Week 13

The internet of things, the technological utopia. Whatever you call it, it's on its way and no one can stop it. As more and more devices are being entered into cyberspace it is a matter of time before every last thing in your room, outside your room and everything in between will be entering some sore to data into the internet. Although, since this is still in the implementation stage all we can do is speculate how this will benefit us and what the consequences will be.

Lets begin with benefits and they are easy to see. As more things are linked to a network, information on that thing is easily accessible and can be monitored at any time. Even the most inanimate things can hold great deals of useful information. If everything was linked to one network, nothing would get lost, ever. If looking for keys a quick internet search could come back saying: Sock, Shirt and table have all seen keys and they are currently in that location. Instantly i would know that my keys are in my pile of clothes near my table, and just like that my need to think becomes redundant.

With that last point it neatly brings me in to consequences. The first one being that the need to assess any situation or any problem would become redundant. The constant stream of information would mean that we would be demoted to merely following orders than to make individual decisions. Instead of knowing i need new shoes by how they look and feel, i would wait for a message from the shoes to tell me to buy more, until that time they must be fine. Also their is no guarantee that this constant feed of information would go specifically to me. There would be nothing stopping Nike from impleneting this technology so that they would discover every Nike customer's walking habits and adapt their products to suit you i.e. they are watching everything you do. Lastly i cant end this last blog without voicing the potential of a 2001 a Space Odyssey scenario. For those who don't understand click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkyUMmNl4hk.  I fear the last words I would hear are "I'm sorry Chris, I'm afraid I can't do that"

Week 12

In the past we have had Coca Cola vs Pepsi, McDonalds vs Burger King, Woolworths vs Coles and many other duopolistic battles. The new craze for this modern age: smartphones aka Apple vs Google. Gone with the days of the dominance of Nokia over the mobile communications industry, now it is merely a whisper of what it used to be. The focus has now changed from hardware to software or more specifically operating software. This battle is unlike the previously mentioned battles they consisted of two very similar companies offering very similar products with subtle differences. This time Apple and Google are two very different companies with different strategies and philosophies offering two extremely different products.

Ted's lecture ended with the focus on freedom vs comfort. When put in these words it is easy to assume that people would choose to be free over being controlled given any situation. However, not every phone user can fully understand the capabilities and the functions that the phone possess nor can they keep up with constant updates. Using a personal experience as an example, my mother recently purchased a new LG phone with Android technology. She is not tech savy in the slightest and has hence given up using the phone. The reason being that since Android is apart of Google, the phone did not come with any clear instructions as to how to use it, in her eyes the more options make it more complicated. Of course she is not alone which is why many people have invested in Apple's Iphone. Since there is no option as to how to use it, instructions can be very clear and people can learn how to use it knowing there is no alternative.

In my opinion, Apple's days are numbered as they will be swallowed up by competitors. There are three reasons behind this statement. Firstly, Apple software is produced solely by Apple and controlled by Apple. Any apps are bought on the Apple App Store and music can be bought from Apple Itunes, i think you can see a trend here. With such a narrow focus customers are restricted to anything Apple. However Android is produced by Google and sold by Samsung, LG, HTC etc. This amount products in the market mean Android phones easily outnumber Apple phones and offer greater freedoms. Secondly, Apple's breakthrough was by its 'revolutionary' technology. This technology spent years in research and development in the Apple garage. With so many competitors using Android, every one of those competitors has a R&D department, put them together and Apple looks miniscule. Lastly, Apple is predominately a fashion statement. The same with any fashion statement after a while people lose interest and before you know it will be a piece of history.

Week 11

Twitter and Facebook have been proven to be more than just sites to talk to friends, to invite people to parties and to grow digital crops. These social media sites have proved to be quintessential communication mediums of the new decade. Volume of people using these systems and the speed at which they operate is unlike any other communication format ever seen before. Henceforth it wasn't long before people were able utilize these sites and use them to spread awareness for certain causes. As we have seen in the Arab Spring no less than 17 different countries holding protests against their current government, many of those admitted to using social media websites to drum up support hence creating a Twitter Revolution.

Of course giving all the credit to these sites would be wrong and foolish. These demonstrations were created by people with ideas and beliefs who spread their message and create a following. Without the instigators and their followers the revolutions would not have had as near an impact and would have failed to be successful. However at the same time, the use of Twitters #tag and Facebook's event creation meant that all demographic factors could be overcome. Anyone of any age, any race, any religion living anywhere was able to see this message and choose to support it, ignore it or help spread it.

The Arab spring would not have succeeded in places like Egypt and Libya without people power. The sheer number of people willing to stand up for what they believed in was the reason that these protests were successful. Social media sites contributed dramatically to this cause yet credit can not be given to this technology. Credit is given to every person who walked the streets calling for improvements to their nation.

Week 9

The picture that springs to mind when the word Hackers is mentioned would be a geeky mid 20s guy with nothing but bad intentions. However is this a inaccurate interpretation of a hacker. we have seen that in fact hackers can be used for good and even help fight crime (literally). With constant threats of viruses, Trojans, worms, malware and various other things that can potentially take over and destroy your computer, it is easy to forget that hackers can and actually do work to help us.

