Transcript Ethical Perspective

Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Searching and finding information is critical to knowing
“The World Wide Web is the most important single outcome of the personal computer.
It is the ‘Gutenberg press’ that is democratizing information.”
Bill Atkinson, 1942 -
According to Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web,
"The Internet [Net] is a network of networks. Basically it is made from computers
and cables.... The [World Wide] Web is an abstract imaginary space of information.
On the Net, you find computers — on the Web, you find documents, sounds,
videos, ... information. On the Net, the connections are cables between computers;
on the Web, connections are hypertext links.
The Web exists because of programs which communicate between computers on
the Net. The Web could not be without the Net. The Web made the Net useful
because people are really interested in information and don't really want to have [to]
know about computers and cables."
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Early methods of organizing stored information such as manuscripts was haphazard, making it difficult
to find specific pages, documents
Initial divisions were between things that were beneficial or harmful and then evolved into categories for
food, medicine, tools.
Civilizations started to separate concepts and objects in more systematic ways.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Linnaeus – Swedish scientist and
educator – considered the founder
of modern taxonomy or the science
of classifying organisms – his 1735
book Systema Naturae, gave
general (genus) and specific
(species) names in Latin for all
living things which are still used
today.
Linnaeus was the first to describe
human beings as Homo sapiens
(man+wise), and although he
criticized any idea that suggested
"evolution," he did argue that
humans and chimpanzees shared a
genus: Homo troglodytes
(man+cave dweller).
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Thomas Jefferson
Third President of the United States
1743 - 1826
“[The people] are in truth the only legitimate
proprietors of the soil and government.”
He divided his personal library into three areas:
memory (history), reason (philosophy and science) and imagination (arts).
An inveterate collector of books, Jefferson sold his personal library to Congress in 1815 in
order to rebuild the collection of the Congressional Library, destroyed by fire in 1814.
In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer, appropriating $23,950 for his 6,487
books, and the foundation was laid for a great national library.
The Jeffersonian concept of universality, the belief that all subjects are important to the
library of the American legislature, is the philosophy and rationale behind the
comprehensive collecting policies of today's Library of Congress.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
In 1876 Melvil Dewey introduced
his Dewey Decimal Classification
system .
He is known as the founder of
modern librarianship.
His book categorizing system is
based on ten class of subjects
with subtopics.
This system is still used today –
in 95 percent of all city and public
school libraries in the US and
more than 135 countries
worldwide.
Zoological Sciences
The Zoological Sciences, the
590's, are divided into ten
subdivisions.
591 Zoology
592 Invertebrates
593 Protozoa
594 Mollusa
595 Other Invertebrates
(worms and insects)
596 Vertebrates
597 Fishes
598 Reptiles and Birds
599 Mammals
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
With computer networking, paper file cards were replaced by digital versions
and this conversion made the search engine necessary.
After WWII, the Cold War set in and the US military needed a way to
communicate across the country if other forms of communication were
disrupted.
This resulted in the first communications network between computers.
Researchers sent the first email message in 1969 from UCLA to Stanford.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
In the 1970s powerful mainframe computers were
popular in government, business and university
research sites around the world – and the use of
email became widespread…especially after satellite
links were added to the system – and the
INTERNATIONAL Network became INTERNET.
Before the WWW, files were exchanged through the
Internet using File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
The first computer based network search engine was
Archie – created by two students at McGill Univ. in
Montreal in 1990 – which allowed searchers to find
FTP files.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
The next year, two Univ. of Minnesota
students introduced gopher – a menu
driven document retrieval program for
the internet.
1994 Yahoo (Yet Another Hierarchical
Officious Oracle) was created by 2
Stanford Univ. students – Filo and
Yang – and was a collection of web
pages that were divided into logical
categories.
Now there are many other choices of
sophisticated full-service Web portals
controlled by major corporations.
Google is one of the most popular.
Recently Yahoo spent more than a
billion dollars to upgrade its own
search engine that runs as fast as
Google and with more specific
database coverage.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Libraries use the Online Computer Library Center
now - digital catalogs to more than 45,000 libraries
around the world.
World Wide Web – is a new tool for communicating
and locating information… globally.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Google Homepage
Google is used to search the web about 140,000 times every
minute or 200 million searches a day.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
GOOGLE , the search engine, is a noun and a verb..
it is one of the fastest, easiest and most popular search
engines available on the WWW
It is a welcome change from most other overly busy
looking portals – lots of white space and easy to use.
