Internet

Contesting Internet Governance: Global Dissent and Disparities in the Management of Cyberspace Resources

by David Drissel

Uyghur diaspora and the Internet

by Dilnur Reyhan

E-Diasporas Atlas Project

While some do not hesitate to call the dispersed Uyghur community a diaspora, other researchers are still skeptical as... more While some do not hesitate to call the dispersed Uyghur community a diaspora, other researchers are still skeptical as to the relevance of this denomination. Since the 90s, Uyghurs have not only managed to create interconnected international organizations in countries where they are installed, but have also re-connected with their country of origin thanks especially to the Internet. The Uyghur diaspora is still under construction, and the Web is an integral part of this process. Their Web diaspora contains more Web sites than blogs, while the case is reversed in the Uyghur region. The content of Web sites in the Uyghur region and in the diaspora is very diverse, but a clear difference emerges: those in the diaspora are highly political, while sites in the region are more self-censuring than ever before. Religious sites have their place in the diaspora while they are poorly tolerated in China. Countries where there is a strong Uyghur population do not necessarily offer the most developed digital spaces, but more depends on migrants’ socio-professional category. As a young population sensitive to ICT, Uyghurs are putting together a classical diaspora as well as a digital diaspora.

Taking the Copyfight Online: Comparing the Copyright Debate in Congressional Hearings, in Newspapers, and on the Web

by Bill Herman

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Volume 17, Issue 3, pages 354–368, April 2012

This article examines the rhetoric around copyright and the regulation of digital rights management (DRM) from 2003 to... more This article examines the rhetoric around copyright and the regulation of digital rights management (DRM) from 2003 to 2006 in congressional hearings, in major newspapers, and on the most prominent relevant websites. The article describes a new combination of methods for identifying a set of online documents to compare with offline documents via content analysis. These three media present very different views of the copyright debate. Hearings present a rough balance of both coalitions' messages. Newspapers lean slightly toward stronger fair use but have little coverage. The online debate features a deluge of strong fair use arguments. These findings highlight different communication strategies and suggest broader lessons about the changing nature of policy advocacy and the policymaking process.

SE NOMMER POUR EXISTER - L'exemple du pseudonyme sur Internet

by Marcienne Martin

Préface d'Alain Coïaniz
Collection Nomino ergo sum co-dirigée par Alain Coïaniz et Marcienne Martin
Avril 2012 • 220 pages

Dans l'Odyssée, Ulysse choisit l'anthroponyme "Personne" afin d'échapper au Cyclope. En avance sur son... more Dans l'Odyssée, Ulysse choisit l'anthroponyme "Personne" afin d'échapper au Cyclope. En avance sur son temps, Ulysse aurait navigué sur la toile sous le pseudonyme "Personne". Se nommer est aussi un acte qui permet au sujet social de s'inscrire dans la société civile et d'être ainsi reconnu par l'autre. Qu'en est-il de la nomination en général ? Et du pseudonyme sur Internet en particulier ?

Internet use in Brazil: speeding up or lagging behind?

by Suely Fragoso

with Gilda Olinto

The evolution of internet access and use in Brazil in the direction of social inclusiveness and to guarantee uses that... more The evolution of internet access and use in Brazil in the direction of social inclusiveness and to guarantee uses that promote individual and community development is the focus of the present paper. Previous evidence on the subject initially presented indicates the prevalence of contrasting aspects: some outstanding positive initiatives and results towards democratization of the internet, as well as the maintenance of great digital inequalities. New evidence on the evolution of internet access and use is also discussed herein, based on analyses of longitudinal data obtained from the Brazilian Census Bureau’s Annual Survey (IBGE/PNAD, 2005, 2008). After describing aspects of increase in access to the internet, we focus on the evolution of different types of everyday life internet uses, particularly those that might contribute to individual and community development. How accesses and uses are gradually incorporating the less privileged sectors of the Brazilian adult population is also considered in the analyses. The results obtained reinforce the previous contrasting evidences: outstanding growth in access and in diversified uses are observed - suggesting intensive appropriation of internet technology and resources by the population - as well as the persistence of great inequalities. These circumstances indicate that the digital divide in Brazil is still a great challenge to be faced through comprehensive and long-term policies and initiatives.

