Archive for the ‘internet’ Category
Filtering is not the answer
Australia’s Rudd government wants to trial online content filtering through Australian ISPs (Internet Service Providers) as a part of their Plan for Cyber-Safety [1]. Material deemed inappropriate for those under 18 would be blocked, and on the way, adults (who did not opt out) would also be unable to view this content.
Senator Conroy has stated that Australians would be given the opportunity to opt-out, and that the scheme would therefore not be mandatory…
But a network engineer from one of Australia’s leading net suppliers, Internode, has challenged that assertion, arguing that there would be two black-lists. One would contain unsuitable and harmful material for children; the other would include inappropriate material for adults.
Mark Newton of Internode wrote in an online forum:
The much-touted ‘opt-out’ would merely involve switching from blacklist number 1 to blacklist number 2…Regardless of your personal preference, your traffic will pass through the censorship box.
Senator Conroy has since indicated that there would be a two-tier system: a mandatory one that would block all ‘illegal material’ and an optional tier that would block material deemed unsuitable for children, such as pornography. [2]
Are teenagers exempt?
U.S. President George Bush has signed
A controversial bill that would stiffen penalties for movie and music piracy at the federal level. [1]
NBC Universal’s lawyer Rick Cotton said,
The bill will give movie and music makers more tools to fight the tidal wave of counterfeiting and piracy of everything from medical devices to automobile parts to media by organized crime. That is at the core of what this discussion is about. It is not about teenagers. [1]
I’m so relieved to hear teenagers are exempt – that is what Mr Cotton means, right? Or perhaps he just means a few teenagers caught in the net won’t matter when we can’t afford this awful “tidal wave.” Those poor movie and recording companies, they’re going to loss all their billions and billions of profit – what will they do!?
We believe this benefits you
I discussed the commercial basis of Web 2.0, particularly Facebook’s targeted advertising, at Reality 2.0 in Brisbane last week. I was sick and could not attend, but Jo from Toowoomba Library kindly read my paper for me. (Thank you Jo!) Facebook’s popularity is growing, but its commercial basis has inherent problems, which must be considered.
Venture capitalist and board member of Facebook, Peter Thiel, previously co-founded PayPal and said of it,
“You can find value not in real manufactured objects, but in the relations between human beings.” [1]
Facebook is the epitome of this thinking; it is the users and their connections which make money for the company. My fav author Tom Hodgkinson (everyone should read How to be Idle) is particularly scathing of the neocon origins of Facebook and believes,
“It makes nothing at all. It simply mediates in relationships that were happening anyway.” [1]
Though really, this could be said of many online ventures, and most of the capitalistic world we live in.
Teenagers’ Reality
In two and a half weeks ALIA and SLA are holding a Seminar Series for Information Professionals, Reality 2.0, with sessions in Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne. Stephen Abram, the current President of SLA, is the keynote speaker at all three sessions, with various local speakers at each session.
What are some of the strategies information professionals need in the changing information world? Stephen will talk about the real needs of real people living the Web 2.0 experience and information and knowledge economy. How can we use Web 2.0 tools to terra-form the living, breathing worlds we inhabit? What are some practical tools we can use? How can professional associations such as SLA and ALIA help?
I wanted to hear Stephen Abram speak, but my research funds will only cover conference expenses if I present a paper. After reading the above and wondering exactly how one “terra-forms the living,” I submitted an abstract, on the off chance an event sponsored by SLA would want to hear about teenagers. Despite living in Perth, thus not being a Brisbane local* my abstract was accepted. I’ll be giving a paper at the Brisbane session on Thursday 11 September 2008. I’ll talk about what the teenagers in my focus groups had to say about Web 2.0, although it’s not a term teenagers mention much, if ever!? It’s all just:
Go on MySpace
Chat to friends on MSN
Or just plain: Google it