Most searches take less than one second to complete as
the engine looks through its database collection of over
six billion web pages.
The two visionary Stanford University students who
created google say the name comes from a
mathematical term that refers to a number larger
than all the atoms that make up the universe – a
googol.
Its corporate ethos is “do no evil”
Google creators
Sergey Brin & Larry Page
Each worth 7 billion
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Analysis of Google
• Most Popular Because Easy to Use
• Good use of Graphic Design
• Mixes Searching with
Advertisements*
• 71 Percent of 7-12 Graders Use
Internet as Main Source
*They reject advertising with links that take
users to pages that feature pop-ups, sell
alcohol or tobacco, and run negative
political messages or political advocacy
ads. They also have some fun…
Google Graphic Tributes to Mondrian & Picasso
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
The WWW has earned its place as a
valuable resource for information,
entertainment and blatant
commercialism.
It has the immediacy of radio and TV,
the totality of information of print, and
the visual and audio qualities of motion
pictures – and it is interactive.
Multimedia and Interactive
Multimedia are different – the
interactive part means a user can be
passive or active in manipulating the
media presentation.
There are three principle applications
for interactive multimedia: govt.,
corporate and consumer.
From Alice to Ocean, First Book and CD Combination
One example is stand-alone kiosks in
California that allow the user to renew
a drivers license or pay a minor traffic
ticket. CD- ROM programs are used in
education, entertainment and
commerce.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Videotex terminals have allowed consumers to get select information – in the
home or in the store.
The Minitel is a Videotex online service accessible through the telephone lines,
and is considered one of the world's most successful pre-World Wide Web online
services.
It was launched in France in 1982 by the PTT (Poste, Téléphone et
Télécommunications; divided since 1991 between France Télécom and La
Poste). Since its early days, users could make online purchases, make train
reservations, check stock prices, search the telephone directory, and chat in a
similar way to that now made possible by the Internet.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Electronic Bulletin Boards – another platform for computer-mediated communication that offers a wide
range of services – banking, shopping, chatting, news.
Users get easy access to the Internet via a program that is organized in content and graphic design similar
to a magazine… AOL is one example.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Things changed when a computer
language was developed that was
used to access information on the
Internet – that led directly to the
WWW.
Mosaic, a web browser developed by
a student at Univ. of Illinois alsomade
accessing and downloading files that
contained still and moving pictures
with audio as simple as clicking a
mouse.
Web browsers used hypertext links to
turn the text-dominated Internet into a
colorful, content filled excursion.
Standard protocol for Web file
creation is called HTML (Hypertext
Markup Language)
This ensures that your web browser
can request information from a Web
server so that you can see all the
words and images on your own
computer screen.
In 1980, while an
independent contractor at
CERN from June to
December 1980, BernersLee proposed a project
based on the concept of
hypertext, to facilitate
sharing and updating
information among
researchers
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Browser Wars began between Netscape
and Microsofts Internet Explorer in 1995,
because with most computers around the
world (95 %) using Microsoft Window
operating software with Internet Explorer
built in, Microsoft had a tremendous
marketing advantage over Netscape – a
monopoly.
There are other browsers available such
as Mozilla or Firefox. Apple provides
Safari.
Media Convergence
Services offered through the telephone,
TV and computer will likely morph into
one – teleputers…We can see this in the
devices we now have… cell phones with
pictures, internet connections and other
features.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
A new trend with both search engines and directories is the purchase of listings.
Search engines and directories now offer Web site owners the opportunity to pay a fee in return for a
listing in a better position in its search results listing and, in some cases, even a guaranteed top position.
Should searchers be wary of purchased placements? Not necessarily, but as always, searchers should
review each site with a critical eye.
According to a February 2003 survey by Nielsen// NetRatings (http://www.nielsen-netratings.com), one of
the leading Internet and digital media audience information and analysis services, the top five Internet
search engines in the United States are:
* Google
* Yahoo!
* MSN
* AOL
* Ask Jeeves
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Background on these search engines
Google (google.com)—Google is one of the largest search engines on the Internet with more than 3 billion
searchable pages. Ranking of results is based on page popularity measured in links from other pages.
