends, families and even acquaintances or even prove to be an aid for businesses. Yet, despite the advantages of social networking sites, it also has its downsides. An example would be the use of our private information uploaded on these sites. The security settings of these networking sites may not be able to defend against identity thefts and companies themselves may not even protect consumers' rights. For instance, Linked In, one of the social networking sites posted in their user agreement that they will own every single picture and ideas their user has posted on their site and they are also free to do whatever they want. This puts users at risk as it is an invasion of their privacy and poses an identity threat due to all the data-mining. The following is an interview by MoneyTalkNews regarding 'Social Networking Sites Own You':

Social media has also shifted our perception of tradition media channels. It will continue to revolutionize our communication patterns and our content usage. Below is a video on Social Media Revolution and why social media is not just a fad.

Internet and Journalism

The web has indeed shaped and changed the future of journalism. The Internet has reinvented our means of communication that has created bloggers and citizen journalists whose influence may be even greater and far-reaching than traditional media channels. The Internet has also changed and dismissed our notions of conventional reporting methods and we are free from the clutches of those few powerful "gatekeepers" in the past. This is because anyone with a mind of their own and thoughts can easily express themselves on the web, where they can be heard. According to a study by PEW Internet & American Life Project in 2006, it was found that there are twelve million bloggers in the United States and 34% of them associates blogging as a form of journalism. With the rising popularity of blogs, this trend will only continue to grow.

One classic example of citizen journalism is internationally-known site "Oh My News" that is based in Soeul. The site even offers RSS feeds, podcasts, and forums that allows room for mass discussion. Even Barack Obama responds to their interview! A new word "netizen" has also been coined in the 1990's and according to Wikipedia, it means "a cybercitizen who is a person actively involved in online communities". Netizens were not only keen in pursing information on the web, but they are also dedicated to spreading the Net to all consumers with common goals and interests, thus making a true citizen of the Net.

Our huge insatiable consumption of news are being met with the mass digital access around the world. With Google's introduction of Google Earth that allows you to view real live satellite imagery in 3D, it is highly possible that internet and journalism will evolve into this direction. We only hope that the Internet will continue to grow and flourish and we will truly have our own freedom of expression.

Political Campaigning

The Internet has transformed the way politics work. The digital wave has shaped the course of how politicians communicate to the masses. A case in point would be Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign in 2008. Obama's administrative team has successfully raised half a billion dollars from 6.5 million donors while collecting 13 million email addresses during the process. Obama used the Internet to spread his ideologies globally on the web and as such, created various online communities that enabled wide and efficient distribution. These allowed people to easily access information online and also to explore and participate in these campaigns freely.

On the other hand, in Singapore, it appears to be a different case. The local politicians do not engage in digital elections as vigorously as compared to the US parties. There are certain rules, regulations and stipulated laws that set certain restrictions to political content online. An example would be that the Singapore government has banned all podcasts and videocasts in all future elections. Furthermore, bloggers who would want to write and speak up about the elctions are required to register with the relevant authorities. After registration, in the event that the government finds the content unsuitable, the blogger will have to delete the post(s). This also could be one of the main reasons why young adults and youths are not as apathetic towards politics. Besides the fact that Singapore is not exactly a debating society, schools are also not actively promoting political involvement and educating the students on politics. It could also be because of the youths' lack of understanding of the functions and operations of politics that they seemed to be turned off by politics. Some may feel that one man cannot make any major change in politics, thus the general apathy towards the government and politics.

If only the rules are more flexible, less stringent and more political content is published on the web whereby allowing people to freely access the information and giving them room to express their thoughts, all these attempts might be able to engage young people in politics. Perhaps the Internet can play a more vital role in the upcoming elections.

Multimedia

Samsung Mobile Showcases the Winter Olympic Games Throughout the Years

Rock Out with the Samsung Omnia II's SWYPE Technology

The advertisements are short, simple and cool and it convinces consumers to buy their product. For example, a tie-in with the Winter Olympics is a great move because the event itself is a well-known and highly-anticipated one, thus it creates a lasting and memorable impression on the audiences. Moreover, the Samsung omnia II Swype technology was a newly invented technology that was fun and funky as shown in the advertisement. This shows that their marketing communication has succeeded in capturing the audience's attention. All the visuals, audio and graphics further enhanced the video and persuades the audience to purchase their products as well as creating brand awareness.

