Monday, 11 November 2013
Monday, 4 November 2013
Week 4 Blog
WEEK 4
UBIQUITY TECHNOLOGY
Ubiquitous technology is explained as the use of modern software
and applications in our everyday lives. This is paramount in our day to day activities
as computers and its applications have become a common tool whether in
business, politics or other sectors.
Specific Experts: Adam Greenfield
Key Concepts: Some critical concepts discussed in the class include the
concept of Surveillance, Privacy and Security. In addition to these there are Everyware
propounded by Adam Greenfield, the notion of Panopticon and Synopticon, Cryptography,
Equiveillance and Suosveillance, Guantanamo and the Taxonomy of Surveillance
respectively
Terry Flew, New Media:
An Introduction, p.35 opened our minds
to the fact that Ubiquity Technology is the revolution of scientific advancement
of quick-witted software that are of high demand to boost productivity in homes,
banks, government parastatals, civilized zones, car parks, shopping malls, etc.
One scholar noted that merchants are rather paying much attention to observe
consumers’ behavior using Ubiquity Applications instead of taking practical
measures to meet customer demands.
This unit’s slides also throw more light on the very fact
that Data Mining is used by business tycoons to research ways of satisfying
their customers. With this, individuals are trapped to obey the law reciprocal responsibility
in which case they get satisfaction from products while losing most of their
personal information online unconsciously via shopping cards and the likes.
Issues of Privacy: Bolter and Grusin (1999): 217
argued that Ubiquity Computing makes individuals relate, buy, travel and get
information effortlessly and this will gradually become normal part of peoples’
daily lives hence, users share information that are classified as confidential
with third parties due to frequent use of modern facilities (Smith et al, 1996). Stewart Segars (2002) at this point
also highlighted the online harassments, Identity theft, email spamming,
religious mockery etc.
Surveillance: In as much as surveillance is seen as
a practice to avert unwanted lifestyle of people, David Lyon (2004), P. 149, he
also did not forget to lay emphasis on how emerging of interrelated digital
applications from ‘cookies’ by web portals is being used to spot entry sites
like the Close Circuit Television (CCTV), adding that people are employed
nowadays just to keep an eye on peoples’ behaviors and locations with the aid of
monitoring cameras, against rights to private life. The Law and Technology are major tools for
privacy denial. Technology makes everyone guilty even though no one is seen as
perfect. (Kofta’s – The Trial).
Issues arising: Individuals are denied right to
private life and Users information are processed without their consent. Another
worst point to note is the use of scanner to detect customer’s location, online
hackers hence people do not have control over their information compare to what
was obtainable before.
Critical Thinkers
However, Ubiquity Technology on the other hand enables to
convey information on billboards, shop signs and graffiti and street signs at a
glance without active attention. It does also help to monitor how house helps
treat children when parents are away and children television contents to
encourage morals in the society
Adams Greenfield was one of the critical thinkers of
ubiquitous technology. In 2006, he wrote the book: Everyware: The Dawning Age
of Ubiquitous Computing. He received acclaim for his submissions in that book.
In the book, he explains how information processing dissolving in behavior is
shaping our lives. The book goes further in discussing the next generation of
computing, its challenges for us.
Other thinkers include Cardinal Richedien, Michel Foucault
and Frank Kafka. Michel Foucault was a French Philosopher and his theories
addressed the relationship between power and knowledge and how it is used as a
form of societal control through institutions set up by the society.
Books
Books on Ubiquitous
technology includes: Surveillance society by David Lyon (2001), The Transparent
society by David Brin (1998), Everyware by Adam Greenfield (2006), Profiling
Machine by Grec Elmer (2003).
Journal Articles
Journal articles on Ubiquitous
technology include:
Lyytinen, K. & Yoo, Y. (2002). Issues and Challenges in Ubiquitous
Computing, Communications of the ACM,
45 (12), pp 62-65.
Waller,V., & Johnston,R.B. (2009). Making Ubiquitous
Computing Available, Communications of
the ACM, 52(10), pp 127-130.
Possible Multimedia
Gattaca (DVD). Other multimedia includes: Blogs, Tweet,
Facebook. They are great tools for self realization, enhancement and
development. This is made possible by interacting with contacts and vice versa there,
comes the transfer of Knowledge. One also has the opportunity to meet experts
in ones field. It is a very good platform for advert placement, access
firsthand information via smart phones and networking as well. Google Googles,
WiFi, DVDs machine, Home Theatre, catch machine, Tech Kinect, Infrared camera,
Traffic monitors, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), QR Codes (2D) two dimensional
are also some of the media mentioned.
REFERENCES
Bolter, J.D., &
Grusin, R. (1999). Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Stewart, Kathy
A., and Albert H. Segars (2002), "An Empirical Examination of the Concern
for Information Privacy Instrument",
Information Systems Research, (13) pp 36-49.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Introduction to Media and Cyberculture
Week 1: Introduction
to Media and Cyberculture.
Key Concepts
Concept of the Medium: A medium is an
instrument used to reach an audience. An example of a good use of a medium is
the painting by Caravaggio. The depiction by Caravaggio of the beheading of St.
John the Baptist done perfectly on a canvas with paint and oil was used as a
tool for disseminating the event that happened during King Herod’s rue in Judea
(Slide 15).
The Printing Press as
an Agent for change: In 1979 Elizabeth Eisenstein acknowledged the dynamics associated
with the advent of the printing press. She noted that the printing press
encouraged a transition in the world of communication that brings about
societal revolution. So printing press enable individuals to gain information
from printing materials and this spread in information gave birth to religious
reformations.
Critical Thinkers
Jurgen Habermas: German Philosopher and sociologist known for
questioning the legitimacy of the government. He also showed the distinction
between the state and the society as a whole. He highlighted the effects that
the rise of the bourgeoisie had on society. Notably amongst them was his
opinion that the rise of the bourgeoisie over the proletariat compelled
authority to legitimate itself before the public. This saw the formation of
government bodies and agencies with aims and purpose.
Raymond Williams: Raymond was concerned with how the society
operates. He expounded on the general development of society spiritually,
intellectually and aesthetic. Raymond studies
the way the norms, culture and conventions binds together a particular group of
individuals in the society.
Contemporary Issues
In a word where technology has increased drastically, the
concepts of medium still exist however. The only change is the medium used contemporarily;
the radio and television coupled with social media have become the new and most
powerful mediums used today. The theory
of fourth estate has also been reinvigorated recently.
Possible Literature
Search Avenues
The Online Library Catalogue would be a good avenue for more
information on the theories above.
Books
The Republic of Plato by Allan Bloom.
The Printing Press as an Agent for change by Elizabeth
Eisenstein.
Journal Articles
Medium as a basic concept of sociology: Contributions from
systems theory by Tosini, D. (2006).
No medium just a shell: how works of art configure their medium
by Halsall, F. (2007).
Possible Multimedia
Films, Radio and Television.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)