Conclusion to the Internet

Learning is a journey that never ends, and I have to say the COM125 module has been more than just an introduction to the internet, it has moved me along significantly in terms of the journey of learning about it. The internet is a big part of our generation, to our parents, it may have been more of an acquaintance, but to us it is practically family.

We might use the internet a lot, but it is usually for the usual few things like social media sites and entertainment or news sites. We are scratching the surface of a limitless world. There is no physical space to it, and everyday humans around the world log on and add more to it. This module helped to get a little deeper, and to let us see the bigger picture. 

The internet affects the whole WORLD,

EVERYTHING

I thoroughly enjoyed learning and discussing how things that have been around for so long, have been transformed by the arrival of the internet. Journalism, politics, education and businesses are all so dynamic, and the internet has brought something significant to each and every one of them. The internet has changed the way things work and how people think and view the world.

More big changes will come our way

As this is the concluding post, I thought I'd include some interesting infographics about the internet, and its current user's habits.

Internet Statistics

How time is spent on the Internet

Class

We watched many videos in class about a range of topics, some more interesting than others. Regardless, I took something from every video, even if it was something I already knew, there were always some facts I missed out that the videos had.

I knew the internet was big, but this module has taught me that it has no shape, and it can keep getting bigger and bigger, with no end in sight.

Regrettably, our COM125 adventure ends here, but my internet journey has barely begun.

Cheers Mr Choy.

The Future of the Internet

I'm practically salivating at the potential of something like the internet, it has exploded in the past decade like no other mass media in history has. I would like to say that it can only get better, but I actually fear for the internet. It is a medium that governments have no control over, and governments don't like it when there is a massively popular medium out there that they have no sway over. The big picture aside though, I still expect a lot of brilliant innovations for the internet. I shall gaze into my internet crystal ball and see what both sides of the coin hold for the future.

obligatory futuristic internet picture

  

The Good

Removing The Commute

When we think of work now, we think of getting up early in the morning, forcing ourselves into our stuffy work clothes and making that crazy and usually frustrating commute to the workplace in an overcrowded Singapore. Work will end in the evening and we jostle with the crowd again to get home after a tiring day. Well, the future might have a solution to end this terrible cycle. It is entirely possible that most meetings will take place virtually through video-calling platforms that evolve from current programs such as Skype. Sure, people will still travel, but it might just be to their favourite cafes for both online and face-to-face meetings. This will free up more time and reduce the stress in our lives.

Choosing Your Own Adventure

The forefront of entertainment development is steadily moving forward with an emphasis on interactivity and being immersive. "Audience" and "viewers" become "users" and it is possible that one can start deciding what happens to certain characters in the show they are watching, and be able to change outcomes. Decisions could be made in terms of votes in a cinema or individually when you're watching at home or on a device. Passiveness will be replaced by constant interaction with what you are watching.

QR Codes

Technology like QR codes will prevalent everywhere. Information or multimedia will be available at the swipe of a matrix barcode. Everything will have a tag, oranges in the fruit section might have QR codes on them and when scanned, it tells you where the oranges were grown, down to which farm and what pesticides have been used on it etc.. A dress? Scan the QR code and it'll tell you who designed it, where it was manufactured and even how it was woven. Once information can be translated online, companies and people can tell you everything about anything.

Education Without Borders

Education will become more collaborative, educating people will become the priority rather than making money. It will also become more accessible for a bigger population of people. Top class education can be made available to the poorest countries. This could also potentially break cultural barriers. Children can learn and teach each other foreign languages online. There will be better understanding, less bigotry and hopefully a brand new generation of people who will foster good international relations with an education borne not of any one country, but the world.

Total Connectivity

Household appliances will be connected to the internet. The fridge will know when we are running out of essential items and add them to our virtual shopping list. When the list reaches a threshold, an order will be placed and the goods will be delivered to your doorstep. Televisions will have an integrated interface showing weather reports, travel information, sports results, etc, all accessible in real time (basically an upgrade to the smart TVs that currently exist). Everything can be set on a timer, is electronic and the whole house can basically work like clockwork. Of course, there will be limitations that cannot be foreseen right now. Personally, I would love it if that ideal could be true, but I also do not like the idea of everything having to depend on electricity to run. A balance will need to be struck.