Internet Security

Poor Internet Security Leads to Cyber Crime

It is a growing concern as tens and thousands or even millions of viruses are introduced yearly. If the computer is securely protected, it will be susceptible to viruses, phishing scams and hackers who will do anything to steal one's personal information and personal identity. Thus, hosted security services should be part of a cost-cutting consideration even during an economic downturn. With technological advances and more sophisticated methods employed by these hackers and 'virtual attackers', Singapore government has addressed these issues seriously by dedicated more time and efforts to fight computer crimes. A case in point was a Singaporean hacker who was convicted to 180 years in prison for posting fake July 2005 bomb threats. The following is an article extracted from SC Magazine online:

A Singaporean hacker has been charged with posting a fake July 2005 bomb threat on a technology website and 60 counts of illegally accessing a wireless network.

Lin Zhenghuang, 21, was charged last week with facetiously warning of a bomb at a local bus stop - just after the London subways and bus bombings. Other site users reported Lin's post to authorities, according to an Associated Press report.

Lin, who uses the online pseudonym "krisurf," also faces 60 charges of illegally accessing nine wireless networks between July 2005 and February 2006, according to the AP. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and US$6,500 in fines.

Lin has been charged with violating Singapore's Computer Misuse Act.

Garyl Tan Jia Luo, 17, was also charged with accessing the web via another person's internet connection in November of last year. A neighbor told authorities that Tan had accessed his web connection in May 2006.


(http://www.securecomputing.net.au/News/70959,singapore-man-faces-180-years-in-prison.aspx)

Google Tools

Google Translate

This service provided by Google helps to translate any text, or webpage URL or a document into another language of your choice. In the past, there was no such programme that was free and available online; instead people had to engage professionals to translate their text for a fee. This translator tool is very useful, especially when I have friends from overseas who speaks a different lanaguage e.g. spanish. This tool helps me to translate their words and aid in my interaction with them. I can also pick up few simple words or phrases whenever I am travelling to another country whose people does not speak English or Mandarin. This cool feature of Google translate even provide audio whereby it teaches you how to pronounce the word. I can even share my translated text with friends and families which makes it so fun and convenient. Below is an instructional video on Google Translator Toolkit:

Google Answers

This question and answer service was introduced by Google to allow users to pay researches to answer questions, which can costs from US$2 to as much as US$200. Users who are satisfied with their answers can also leave an additional tip of US$100 to the researcher. This was a cool and innovative Google tool; however this service was officially terminated on 1st December 2006. Personally, I feel that in this age where we are fully equipped with digital literacy skills, such service might not be as useful as it would be in the past. We can easily search for information on the Web for free, instead of paying Google Answers. One of the example of the question posted was "How to find a supplier to print funny holiday business cards for their business?". To substantiate my above point, I just merely did a quick search and 425,000 results appeared instantly in less than 0.16 seconds. This shows how fast the internet has evolved and has become increasingly easy to navigate and search for information. Thus, I think that it is a smart move for Google to shut down this service and instead, focus and expand on other tools and services that would be more effective and efficient for users to find information.

Although Google Answers have ceased this service and stop accepting questions, they have archived all their questions and answers in the past that are still available for viewing. If you are interested, you may visit: http://answers.google.com/answers/

E-learning

I truly believe that e-learning can be made effective through the use of digital media. Online learning helps to engage people, be it kids or adults of all ages, in learning, motivate them, as well as appealing to their thirst of knowledge. The convenience and efficiency of online learning have also brought about advanced educational performance, as well as better time management and flexibility for all of us.


A perfect example of an online learning experience I had was during my Computer Science module last semester. We were given this web link: http://www.w3schools.com/, that provides W3Schools online web building tutorials. This online learning not only reinforced the lectures, but also gave us hands-on and interactive learning experience. One example was learning how to create a website using HTML codes. It starts first with some basic background knowledge and notes that are easy to read and remember such as the following example:

What is HTML?

HTML is a language for describing web pages.

• HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language
• HTML is not a programming language, it is a markup language
• A markup language is a set of markup tags
• HTML uses markup tags to describe web pages

Then the "real lesson" begins. The lessons was taught step-by-step and you can try to edit the codes, play around with the programme for better understanding. After the end of the syllabus, they even provide a quiz to test your knowledge and understanding. The site also provides a 'quicklist' that summarizes down all the important tips and notes in order to start your very own website! There are references, templates, examples and even a forum to help one clear their doubts/queries through interaction with others or getting professional help.


