Group items tagged

Another article found in my search for information about the "global digital divide." According to the article, last week, the United Nations released a report that "argued that disconnecting individuals from the Internet is a violation of human rights and goes against international law" and that all States should seek to ensure there is "as little restriction to online content as possible." The Atlantic points out, following Wired's Threat Level blog, that the UN report came "the same day that a monitoring firm found two-thirds of Syria's Internet access has been shut down without notice." While access isn't the only factor in the digital divide on a global or a national scale (disparities in information or new media literacy is also a huge factor, for example), I agree that the availability of unfettered access as a matter of government policy is the bare minimum.

It confuses me that it can be considered a basic human right if, for a portion of the population, it's hard to access and at times, can be unreachable. Even though I know it's more what Tom said about it being a negative right, the phrasing just doesn't sit right. Either way, this is a great thing and I'm surprised it didn;t happen sooner.

I had come across this article as well in our group project research, Maggie, and I think that the UN is taking steps to bring the conversation on the right to freedom of opinion and expression into the digital age, as Tom mentions. Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, in place since 1948, states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." So in the context of the recent shutdown of ISPs by Syria, more generally the use of the Internet as a means of civic and political dissidence, and even the debate around net neutrality in this country, I agree with Maggie that the UN's approach seems to clarify and reiterate unfettered access to information.

One aspect of the digital divide that we didn't delve into much in this week's discussion is that of net neutrality - tiers, based on increased cost, that enable access to to "premium" content and faster broadband speeds. This articles provides some great links to other sources on the issue of the digital divide, net neutrality and what some see as a right to the Internet.

The Time Magazine Techland blog reports on theories behind why France banned mentions of Facebook and Twitter on French TV (unless the companies are being reported on specifically). Following French blogger Benoit Raphael (whose French-language blog is linked to in the article), they argue that "both social networks are so ubiquitious as to essentially count as public space."

This seems to parallel (perhaps even extend?) Sarkozy's recent support for building up intellectual property rights and digital rights management on the Internet. Interesting to see what sort of opposition might grow from your example (if any) in light of petitions and other fallout from many civic organizations in his calls for action at the e-G8 summit a couple weeks back: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/defending_innovation_and_net_neutrality_at_eg8_video.php?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4ddffe33e2a44342%2C0

Privacy & Licensing issues with google+, fwiw, compare the posted Google+ terms of service with facebooks terms;  "For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos ("IP content"), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook ("IP License"). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it."

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND WORKERS' PRIVACY: ENFORCEMENT Hans-Joachim Reinhardt The use of information technology at work has emphasized a tension between two distinct principles that appear at first sight to be opposed to one other: On the one hand, there is the principle of the inviolability of the employees' private lives and private communications and, on the other, the principle of the employers' rights to enjoy their private property and their managerial powers of command.

In one of the videos we watched last week, Wesch mentioned how students can look at the discussion page for any article on Wikipedia to get a sense of how information is being interactively constructed and contested. This article discusses the issue of self-governance in online communities with a focus on how Wikipedia is edited and the community politics behind it. I think this article makes a really useful contribution to a discussion about authority and knowledge production on the Internet. There is also a related article about the relationship between Wikipedia contributions and identity construction here.

I read (part of) an ethnography of Wikipedia last semester that was really interesting. http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/gfc/ Good Faith Collaboration by Joseph Reagle "Wikipedia's style of collaborative production has been lauded, lambasted, and satirized. Despite unease over its implications for the character (and quality) of knowledge, Wikipedia has brought us closer than ever to a realization of the century-old pursuit of a universal encyclopedia. Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia is a rich ethnographic portrayal of Wikipedia's historical roots, collaborative culture, and much debated legacy. "

Without accusing certain authors in the field of elitism, I think that Wikipedia works as it should, by serving the needs of people in the way they want it. If someone needs to look up the habits of Pokemon or William Shatner's favorite food, who are we to question their information needs?

Why Google should be afraid of Facebook -- what I really got out of this article was that Google guesses what people like / want / need based on what they search -- Facebook knows because the user enters it, from people posting on each other's pages to what "like" buttons they click (making interests pages instead of just search terms was a huge change since now companies that own a product people like can now interact with their users on a way more personal basis.)

I'm not sure about this either, Amanda, Isn't the internet big enough for both types of companies (and many more).

The internet is big enough for all sorts of companies, but in a competition to figure out your customer base as quickly and as detailed as possible, Facebook definitely has an edge that Google is lacking right now. Well, outside of scanning your Gmail for keywords to apply to the ads they show you...haha

This is an interesting article which highlights how large companies failed in the social media world. Because Web 2.0 is a fairly new concept, there are new "rules" for businesses to follow, or they may face damaging results.

I think part of it is that the mistakes are made more glaring because they spread so quickly. That Motrin campaign might not have caused such as backlash if it appeared in women's magazines - even though it might have angered the moms, the response isn't as instantaneous and it doesn't build momentum in quite the same way. This was an excellent collection of articles, in my opinion, from the Economist last year. Most of the pieces came down on the side of social media as an opportunity, but it did talk a little about the loss of control, and worry about unforseen instances like the Domino employees. http://www.economist.com/node/15351002

I can't believe we're fourth on the list of facebook "hours." I would have definitely thought Americans were first!

Another way to take the library away from the library. I'm interested to learn more about that "entire library experience" to launch soon.