The Bad

No privacy

Our information could become part of public records. When everything is connected, it cuts both ways. We get access to everything, but anyone can get access to us as well. How we as the public react to this, only time will tell. I feel that it will be gradual, and that people will eventually treat it as just part of the evolution of society with the internet and technology becoming such a big part of it.

IP Address shortage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv4_address_exhaustion

With so MANY devices in the world today, we have not stopped to think that most require a unique IP address. Well, on 31 January 2011, it was announced that we have used up all our IPv4 addresses. Luckily, there are IPv6 addresses available, which are even longer IP addresses, so as to have more possible number of addresses. I just wonder what will happen ten years down the road, and if constantly adding numbers to our IP addresses is a viable long-term solution. As each switch of type of IP addresses requires a lot of work and is not so straightforward.

Things Hanging in the Balance

Net Neutrality

Net neutrality is an umbrella term that covers many concepts. Mainly, it is the idea that everyone should be able to access everything on the Internet equally, no matter what service they use. Some Internet service providers (ISPs) oppose this philosophy as it gives them less control over their own services. I say they can shove it, because what they are proposing means that they can choose what we can or cannot access. Let us say a certain company pays them a sum of money, the ISPs than slow down or block access to the company's rival websites or services, and basically only allow you to access this company's site. It is ridiculous, they want to turn the internet into television, where you pay for premium content and have to CHOOSE between certain sites. Let us hope that never happens.

Human-Technology Relationship

This article (linked below) is very thought provoking and I think brings up a very good question: can you handle infinity in your pocket? That is to say, smartphones and other mobile devices are reaching crazy levels in terms of capability, eventually you'll be able to find and do almost anything via your device. What then? Would you go crazy with information overload? Throughout the day, one would be checking innumerable number of things. Now we already have feeds, e-mail, messages and social networking to contend with. As things become more on-the-go and instantly updated, how will we handle this constant barrage of new information? Only time will tell.

http://gizmodo.com/5991495/why-my-iphone-is-better-as-a-dumbphone 

The internet might also affect the way we think. There are constant ongoing studies being done on this, but it might be awhile yet before we come to a concrete conclusion. I think it makes sense though, we have a lesser incentive to think of solutions when we encounter problems, and to be creative. Whenever we have an issue or want to find out how to do something, we simply google it.

The Penultimate Question: Is Google making us stupid?

Internet Tools

iGoogle

iGoogle, a service of Google, is a customizable Ajax-based startpage or personal web portal. Google originally launched the service in May 2005 and its features include the capability to add web feeds to form a personalized homepage.

iGoogle's start page

As of 17 October 2007, Google has made the service available in 70 countries and 42 languages.

In February 2007, 7.1 million people used iGoogle.

In April 2008, 20% of all visits to Google's homepage used iGoogle.

On the July 3rd 2012, Google announced iGoogle will retire on the 1st November 2013.

These were the official FAQ they gave:

What's happening to iGoogle?

iGoogle will be retired on November 1, 2013. The mobile version was retired on July 31, 2012.

How did you come to this decision?

We originally launched iGoogle in 2005 before anyone could fully imagine the ways that today's web and mobile apps would put personalized, real-time information at your fingertips. With modern apps that run on platforms like Chrome and Android, the need for something like iGoogle has eroded over time, so we’ll be winding down iGoogle on November 1, 2013, giving you a full 16 months from the announcement to adjust or easily export your iGoogle data.

What will happen to the data stored in my gadgets?

All of your personal data stored in other Google products will continue to be available via those products, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Finance, Google Docs (now Google Drive), Google Bookmarks and Google Tasks. Other gadgets, like the to-do list, allow you to export your data - look for the “Download all” option under the drop-down menu tied to the title of your list. Most iGoogle gadgets are created and maintained by third-party developers. If you’d like to export your data, you should contact the gadget creator directly.

It is a real pity, but it is just one in the line of many Google products that have been retired for one reason or another. There are even petitions and calls for Google to not retire iGoogle. Personally, I think it seems like a very useful internet tool, and makes your internet user experience a more pleasant and convenient one. It also seems quite popular, so regardless of the FAQ above, I am still puzzled as to why Google would do this. There are other similar services available, but when you have built up your surfing habits and familiar websites over the years, it is a real pain to start over again.

Video Making

Here is a short clip of me playing the Wii with a friend (and OWNING). It was filmed for a project, but never used, so I took it and added a simple caption and some audio. A small tweak here, an edit there, and its 100x more EPIC. Enjoy.