Negotiating Identity in Online Contexts: A Look at the deviantART Community

by Lesleyanne Drake

Undergraduate thesis, University of Florida, 2012

Increasingly in today’s society, online communities are sites of social and cultural interchange where identity is... more Increasingly in today’s society, online communities are sites of social and cultural interchange where identity is shaped and negotiated.  My research examines a website for artists and art lovers in order to determine how participation in this online community affects its users’ identity.  Due to the highly personal nature of creating and viewing artwork, I predicted that art would be the primary form of identity expression on the website.  I conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with members of the website, focusing on five themes related to identity.  My findings confirmed my hypothesis and revealed that users engage in a process of identity refocusing which enables them to maximize selected aspects of identity while minimizing others.  This insight provides a more nuanced view of social interaction in online communities and contributes to a broader understanding of how identity is performed and constructed in cyberspace.

The effects of Facebook use on civic participation attitudes and behaviour: A social network study (DPhil research proposal)

by Mark Dix

Unpublished DPhil research proposal

This research proposal suggests a network analysis approach to study the effects of web communication on civic... more This research proposal suggests a network analysis approach to study the effects of web communication on civic participation.

A three-phase mixed methods research design is proposed to examine the effect of supplementary communication via the social networking site Facebook, on the structure (quantity) and content (quality) of social ties within a network of citizens engaged in health and social care policymaking.

Subsequently, it is proposed that the network variables of tie structure and content are tested in an affective capacity against the participatory attitudes and behaviour of networked individuals.

By reframing the study of web use and civic participation under a network theoretical framework, when executed, the proposed study will add to the existing literature in the field through recognition of the mediative capacity of relational ties in the formation of participatory capital.

It is suggested that it is through their effect on relational tie structure and content within citizen participation networks, that social networking sites such as Facebook affect participatory attitudes and behaviour.

To set a critical context for the proposed study, a final qualitative phase of research is suggested to examine the professional power structures impacting upon participatory agency.

Internet Research Skills, 3rd Edition

by Niall O Dochartaigh

Ó Dochartaigh, Niall (2012) Internet Research Skills, 3rd Edition. London; Los Angeles; New Delhi: Sage. (In press)

Internet Research Skills is a clear, concise guide to effective online research for social science and humanities... more Internet Research Skills is a clear, concise guide to effective online research for social science and humanities students. The first half of the book deals with publications online, devoting separate chapters to academic articles, books, official publications and news sources, which form the core secondary sources for social science research. The second half of the book deals with the open web, a vast and confusing realm of materials, many of which have no direct print counterpart. The new edition has been updated throughout so that it includes coverage of cutting edge online services as well as newly developed approaches to using online materials. Each chapter contains a number of illustrations, examples and short exercises to help you put what you learn into practice.

The new edition has been fully updated and now contains:

- a new chapter on organising your research and on Internet research methodologies

- additional material on the use of social networks for research

- a new introduction

This concise and accessible introduction to Internet research skills will be a perfect guide for undergraduate students carrying out research projects and for postgraduate students working on theses and dissertations

REKABETİ VE TÜKETİCİ DAVRANIŞLARINI ŞEKİLLENDİREN YENİ TREND: SOSYAL MEDYA

by Oytun Meçik

Co-authored with A. Burak Nalbantçılar (Accepted as a paper to 11. Ulusal İşletmecilik Kongresi)

Bilişim teknolojileri, yaşanmakta olan dijital çağın vazgeçilmez bir parçasıdır. Bu çağda insanlar, bilişim... more Bilişim teknolojileri, yaşanmakta olan dijital çağın vazgeçilmez bir parçasıdır. Bu çağda insanlar, bilişim teknolojilerinin birer ürünü olan; tablet bilgisayarlar, kişisel bilgisayarlar, akıllı telefonlar gibi teknoloji aygıtlarını hayatlarının parçası haline getirmişlerdir ve son dönemde hayatın her alanında etkileri şiddetle hissedilen sosyal medya araçlarına kullandıkları bu ürünlerle sürekli bağlı kalabilmektedirler. Böylece insanlar neredeyse yaşamlarının her dakikasında internete bağlanarak, ihtiyaç duydukları bilgileri birçok farklı kanaldan elde edebilmektedir. Bunun sonucunda, günümüzde bilinçli ve etkileşimli bir tüketim toplumu ortaya çıkmıştır.