I got to play with the Biblion app a couple of weeks ago at work; the developers, Potion (http://www.potiondesign.com/#/home) have created a whole slew of incredible educational exhibits/experiences. I think overall mobile apps are a really interesting direction for digital libraries - making them increasingly portable and interactive. I remember feeling a bit of excitement in my interaction with the materials from the Biblion app in which my own fingers, rather than an extension of them in the form of a mouse, turned pages, rotated objects, pressed buttons, etc. - a stark difference from interacting with digital libraries that contain similar types of artifacts. I'm interested to see how the web-version of the Biblion app compares - in physical presentation and affective impact.

Wow! I'm so glad that you posted this! This makes history so accessible and interesting, and I'm looking forward to installing it asap on my ipad right now! I wish I knew about it this past semester for my junior high American history class I taught; they would have loved this.

"A Netflix law just hit the books. As of July 1 in Tennessee, Netflix password sharing can net you a misdemeanor conviction punishable by a $2,500 fine and/or a year behind bars." Do we just LOL at this? One end of an interesting spectrum of DRM approaches...

I'm interested in the idea of digital privacy (or lack thereof). It seems nobody is particularly worried about their privacy online, and I'd like to learn a little more about this

Um, I can't think of a more bone-chilling phrase than "cyberwar."

Steig Larsson made hacking look pretty cool. But it's interesting to think about how much is possible in the hacking world that we tend to forget about since our everyday use of technology has been so woven into our routines. Just saw this article and I found interesting to see the many sides of hacking: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/06/hackers-how-and-why-they-hack I always make fun of my dad for being a computer hypochondriac -- he always thinks that someone is hacking into his computer, so he has a million anti-virus and security programs (a combination which I think is actually destroying his computer). But it is a valid concern, though I think you have to just find a balance for your privacy since in extreme cases, your privacy can be a bit restricting.

I actually just finished a meeting with a first year teacher in Philadelphia who also found Facebook to be an important tool in her professional development. It worked as an outlet to share ideas and push one-anothers thinking

I agree that social media can be a very powerful force for teachers as a teaching tool that crossing all types of boundaries. It really all depends on how teachers use these resources. I'm particularly interested in policies that school districts come up with in terms of regulating how teachers use facebook versus their right to free speech.

Two examples of using social media in the classroom. It basically comes down to this quote at the end of the article - "The bottom line is this: Anyone can be involved in solving the problems of our era. With 21st century tools, a small group of students can stand up to the devastation of nature, and a small group of teachers can be strengthened by the shared opinions of a larger group and take a stand against the devastation of certain policies that may control our practice."

(Okay, I have been trying to post this for about an hour now! I keep getting an error message!) Well, this video talks of social media burnout...and at this very moment, I have it! I am over and done with it...Unless this posts...then I will give it another chance.

It posted! Was surprised to see interviewer say women were disengaging from Facebook; they sort of put that out there and then glossed right over it.

Very recent Q&A with Sherry Turkle on "Alone Together" about our plugged in lives making people more lonely and distant. Interesting passage about teenage culture midway through

This really highlights one of the bad ways that technology impacts us; texting and checking Facebook are gaining precedence over socializing with people in the same room. It's depressing to think of how widespread it is.

I loved this article! I see customers at my work (a restaurant in a hotel) checking their phones all the time. One of my coworkers told me a few weeks ago that he was working when a big game was on tv. He was bartending and his bar was packed. Instead of having their eyes on the screen during the crucial moments of the game, many of his customers were sitting right in front of those tvs and ignoring them while their eyes and fingers stayed glued to their tiny phone screens, playing Angry Birds for all he knew. It was just odd, but sadly this way of life has been becoming more of the rule.

The article is kind of long, but it talks about some interesting issues that might arise for companies thinking about moving to cloud storage. The price is right, but the risk is high. Introduces possible solution of a hybrid cloud, where sensitive data is still stored internally.

I attended a virtual presentation a few days ago through SJSU on Cloud Computing. The speaker, who works as State Archivist for Oregon, was speaking of the cost savings for using a cloud for storage of government records. It was interesting to hear her points on the benefits she found in using the cloud...The session will be archived and posted for later view soon if anyone is interested. Her presentation will be available to the public at: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/colloquia/2011/colloquia11su.htm I liked the related article linked at the bottom of the site you posted about the Dallas-based iCloud company suing the new Apple iCloud for using their name. You would've thought Apple would've done some research there...

"The state librarian of Kansas, with the backing of state attorney general's office, is planning to terminate the Kansas Digital Library Consortium's contract with ebook vendor OverDrive and is asserting the bold argument that the consortium has purchased, not licensed, its ebook content from OverDrive and, therefore, has the right to transfer the content to a new service provider."

Wow...maybe I spoke too soon when I said speech-to-text programs would never dominate the web. Bromley might have been on the right track..

Pretty interesting! Especially the translation.

I came across this new Droid app that enables users to obscure the faces of individuals in photos or videos they've taken on their mobile devices. The app creators are involved more generally in developing technologies and technology policies for human rights defenders, especially ones that document abuses, protests and other demonstrations and share the videos/pictures through various media channels and see a need to hide identities from repressive governments. I think it ties our discussion last week of Evgeny Morozov's research into the Internet and government oppression into the issue of privacy.