Multimedia Advertising on the Internet

Companies these days are taking to the internet for their major marketing campaigns as they know how wide-reaching it potentially is. Whereas on television or in the cinemas, advertisements last a maximum of 1 minute usually. On the internet however, there are less restrictions, and it is probably cheaper. For other mass media, companies generally pay to run their adverts for a specified amount of time. For the internet however, once it is uploaded on a major video sharing site like Youtube, it is there for whoever to see whenever they want to. I will take a look at 3 companies, and the ads they have used to market a major product of theirs.

First let's look at Samsung and their brand new Galaxy S4 ad:

 

They use upbeat melodic piano music throughout, and they let the well-crafted graphics and smooth flow of the video from one new feature to the next excite us and stimulate our senses. The music synchronizes well with the animations, pictures and bits of text that inform us about each feature. The colour scheme of the video is very lighthearted, in keeping with everything else. They use many pictures of happy families and couples, and it ends with the tag "Life Companion". Overall, it sells you the phone and manages to tell you all of its key new features in a manner that should leave you smiling and with a dreamy look on your face as you take out your cash or card and hand it to them.

Music ✓✓✓
Pictures / Graphics ✓✓✓
Text ✓  
Short Video showcasing each feature ✓ 

Apple iPhone5 ad:

The iPhone advert is nowhere near as cheery or playful as Samsung's. There is music, but it has a more serious tone, and takes a backseat as the ad uses more "Oomph!" to sell their product. They get the big shots of Apple to tell you about how amazing their product is. They don't just want to excite the audience, they want to make them in awe of the product. There aren't many shots of happy people using the phone, instead they showcase the phone itself a lot. Whereas the Samsung ad was trying to sell more of a lifestyle, this ad is being straightforward and telling you go and get this phone, because it is cool and nothing beats it.

Music ✓
Pictures / Graphics ✓
Sound (Voice) ✓✓ 
Short Video showcasing each feature ✓ 

Sony Xperia TV ad:

This advertisement is much shorter than the previous 2 (as it is made for television), it is basically a montage of slow motion videos of people using Sony products. It does not showcase any features of the Xperia phone, it is taking the angle of "oh look how much fun I'm having using this phone". The graphics they use are intense and vibrant, with striking colours. The music used is from David Bowie, who is a very famous British musician, it is lighthearted and fits the video. Near the end, there is a small voiceover telling you that you can now get all of Sony's awesomeness on a smartphone.  

Music ✓✓✓
Pictures / Graphics ✓✓✓
Sound (Voice) ✓  



All 3 adverts engage the audience's sight, sound and touch. The Samsung and Sony ads make both your ears and eyes feel good, whereas Apple's is more of a salesman's pitch. When I say that they engage our sense of touch, I mean they also want to make you imagine how it feels to have and to use their products, and to make it very personal.


However multimedia is utilized for marketing, one thing is for sure - no matter how good your product is, it will not be successful without good marketing, and indirectly good usage of multimedia.


 

Journalistic Fragalistic, what?

The internet has affected the profession of Journalism in positive and negative ways. As for traditional print journalism though, the internet is definitely not doing it any favours. If anything, it will contribute to the eventual downfall of the print media.

It is true, as was discussed in class, that anyone with a half decent grasp of writing (in any language) can become a journalist. A journalist essentially collects, writes and distributes news and other information. News and information can mean anything, because these terms are relative. While some of us might not give a crap (mind the expletive, but any mention of the Bieber warrants one) about the life of Justin Bieber, there are others who hang on his every tweet and update. As long as one is "telling" (this can be as simple as talking about your day), one can potentially be labelled a journalist. The internet has become the wild wild west of journalism, anyone and everyone is sharing something on the internet.

Potential Solution

A possible way of rectifying the journalism problem posed by the pervasiveness of social media on the internet is to give accreditation to journalists, to certify their profession. Like a practising lawyer or doctor, there would be a piece of paper or official record somewhere to show that one is a journalist. One would have to go through training of course and pass practical and theory tests. Hypothetically there could even be two categories, field journalists or writers. They either work mostly in the office to get stories, or they are out in the field a lot, getting into the thick of things and getting their stories from there. 

