What is the problem with creating a culture or fantasy world? If people can’t express themselves in the real world, should we not allow them to do it over cyberspace? Why stop them if they’re not hurting anyone?
There are several reasons why people should not be able to express everything about themselves even in cyberspace. One reason is the fact that they are hurting people, it may not be in a physical way but they are in fact causing damage. The main group that they are affecting is teenagers and young children. Now I know that parents are ultimately in charge of the content that they should be reading and viewing, but let’s face it, there is no way to supervise 24/7. Don’t get me wrong, I would not have a problem with people expressing themselves if there were better security and limited access to certain sites. The major problem that I see occurring is that young children and teenagers are able to access such sites as porn and anorexia sites with no problems what so ever. Therefore, this fantasy world is definitely hurting people and the danger of it is momentous.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Question #3
Has this increased membership and participation in Internet groups effected people's view of themselves and their identity? If so, how and why?
I think that increased membership and participation in the Internet groups has definitely affected people’s view of themselves and their identity. I think that people feel a lot more comfortable expressing themselves when they do not have to visually see the person they are talking to. The internet can also sometimes boost people’s self esteem and give them the confidence to say what they really want to say. In other situations it may bring their confidence level down. I think the fact that so many people spend such a great amount of time conversing virtually, people could become depressed and feel alone. Conversing on the internet does not have the same sort of social satisfaction as when face to face. When people are spending a great deal of time indoors staring at a computer screen and having to physical human interaction, it could become a problem.
I think that increased membership and participation in the Internet groups has definitely affected people’s view of themselves and their identity. I think that people feel a lot more comfortable expressing themselves when they do not have to visually see the person they are talking to. The internet can also sometimes boost people’s self esteem and give them the confidence to say what they really want to say. In other situations it may bring their confidence level down. I think the fact that so many people spend such a great amount of time conversing virtually, people could become depressed and feel alone. Conversing on the internet does not have the same sort of social satisfaction as when face to face. When people are spending a great deal of time indoors staring at a computer screen and having to physical human interaction, it could become a problem.
Question #2
Has there been any research done about the blind community being able to use the voice recognition on computers?
There have been studies done on the blind community being able to use voice recognition on computers. There are also several new technologies that have come about that can assist blind internet users besides using solely voice recognition. Some of the newer technologies include “Magnification programs for the computer screen allow people with some vision to view text or images which have been magnified several times and are capable of integrating hardware and software. Synthetic speech systems comprise a synthesizer, which does the speaking, and the screen reader, which tells the synthesizer what to say”(American Federation for the Blind, 2000, n. p.). I also found a really neat way for blind users to print documents and read them independently, it is the Braille printer. “Braille printers are available for those who can read Braille. These produce a hard copy and can do so from various computer devices. Other Braille Display technology allows what is displayed on the computer screen to be transposed into Braille. These devices operate by rising and lowering different combinations of pins electronically to produce what appears on a portion of the computer screen. They are refreshable, that is, they change continuously as the user moves around on the screen” (American Foundation for the Blind, 2000, n. p.) Therefore there has been a lot of research done and it seems as though researchers are really focusing on the needs of the blind community and coming up with new ways to make their life easier.
Reference:
Williamson, Kristy; Wright, Steve; Schauder, Don; and Bow, Amanda. 2001. The Internet for the Blind and Visually Impared. Vol. 6 n. 1-4. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol7/issue1/williamson.html
There have been studies done on the blind community being able to use voice recognition on computers. There are also several new technologies that have come about that can assist blind internet users besides using solely voice recognition. Some of the newer technologies include “Magnification programs for the computer screen allow people with some vision to view text or images which have been magnified several times and are capable of integrating hardware and software. Synthetic speech systems comprise a synthesizer, which does the speaking, and the screen reader, which tells the synthesizer what to say”(American Federation for the Blind, 2000, n. p.). I also found a really neat way for blind users to print documents and read them independently, it is the Braille printer. “Braille printers are available for those who can read Braille. These produce a hard copy and can do so from various computer devices. Other Braille Display technology allows what is displayed on the computer screen to be transposed into Braille. These devices operate by rising and lowering different combinations of pins electronically to produce what appears on a portion of the computer screen. They are refreshable, that is, they change continuously as the user moves around on the screen” (American Foundation for the Blind, 2000, n. p.) Therefore there has been a lot of research done and it seems as though researchers are really focusing on the needs of the blind community and coming up with new ways to make their life easier.