İnternet ve ürünü olan sosyal medya araçlarının, tüketici tercihlerinin oluşumunda rol oynaması, rekabet ortamının daha da şiddetlenmesine yol açmıştır ve işletmeleri de sosyal medya araçlarını kullanma mecburiyetinde bırakmıştır. Bu bağlamda, işletmeler sosyal medya aracılığı ile ürün/hizmetlerine ilişkin bilgileri ve kampanyaları, kısacası piyasa hamlelerini tüketicilere anlık olarak iletmektedir.

Bu çalışma ile rekabet arenasının kurallarını yeniden şekillendiren sosyal medyanın tüketici davranışlarına olan etkisi incelenmektedir. Çalışmada sosyal medya araçları incelenmekte ve bu bağlamda işletme ve tüketici ilişkisi değerlendirilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Sosyal Medya, İnternet, Tüketici Davranışları, Rekabet.

THE NEW TREND OF SHAPING COMPETITION AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOURS: SOCIAL MEDIA

Information technologies are indispensable part of the existent digital age. In this age, people internalize to tablets, personal computers, smart phones which are the products of the existent digital age to part of their life. People can connect the social media tools that affect the full of life with their tablets, computers and smart phones. Consequently people can connect the internet almost every minutes of their life and they can reach every information that they want to derive with this way. Whereupon, conscious and interactive consumer society have occurred at the present day.

Internet and social media tools are playing a role to formation of preferences of consumers. Also this tools and internet have brought about acute competition atmosphere. Consequently enterprises are obligated the use internet and social media tools in their activities. In this context enterprises conduct to campaigns and information about product/services, briefly the market moves, to their customers momentary via social media.

The social medias’ which reshape rules of competition arena affects of being consumer behaviours are intended with this study. In this study social media tools are investigated and in this context relationship between enterprise and consumer are assessed.

Key Words: Social Media, Internet, Consumer Behaviours, Competition.

Participation – In what? Radio, convergence and the corporate logic of audience input through new media in Zambia

by Wendy Willems

Forthcoming in: Telematics and Informatics, 2012.

Recent literature has pointed to the way in which new media such as the internet and mobile phones have the capacity... more Recent literature has pointed to the way in which new media such as the internet and mobile phones have the capacity to enable more participatory and interactive communication, either through user-generated content or through a broader participation of audiences in mainstream media’s content production. This potential is celebrated even more in contexts in which there is deemed to be a lack of political accountability or limited consultation of citizens by government. This article investigates the extent to which new technologies have changed the quality of audience participation in radio content production in Zambia. Engaging with literature on participation in media studies as well as development studies and based on interviews with station managers, producers and presenters of six radio stations in Zambia, the article examines both the opportunities and limits of the use of internet and mobile phones in audience participation. It argues that there is a need to situate these practices within a broader corporate logic in which participation is not merely about adding more voices but also feeds into radio stations’ commercial strategies of increasing revenue and accessing personal data of listeners through SMS and social media.

Beyond access: The digital divide and Internet uses and gratifications

by Hernando Rojas

Perverting Activism: Cyberactivism and Its Potential Failures in Enhancing Democratic Institutions

by Tommaso Bertolotti

Final proof version, co-authored with Emanuele Bardone and Lorenzo Magnani, published in "International Journal of Technoethics" vol. 2(2) (pp. 14– 29)

In this paper we will analyze the impact of new technologies on a range of practices related to activism. In the first... more In this paper we will analyze the impact of new technologies on a range of practices related to activism. In the first section we show how the functioning of democratic institutions can be impaired by scarce political accountability connected with the emergence of moral hazard; in the second section we display how cyberactivism can improve the transparency of political dynamics; in the last section we will turn specifically to cyberactivism and isolate its flaws and some of the most pernicious and self-defeating effects.

