Week 2 - Tutorial Task

Task 1

In Recent News

When 77 million people have their information hacked, it becomes a serious threat to security internet-wide. Not only for those using the online Playstation network but people who've entered their details on other major sites, as it not only shows how easy it is to override a billion dollar industry's security measures but how unorganised they are in resolving it.

If you are thinking of signing up with your information to a website that you would otherwise trust, first think about the implications that may come with having your credit card details accessible online.

 

I chose this video because I believe it is interesting to see just how big of a part the new communication technologies are in our everyday lives, even something as simple as a game console online community. The hacking attempt affected millions and was publicised worldwide, leaving people wondering what else is possible when we are so largely connected.

An Application To Take You Anywhere

One of my favourite tools for scouring the web would have to be Stumbleupon. It's a tool that you download as an add-on to your internet browser, my preferred browser being Firefox, and after a quick set up you can begin by clicking the word Stumble. This add-on will then take you to websites which it believes you may be interested in according to which interests you have selected, selections such as animals, technology, music ect.

The sign up and download can completed at http://www.stumbleupon.com/ but be aware that unless you specifically change your settings to avoid Not Safe For Work or NSFW content you might stumble upon something you don't want too, such as nudity. The New York Times describes Stumbleupon with,

"As you 'stumble' from site to site you will feel as if you are channel surfing the Internet, or rather, a corner of the Internet most relevant to you." 

Task 2

How long have you been using these communication technologies?

I've always been interested in technology, as long as I can remember, and especially the communication technology aspect. 

When I was 13 I was given my first mobile phone, a Siemens A55, which seemed so advanced with it's capability to show small moving animations. I was also beginning my life online, signing up with Myspace, Neopets and Msn Messenger. This led me to begin searching the internet far and wide, not only strengthening my love of technology but teaching me things I would've never otherwise learned such as coding and photoshopping.

What influenced you to start using these particular technologies?  How did you find out about them?

I was first encouraged to start using these technologies by my social circle, it was considered cool to have the latest mobile phone and most people only communicated via Msn Messenger or mobile phone. Without learning about and signing up with these I would have been left behind, as my age group were the first real generation to begin relying on communication technologies for almost all social interactions.

Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies?  What do you think of companies like Facebook and Google who collect information about their users?   (How do you deal with issues around privacy?)

I've never been particularly concerned with privacy, as I always limit the information I allow online and don't mind market research using my information they can access for their own purposes. I'm a young university student and don't have much to hide from the world so being really private wouldn't affect my life one way or another.

Do you have friends whom you know only from the internet and have never met in person?   Is this different to people that you know in person?  Describe the difference.

When I was in High School I tended to prefer online interactions compared to real life, for many different reasons but mainly because I could be myself online and speak how I wished. As such, I met many different people over the years online who I never met in real life and most likely never will. I found that the difference in these friendships compared to real life was that these people could disappear forever and I would never really notice, I might wonder to myself what's happened but it isn't the same as losing someone who you have seen with your own eyes, heard their voice or even smelt their perfume. These real life sense reactions to another person is what solidifies their connections to us and makes us remember them as a person and not just pixels on a computer screen.