Reference:
Williamson, Kristy; Wright, Steve; Schauder, Don; and Bow, Amanda. 2001. The Internet for the Blind and Visually Impared. Vol. 6 n. 1-4. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol7/issue1/williamson.html
Question #1
Do you think that there are downsides to voice recognition? What types of problems do think may occur in the future using voice recognition?
Answer:
I do feel that there are several downsides to voice recognition and I think that those issues need to be addressed before it becomes a massive part of the internet culture. There are several factors that could cause voice recognition to be less effective. One issue that could come up is the fact that people have significantly different accents across the country and might say one thing but have it come out differently. This could be extremely frustrating and become even more difficult to communicate than how the internet is set up now. Another downside is that all sites may not be equipped to handle voice recognition. It may take years for it to become completely compatible. However, even with all of the potential downsides I feel that the benefits far outweigh the small road blocks that we may face.
Answer:
I do feel that there are several downsides to voice recognition and I think that those issues need to be addressed before it becomes a massive part of the internet culture. There are several factors that could cause voice recognition to be less effective. One issue that could come up is the fact that people have significantly different accents across the country and might say one thing but have it come out differently. This could be extremely frustrating and become even more difficult to communicate than how the internet is set up now. Another downside is that all sites may not be equipped to handle voice recognition. It may take years for it to become completely compatible. However, even with all of the potential downsides I feel that the benefits far outweigh the small road blocks that we may face.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
References
Honeycutt, Lee. (2004). Literacy and the Writing Voice; The Intersection of Culture and Technology in Dictation. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Vol. 3, p. 294.
Chow-White, Peter A. (2006). Race, gender and sex on the net: semantic networks of selling and storytelling sex tourism. Journal of Media, Culture and Society. SAGE Publications, Vol. 28, p. 883-905.
Lewis, Tania. (2006). Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria? Media, Culture & Society. SAGE Publications, Vol. 28, p. 521–539.
George, Cherian. (2005). The internet’s political impact and the penetration/
participation paradox in Malaysia and Singapore. Media, Culture & Society. SAGE Publications, Vol. 27, p. 903–920.
Woo-Young, Chang. (2005). Online civic participation, and political empowerment: online media and public opinion formation in Korea. Media, Culture & Society. SAGE Publications, Vol. 27, p. 925–935.
Chow-White, Peter A. (2006). Race, gender and sex on the net: semantic networks of selling and storytelling sex tourism. Journal of Media, Culture and Society. SAGE Publications, Vol. 28, p. 883-905.
Lewis, Tania. (2006). Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria? Media, Culture & Society. SAGE Publications, Vol. 28, p. 521–539.
George, Cherian. (2005). The internet’s political impact and the penetration/
participation paradox in Malaysia and Singapore. Media, Culture & Society. SAGE Publications, Vol. 27, p. 903–920.
Woo-Young, Chang. (2005). Online civic participation, and political empowerment: online media and public opinion formation in Korea. Media, Culture & Society. SAGE Publications, Vol. 27, p. 925–935.
The Up and Comming Internet Culture
I recently bought a new computer and was truly fascinated with all of the new technologies that are coming to be. One of the newest gadgets that I purchased was a microphone for my computer that I can use over the internet. I really feel that this devise is going to create a whole new culture of internet users. “Voice recognition has the potential to be a useful technology for bridging the spoken and written word” (Honeycutt, Lee). With the addition of being able to look at words that others have written and connecting a voice to them, I feel that it is going to make the internet feel like they are more connected to what they are reading. People will become more involved over the internet and will be able to express themselves with less and less confusion. “As a generation that has known mostly silent writing, we might be tempted at first to dismiss computerized dictation as a technological gimmick that disrupts our embedded silent literacy practices” (Honeycutt, Lee). I really feel that this phase will end quickly because people will really connect with each other and be more able to relate their feelings.
Culture of Participation
The internet has created a culture of involved citizens. People are finding it easier and easier to actively participate in governmental issues. “The avenue to be opened by the online media is expected to be a path that leads to a more vibrant form of citizen participatory democracy” (Woo-Young, Chang). I really feel that the rapid growth of participatory democracy will change our society for the better. “An important novelty brought about by online journalism is the renovation in production and circulation of messages and this in turn promotes public discussions in which citizens participate more actively” (Woo-Young, Chang). Issues will become more public and decisions will be made by more people than just those sitting in the office. It will also make political decisions a quicker process because of the almost instantaneous receipt of internet messages. “The newly enabled diversification places online journalism in an antithetical position vis-a-vis traditional journalism, which has tended to standardize methods of message transmission and the relationship between senders and recipients of messages” (Woo-Young, Chang).
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