The Gospel According To Google: The Future of Religious Niches and Technological Spirituality

by Tommaso Bertolotti

Co-authored with Carolina Cinerari, presented at the EPHES-SST conference in Suceava, March 2012, to appear in the European Journal of Science and Theology

This paper deals with the developments of online religiosity and its possible perversion. The first section examines... more This paper deals with the developments of online religiosity and its possible perversion. The first section examines whether the impact of Internet on traditional religions is fundamentally helpful in adding anything new to the world of spirituality and devotion. The second section deals with some instances of religious and spiritual behaviors that are being produced by digitalized lifestyle, even though they are not concerned with traditional religious beliefs. The question underlying this research is whether we are looking “the right way” when we mean to study the link between computers, Internet and religiosity.

The Rhetoric of the Web: The Rhetoric of the Streets Revisited Again

by Brett Lunceford

Lunceford, Brett. “The Rhetoric of the Web: The Rhetoric of the Streets Revisited Again.” Communication Law Review, 12, no. 1 (2012): 40-55.

Protest rhetoric has always provided a prime example of how communication can work to change the human condition, but... more Protest rhetoric has always provided a prime example of how communication can work to change the human condition, but strategies of protest have evolved as the United States has transformed into an information economy. Although protest remains “on the streets,” it has also moved into the digital realm. This essay builds on the work of Franklyn Haiman by considering the ethical and rhetorical dimensions of hacktivism (politically motivated computer hacking). After briefly tracing the historical development of hacktivism, I discuss several recent politically motivated website defacements and denial of service attacks, concluding that Haiman’s argument that the rhetoric of the streets should be held to different rhetorical and ethical standards still holds true in the online world.

The Use of the Internet and Social Media in U.S. Presidential Campaigns: 1992-2012

by Katy Leuschner

Since the 1992 U.S. presidential election process, candidates have gradually recognized the power of the Internet, and... more Since the 1992 U.S. presidential election process, candidates have gradually recognized the power of the Internet, and later social media, to further political ambitions of fundraising, engaging and interacting with the public, organizing and mobilizing supporters, gathering voter data, reaching the youth vote, and disseminating information. I provide a historical overview of new media use, in particular the Internet and social media, in U.S. presidential campaigns from 1992 to 2008. Also, a critical analysis is conducted on the appropriateness of using the term “grassroots” to describe political campaigns and how this affects the public interest. Finally, I examine the current growth of new media use thus far in the 2012 presidential election.

Breves reflexões sobre o uso da Internet em pesquisas historiográficas

by Odilon Caldeira Neto

Article Published in: Revista Eletrônica Boletim do TEMPO, Ano 4, Nº20, Rio, 2009 [ISSN 1981-3384]

The present article searchs to make a reflection on the phenomenon of the Internet in face of the amplitude of the... more The present article searchs to make a reflection on the phenomenon of the Internet in face of the amplitude of the concept of source in the contemporany historiography. Search still to consider possible solutions for some impediments that can occur in the research that uses the Internet as source and instrument of research.

Barriers to Appropriate Technology Growth in Sustainable Development

by Joshua Pearce

I. Zelenika  and J.M. Pearce, “Barriers to Appropriate Technology Growth in Sustainable Development”, Journal of Sustainable Development 4(6), 12-22 (2011).

Given the urgency of development problems world-wide, as well as the opportunities of open source appropriate... more Given the urgency of development problems world-wide, as well as the opportunities of open source appropriate technology (OSAT) to help expedite sustainable development goals, a better understanding of the barriers limiting the scaling of OSAT is needed. In this study, key organizations and researchers working in the field of appropriate technology (AT) were interviewed to identify barriers to OSAT. The data was analyzed via pattern coding and content analysis. Results reveal that among the most pressing problems for those working in the field of AT were the need for better communication and collaboration between the agencies and communities to share the knowledge and resources, and to work in partnership. Specific barriers include: i) AT seen as inferior or “poor person's” technology, ii) technical transferability and robustness of AT, iii) insufficient funding, iv) weak institutional support, and v) the challenges of distance and time in tackling rural poverty. Finally, future work is outlined to better understand and overcome these barriers.

Internet economics: When constituencies collide in cyberspace

by Lee McKnight

Consideraciones acerca de la identidad en un contexto intercultural

by Diego Benegas Loyo

'We FBA Now': Community Building and the Furry Basketball Association

by Sean Ahern

This paper was first presented at the Ray Browne Conference on Popular Culture. This is a draft of a longer paper that I am working on for a compilation from the Ray Browne Conference on Popular Culture held at Bowling Green State University from March 30 to April 1.