Yahoo! (yahoo.com)—Yahoo! is the Web's oldest directory. In late 2002, Yahoo! began using Google's search engine
to generate its main results, but Yahoo!'s search results pages still show categories that link to Web sites that have
been reviewed and approved by an editor.
MSN (msn.com)—MSN is a hybrid search engine. MSN has a team of editors who monitor the most popular
searches being performed and determine sites believed to be the most relevant. MSN also uses search results from
the human-powered LookSmart (looksmart.com) directory. For more obscure queries, it uses crawler-based results
from Inktomi (inktomi.com).
AOL (search.aol.com)—AOL Search is a search engine that provides users with editorial listings from Google. It is
possible that the same search on Google and AOL Search will come up with very similar matches. The AOL Search
primarily is used by AOL subscribers.
Ask Jeeves (ask.com)—Ask Jeeves is a hybrid search engine that allows the user to ask a question using "natural
language" and then deliver Web pages that answer that question. If Ask Jeeves cannot find an answer within its own
database, it will provide matching Web pages from other search engines.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Website design has become a specialization – creation
and management/maintenance. Designers are called
information architects for the information
superhighway…
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Because we use the web as a source for information we need to have
some way of analyzing a website to know whether the information on it
is credible – user be beware!
A five point checklist:
1. Authority – who is responsible for creating the information
2. Accuracy – can sources of information be easily checked
3. Objectivity – is news, advertising and opinion clearly separated
4. Currency – is it clear how often the files are updated
5. Coverage – does it seem as if the subject is adequately discussed
Three technical aspects that indicate quality:
Do the files download quickly
Are typographical and visual message choices appropriate for content
Does the site contain useful information without spelling or
typographical errors
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Ethical Perspective
• Free Speech vs. Censorship
• Hate Speech and
Pornography?
Remote-Controlled Hunting
Ethical Perspective
Privacy Concerns – esp. personal information
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
TiVo Snooping
A service that allows customers to digitally record
television with a DVR -- digital video recorder –
that is controlled by the TiVo operating system.
TiVo sends users viewing records to corporate headquarters, however…
Encryption
Information security is provided on computers and over the Internet by a variety of methods. A simple but
straightforward security method is to only keep sensitive information on removable storage media like
floppy disks. But the most popular forms of security all rely on encryption, the process of encoding
information in such a way that only the person (or computer) with the key can decode it.
"USA Patriot Act," 2001*
ENHANCED SURVEILLANCE PROCEDURES
Sec. 201. Authority to intercept wire, oral, and electronic communications relating to terrorism.
Cookies
Cookies are very small text files (usually around 50 to 150 bytes and always less than 4kb) downloaded
from a Web site by your browser. Some stay in your Random Access Memory and are deleted when
you close your browser. Others are saved to your hard drive when you close your browser. They are
used by Web site owners to remember your preferences and by advertisers to track your online habits,
and target ads according to your interests. The use of the term "your" is a little misleading. It's not really
"your" visits that are recorded, but "someone's." Cookies do not identify you, but they can keep track of
your movements from page to page on a site.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Ethical Perspective
• Access Considerations
• Sharing Costs
• Availability for All
• Accessibility Issues
• Americans with Disability Act
(ADA), 1990
• Web Accessibility
A blind person surfing the web will most likely use very much
the same computer as someone who is sighted.
The basic personal computer is supplemented by technology
called screen access software, which translates information on
the screen into synthesized speech or Braille. The program
used to surf the web will most likely be Microsoft Internet
Explorer.
When entering a web page, the blind person will probably check
out the hypertext links that are on the page.
This is usually accomplished by jumping from link to link with
the Tab key; the screen access software automatically reads the
highlighted text as the focus moves from link to link.
If the highlighted text is something like “How to Contact Us” or
“Visit Your Shopping Cart,” the blind user will be able to make
some sense out of the link. If, however, the highlighted text is
“Click Here,” or “Here,” it will be difficult if not impossible
for the blind user to interpret the meaning of the link
without using a different navigation strategy.
With the more recent screen access software/browser
combinations, it is possible for the blind web surfer to
explore the page one line at a time, thus alleviating this
problem. However, being forced to examine every detail of a
web page just to learn the meaning of a hypertext link is a timeconsuming process which, ideally, should be avoided.