From Print to Digital

How many people do you see carrying newspapers these days? How many people do you see carrying an e-reader capable device? That's right. The disparity in both these figures has been noticed by news organizations and publishers of print everywhere. Every respectable magazine or news company has a digital version of their issues

Print is in danger of becoming extinct if this trend continues

 

Reverse Publishing

Some newspapers are now adopting a "web-centric" approach to organizing their work flow. It is known as reverse publishing, this means that reporters and editors think first about reporting and producing text and multimedia stories for the web before writing a text story for the print edition. The priority for news outlets have become getting their breaking stories out onto the web first, before anywhere else. This is also a consequence of the slow and laboured process of print. You have to go through designing and formatting a whole issue of a newspaper before sending it for production and subsequent printing, and the whole thing is done on a fixed schedule. As for online editions, if one breaking story comes along, they can write it, get it proofed by the editor and than instantly publish it on their website. It is simple and straightforward, and just as many people get to see it, if not more.

It is plain to see that a total shift from print to digital would make a lot of sense for everyone, but I hope that giving everyone the ability to post what "news" they want does not tarnish the quality of reporting or the integrity of journalism. (who am I kidding? hahahahaha)

The Internet and its effects on Political Transparency

As the Internet is such a permeable tool, it has major implications for political transparency and the way governments run things in our modern world. Back when the internet did not exist, it was a lot easier for governments to be secretive, and to withhold information that they wanted to keep secret. This was because of a general lack of media, people learnt information through either the newspapers, television or word of mouth. When there are few sources of information, it is easy for the person or organization with the information to select and control who gets to hear what. This is especially so when the mass media is under the thumb of the government, which was fairly common back in the old days.

Types of Transparency

The first kind of transparency is informational transparency: knowledge about government actors and decisions and access to government information.

This is the transparency that is most affected by the internet, it greatly increases, because all it takes is one person to leak information. Once the internet gets a hold of it, it will spread like wildfire. It can be something as small as a government official's secret tryst with his mistress, to something major like WikiLeaks, which exposed many incriminating actions taken by the governments of the world behind closed doors.

A second type of transparency is participatory transparency: the ability to participate in political decisions either through fair representation or direct participation.

The internet has affected this in a few ways. It definitely helps to increase participation in politics as it is a convenient media outlet to express opinions and exchange views. It is also a good way for governments to get a snap poll of what people think of them, especially during elections. On the other hand, the internet creates a lot of "keyboard warriors", people who like to incite others and oppose their views just for the sake of it, otherwise known as "trolls". As people are able to hide behind screens, they can say anything, including malicious rumours and unfounded accusations at a particular politician or political party.

A third kind of transparency is accountability transparency: the ability to hold government officials accountable – either to the legal system or to public opinion – when they violate the law or when they act in ways that adversely affect people’s interests.

This is possibly the most significant of the three, and the internet has definitely improved it. Governments had a lot more power last time, but now the internet has given some of that power back to the people, as democracy should always have been - a people's government. There are political activists and watchdogs who are constantly on the lookout for policies and laws governments might try to pass. Once they sense something is wrong, they immediately post it on the internet, and the rest takes care of itself. Once there is an uproar among the population, it is hard for politicians to do as they please. Occupy Wall Street and a few other protests, notably in Europe, have all been a result of the internet and its power to spread information at lightning speed.

 

WikiLeaks

Of course, the biggest and most famous exposé in politics on the internet is WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is an international, online, non-profit organisation which publishes secret information, news leaks and classified media from anonymous sources. Its website has claimed a database of more than 1.2 million documents within a year of its launch. Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been arrested numerous times for this. He is in hiding, and has been granted political asylum by the Ecuadorian government. He currently resides in the Ecuadorian Embassy in England, where the Metropolitan Police have stationed officers outside to arrest him when he does try to leave.

It has released a number of significant documents which have become front-page news items. Early releases included documentation of equipment expenditures and holdings in the Afghanistan war and corruption in Kenya. During April 2011, WikiLeaks published 779 secret files relating to prisoners detained in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

In November 2010, WikiLeaks collaborated with major global media organisations to release U.S. State department diplomatic "cables" in redacted format. This was one of its most significant releases, and was a big gaffe for the American government. It led to a US manhunt for Assange.