Personally, this W3Schools web tutorials not only had a website that was easy to navigate, their information including their examples were extremely infomative, fun and enjoyable. It made learning exceptionally incredible and I did not have to worry about forgetting what the lecturer taught in class, because I can always head back to the site to refresh my memory, providing me with a stress-free learning environment. E-learning has definitely captivated me and guaranteed an individual learning preferences and styles.

E-commerce!

I have always thought that e-commerce and e-business had similar meanings, but apparently they stand for different things. To facilitate better understanding, "E-commerce involves digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals; whereas e-business refer primarily to the digital enablement of transactions and processes within a firm, involving information systems under the control of the firm". Thus, all the online shopping sites that I have either visited or purchased actually belongs to 'e-commerce' category! A case in point of an e-commerce site is Victoria's Secret (VS) and I will go on to identify its seven unique features of e-commerce technology and their significance below:

•  Ubiquitous and Offers Global Reach
  

Victoria's Secret is a well-known American retailer of lingerie, women's wear and beauty products. Consumers can shop their brand via their website "www.VictoriasSecret.com" at any place and at any time. This increases customer convenience and reduces costs. Not only do VS ship domestically in the States, but they also provide secure international shipping services. In addition, one of the brand's marketing strategies was the introduction of Victoria's Secret Direct, whereby the purpose is to provide a sexy, warm and intimate shopping experience to their consumers 24/7 via their catalogues. According to statistics, this marketing strategy reaches more than 390 million people annually and VS's website is one of the most highly profitable and fastest-growing sites.

However, due to certain trade and embargo restrictions, there are around 26 countries that are restricted to all shipments, e.g. Cuba, North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran etc.

• Operates According to Universal Standards

The site operates according to technical media standards.

• Information Richness

All the models' interviews, fashion shows, videos and audio contribute to a more powerful selling environment as it elevates the consumer's shopping experience.

Social Media Today

Social media today has evolved into an online community whereby various websites allows users to share their content, media and private information with their friends and families globally with no time and space restrictions. The video link below gives an introduction to social media through a story about a small town, Scoopville and their inventions of different flavors of ice-creams.

http://www.commoncraft.com/socialmedia

In the video, it shows that the town changes because their people were able to make and produce their own ice-cream flavors  and they no longer depend on factory to invent new flavors. Similarly, it had cleverly defined social media's role in giving people the autonomy to create their very own video, music, blogs etc on the web. The example of the discussion board in the video also relates to real life whereby websites like Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, YouTube etc allows tools like tagging, comments and rating systems for people to vote for their favorite "posts", as well as keeping a tab on their friends' daily lives. Online communication has indeed eased social interaction as all these tools help to strengthen and expand our network of friends and acquaintances, especially those we do not speak to on a daily basis.

Moreover, because of the popularity of social media, companies have now relied on social media for their marketing strategies because of its low costs, easy-to-use and far-reaching pool of networks globally. For example, organizations are also able to fine-tune their marketing strategies on their specific target markets such as searching for people on Facebook with common interests under 'Groups' or putting up advertisements on Facebook where you can 'sell' your brand/product to specific demographics. 

With the increasing popularity and evolution of social media, it has now become a vital social  instrument of communication and if you are not participating in the top social media and networking sites, you are bound to be left behind by the world.

The Difference between Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0

I have never been good at computers or learned about all the new technological things, thus when the question was raised about the difference between Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 completely astounds me. 

Through the lesson, I've learnt that Web 1.0 is mainly made up of html and provides read-only content for consumers. Back then, 'Netscape' was the IT factor. On the other hand, Web 2.0 has evolved from Web 1.0 and not only does it provide read-only content online, it also allows anybody who has access to internet to contribute their pool of knowledge on the internet. In other words, almost anybody can be a 'publisher' themselves and this is also an era where wikipedia and blogs were becoming increasingly popular. As time passes, the web version improved tremendously to 3.0 where it has been named 'the portable personal web' whereby the instructor has mentioned about semantic web and the intelligent search on Google i.e. Google Earth where the search engines can now be tuned into surfing specifics and uniquely personalized for every individual. It is almost like artificial intelligence, the way the web is integrated. In addition, increased user engagement on the web as one is allowed to have information exclusivity by owning the content. 

With such powerful demand for internet also because of its convenience and portability, it will only continue to grow and evolve drastically in the near future. Who knows, maybe by then, every interaction we make including what we write and read, will be stashed into our digital lifestream for all to view.