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Cultural Perspective
Many popular portals (sites that have news, information and links) are commercial.
WWW has moved away from educational roots to commercial use
Some alternative initiatives are BLOGS or Web logs – public bulletin boards in which users
publish a personal journal on almost every topic imaginable with contributions from anyone.
Educational (.edu) Sites
are not the Top Choices
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Bookmarks allow users to mark favorite sites – personalizing the users experience
These are addresses or URLs that get the user back to a favorite site.
URLs - Abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator, the global address of documents
and other resources on the World Wide Web.
The first part of the address indicates what protocol to use, and the second part
specifies the IP address or the domain name where the resource is located.
For example, the two URLs below point to two different files at the domain
pcwebopedia.com.
The first specifies an executable file that should be fetched using the FTP protocol; the
second specifies a Web page that should be fetched using the HTTP protocol:
ftp://www.pcwebopedia.com/stuff.exe
http://www.pcwebopedia.com/index.html
Web terms:
URL, Protocol, Http, Blog,
Cyberspace
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Protocol
An agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices.
The protocol determines the following:
the type of error checking to be used
how the sending device will indicate that it has finished sending a message
how the receiving device will indicate that it has received a message
http is hypertext transfer protocol
Cyberspace - The electronic medium of computer networks, in which online
communication takes place.
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
Critical perspective
Perhaps the WWW not a primary
source of information – but certainly
an important supplement to TV and
integral to social contact for many.
What are the implications? What are
the opportunities?
Future directions:
Now: newspapers on the web – the
end of printed newspapers?
Widespread use of VR (virtual reality)
– 3D formats simulating the real
world or imagined with the participant
controlling movement through the
space… conferences in person may
be replaced entirely…
degrees/courses on the web instead?
Wireless networks have made
access even more flexible!
Online course page
The
More You
Know,
The
More You
See Web
Chapter
16:
The
World
Wide
Seeing is a complex process that involves the mind as well as the eyes of the viewer.
The way the body seeks and processes information is via the senses. Visual information is
one of the primary sources we depend on.
Visual communication is a two –way process – the sender and the receiver .
Strong messages combine aesthetical elements with content that matters.
Emotional and intellectual attributes are culturally bound, making it a challenge to create
successful messages.
Pictures are
learned
words
– then
sounds associated with what
Chapter
16:
Thebefore
World
Wide
Web
we experience become represented by abstract words.
Reading words is often more valued than reading pictures (visual literacy)
as we progress through school. Art as a subject is made into a specialty –
an extra for most.
Yet our society uses images in many ways that we need to understand.
Many forms of communication are increasingly dependent on effective
visuals – mediated images.
There are critics who feel that this evolution has issues…
Philosopher Hanno Hardt warns that TV is replacing words in print as the
important factor in social communication. Reading is losing to watching
because viewing requires less mental processing.
Critics
blame16:
everything
from theWide
rise inWeb
the crime rate to the deterioration of
Chapter
The World
educational institutions on the concurrent rise in the number of mediated images that
we see daily.
Perhaps rebellious youths are attracted to visual symbols because words are
associated with old ways of communicating and old ways of establishing social order.
Pictures are fascinating, easily understood within a culture and can be used for
propaganda purposes. All political leaders understand that to control a country, they
must also control the pictures.
Educational
Chapter
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psychologist
World Wide
Jerome
WebBruner of NY
University cites studies showing that people remember
only 10 percent of what they hear and 30 % of what
they read, but about 80 % of what they see and do.
Educators worry about why so many young people can’t or
won’t read – will the convergence in the new multimedia change
this?
Write a short response.
What
did you
do The
when World
you first Wide
heard ofWeb
9/11?
Chapter
16:
What medium did you seek to learn more about this tragedy?
If there were a disaster, to what medium would you go to know more about what
to do? Why?
What are some images that are part of our collective memory?
Chapter 16: The World Wide Web
As visual
communicators we
need to remember:
the most powerful,
meaningful and
culturally important
messages are those
that combine words
and pictures equally
and respectfully.
Adbusters is a global network of artists, activists, writers,
pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want
to advance the new social activist movement of the
information age.
Their aim is to topple existing power structures and forge a
major shift in the way we will live in the 21st century.
Above are some samples of their mock ads.