There was also the Global Intelligence Files, where an email involving a Stratfor (a global intelligence company) analyst stated that it had been determined that up to 12 officials in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency knew of Osama bin-Laden's safe house. Another email indicated that Stratfor Vice President Fred Burton had knowledge of the killing of bin Laden, and that the body was not dumped at sea, but rather sent to Dover Air Force Base in the United States. This fuelled doubts about the US Government's account of the killings.

Obtaining information is becoming easier with each passing day in our modern world, and politics is no exception to this rule. If someone wants it, there will be someone willing to go the length to obtain it. It might not directly cause politicians to resign their positions over any wrongdoings they might have committed, but it at least puts some fear into them and makes them think twice before executing such acts in the future. At least more people are aware that their government is not the great and perfect leaders for the country that they make themselves out to be.

 
Pervasive information will keep them in check.

The Controversial World of Hacking

As history has shown time and again, tools made for the betterment of mankind will always be utilized by others with more malicious intent. It is the way of the world and the nature of humanity, and the internet is no exception.

Hacking is one of the most devastating ways one can hurt and affect someone's life. As the internet is an indispensible tool (especially in tech-centric Singapore), everyone is contacted to it somehow. Whether it is a relatively trivial thing like an instagram account or a more important thing like a bank account, a lot of personal information about someone is available readily on the internet if he or she is not careful. Everything can be used to negatively affect a persons life. Hackers can target private compromising photos stored on social media sites in private albums or get the persons e-banking account information, both can adversely affect a persons life, ruining reputation or finance.

You would think hacking is some complicated process understood and used by nasty nerds, and that it existed only as a seedy underground scene. A simple google search will show the total opposite. Many sites and articles laud how easy it is to pick up hacking. A layman could probably do it after learning some basic coding. Think about it, you'd need a certain minimum level of smarts to be able to hack competently. So what happens when you get a bunch of smart people collaborating on a task? They advance the techniques and improve on the process. Toolkits and software made for the sole purpose of hacking are easily available for download. Its as easy as going to your nearest convenience store to pick up amenities.

These are some of the blogs and articles about learning hacking:

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/03/how-i-became-a-password-cracker/

http://hackiteasy.blogspot.sg/2012/10/how-to-easy-hack-wordpress-site-or-blog.html

Hacking as a Hobby

These days, there are legitimate classes that teach you how to hack, although the purposes here are more defensive than offensive. It is to help people be aware of how they can potentially be attacked by hackers.

They even have competitions, here is an article that talks about a competition that was about hacking our beloved internet browsers Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer. They basically hack what we use on a daily basis for shits and giggles - very comforting, I know.

http://www.geek.com/news/internet-explorer-10-chrome-and-firefox-hacked-at-pwn2own-1542097/

Anonymous

Of course, one cannot talk about hacking without mentioning Anonymous, the (in)famous hacktivist group that has made many headlines in the past few years. They have had their say in almost every major event about or related to the internet.

It is a faceless group that strikes from the shadows without warning, and is sometimes more affectionately known as Anon. It strongly opposes internet censorship and surveillance, and has hacked various government websites and major security corporations.

Its activities are so numerous, significant and impactful, but I shall summarize a few of the biggest ones.

Megaupload Closure

On January 19, 2012, Megaupload, a website that provides file-sharing services, was shut down by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In the hours following the shutdown, Anonymous took down the sites of the DOJ and FBI, as well as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Anonymous felt these organizations were opposing a free and open internet by shutting down Megaupload. This was happening simultaneously with the protests of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in America. It would have devastating consequences on the privacy of online users if it had passed.

Facebook / Zynga Fiasco

In October 2012, Anonymous threatened to take down Facebook and release Zynga’s portfolio of games for free to the masses. The reason for the attack, which they called ‘#OP MaZynga’, was due to Zynga’s announcement that it would lay off 1,000 employees and begin outsourcing work to third parties in a bid to save money and stay afloat. Anoymous' actions raised the awareness of Zynga's missteps and mistreatment of their staff.

Syrian Civil War

On November 30, 2012, Anonymous declared an operation to shut down websites of the Syrian government, in response to an Internet blackout the previous day believed to be imposed by Syrian authorities in an attempt to silence opposition groups of the Syrian civil war. This was right after they had just done something similar to the Israeli government.

Just as good tools can be used for ill intentions. Bad tools such as hacking can be put to good use as well, to punish the wrong doers of the world. It is a way for the everyday man to hit back at the big organizations and governments whenever they have done wrong.

Hacking is good and bad...but mostly bad.