White flag hackers have been around just as long as black flag hackers and are just as effective. Many hackers have a full time career helping companies set up networks and systems that are fully protected and cannot be hacked. how do they do this? By actually hacking into the system to start with, which kind of makes sense when you think about it. However these skills can be used against systems albeit in a positive way. Take anonymous for example. Although this group is highly controversial and have been blamed for hacking into well known systems, it is a way of making a protest. Looking at the groups targets: Sony, Facebook and Amazon, each one of these companies were targeted due to the way in which they treated their users and the user's details. A normal protest would consist of hundreds or thousands of like minded people shouting and waving signs outside a store or down a street usually halting business for that organization. But these companies are completely virtual so using conventional methods would be useless. Henceforth using a new type of protest, hackers are able to halt business for a company in order to get their message across.

Of course i can not sit here and praise all hackers as it is well known that hackers can and are very dangerous. Hackers have been known to steal information for personal gain which can include anything from money to a persons details. As Ted stated in the lecture some of these hacker groups are in it mainly 'for the lulz'. It is these groups that are in my opinion the most dangerous. Without any agenda or real targets, these groups simply operate to cause anarchy. These groups are not looking for any for information to steal or use, instead they seek only to corrupt. Without the help of the white flag hackers the internet as we know it today could have been very different.
p.s. This blog was a little behind the times i know but better late then never.

Week 8

For centuries people have merely been 'consumers', only able to buy what is offered with little alternatives. Suggestions fell on deaf ears as consumers were seen as powerless. However with the introduction of citizen journalism, consumers have transformed into 'prosumers'. People are able to write their own opinions, free of charge and with an absolute guarantee it will be published on a page albeit in cyberspace. This expansion of free and extensive publications whether it is news, opinions, reviews or articles, has meant that the fate of traditional media is that it will soon become merely a tradition. As discussed in previous posts physical information will not die such as newspapers, CDs and other outlets, yet they are doomed to become the new vinyl attracting only a small niche market.

The catalyst of this surge in citizen journalism is that it is free from editors and hence the thoughts of the writer are published unaltered. There is no gatekeeper, nor is there any filtering. This has meant that prosumers have gained a sense of freedom that of which previous generations could not experience. It is no longer 'All the news fit to print', instead it is all the news plus everything else uncensored. A great example is the blog http://www.abeerfortheshower.com/. Written independently it is a genuine good read that would never have seen the light of day if sent to the New York Times.

This prosumer revolution has not only created an excess in information, it has become some people's source of income. It would be hard to write a blog about citizen journalism and not mention the website YouTube (i assume you've heard of it). YouTube is one of the most popular viewed sites everyday and is mostly filled with prosumer material. Probably the greatest prosumer on YouTube and is ironically the most subscribed person in the world, is Ray William Johnson. I say greatest because of the fact that he has become so popular by talking about other people's viral videos. Hence he is a prosumer of prosumer information (a double prosumer?). This new wave of free, uncensored information has meant that traditional controlled media is losing its effect on people and in the future we will see a vast decline in traditional media.

Week 7

The long tail is a very interesting concept which explains why so many businesses have survived the dot com crash of the late 90s and have excelled. With fixed costs at an all time low, virtual businesses are able to offer goods and services and unbeatable prices compared with shop fronts. Also the ability to cater to the infinite amount of niche markets has resulted in a dramatic increase of profits. However the way in which these businesses reach these niche markets is somewhat intrusive. A users movements online are tracked and recorded. These records are then used to 'suggest' to the user what they might enjoy. Although this is a clear breech of privacy, people are generally unaware that this is happening right in front of their eyes. The documentary Erasing David explains this issue and is clearly shown when the creator receives requested documents concerning what information certain businesses have about him. When comparing the amount the government knows to what private companies know is staggeringly one sided.

There is a reason that Facebook has become one of the hottest companies in the past decade. Of course it is a way of communicating with people from all corners of the globe, but what does Facebook actually own? What are its assets?  The reason why it is so valuable is because it is the largest free marketing database. The asset that they have is all your information and states in the terms and conditions that they can do what they like with this information. Henceforth advertisements are catered for your page, companies can find out exactly what makes you tick.

This however can be deemed as a good thing and a new and innovative way to target marketing. Personally i have discovered many a new bands and movies through what was 'recommended for me' and i am thankful that i was able to experience them. However it does raise the ethical issue of privacy and begs the question, who is really reading your Facebook profile?

Week 6

Everything you buy is multi-functional in this day and age and almost nothing is made for a specific purpose, nothing electrical anyway. Manufacturers have worked out that we like as many functions as possible no matter how insignificant and mundane they may be. New products being released are not simply a phone or only transmits TV signals, not at all. Now they can access the internet, download apps, record programs and even tell other electronically devices what to do without actually physically picking them up. Is this the dawn of innovation or the beginning of a new age of laziness?

The internet itself is constantly spreading to every inch of the globe through portable devices such as phones. This has left users with a constant stream of information and has given us endless applications. Users are now able to listen to music, read a newspaper, download a documentary and watch a cat play a piano all by looking at a 12cm x 6cm piece of plastic. Innovative, yes. Necessary, hardly. It now seems to be the lazy mans way of releasing a 'new and improved' product into the market place. Instead of really altering the product e.g. a phone, by means of making it faster or changing designs, instead they install every single piece of technology that is on every other phone on the market. At the present time finding a phone which can simply make calls is almost impossible, instead they all have to have WI-FI with 3G and be able play music while shooting birds at pigs. It seems as though these manufacturers have found this inspiration in the strangest places. In the words of Homer Simpson: "People are afraid of new things. You should have just taken an existing product and put a clock in it or something."


I personally have around 6 different electronic devices in my room alone, whether it be a phone, an iPod, a computer or an alarm clock. All of which serve a similar function: they tell the time.