Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Introduction to the content
Computer technology has greatly enhanced the ability to communicate, or
interact, with others globally. Computer technology has also exposed people to
new public and private spaces which constitute cyberspace, where humans and
computers coexist (Fahey, 1994). When people discuss these spaces, they
might be talking about any number of computer-mediate spaces. Electronic
mail, or email, is one of the most basic of these “spaces.” Email “is a store and
forward method of composing, sending, storing, and receiving messages over
electronic communication systems” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email).
A listserv discussion list enables people to send messages to a server that then
distributes the message to all of the members. Then there are newsgroups
(Usenet) where people participate in a kind of online conference by reading
messages posted in a particular location and then posting their own contribu-
tions to a discussion. More recently, this type of interaction is seen in blogging.
A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is
happening on the Web, a kind of hybrid diary/guide site, although there are as
many unique types of blogs as there are people. People maintained blogs long
before the term was coined, but the trend gained momentum with the introduc-
tion of automated published systems, most notably Blogger at blogger.com.
Thousands of people use services such as Blogger to simplify and accelerate the
publishing process.
Blogs
are alternatively called
web logs
or
weblogs
. However,
“blog” seems less likely to cause confusion, as “web log” can also mean a server's
log files. (http://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/blog/)
Another space often inhabited in cyberspace is a Multi-user dungeon
(MUD). MUDs have attracted the interest of academic scholars from many
fields, including communications, sociology and law. They also have synthetic
economies in different environments or what they would call different worlds.
As stated in Wikipedia, “MUDs often have a fantasy setting, while many others
are set in a science-fiction-based universe or themed on popular books, movies,
animations, history, etc. Still others, especially those which are often referred
to as MOOs, are used in distance education or to allow for virtual conferences”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD). The environments have become increas-
ingly sophisticated and now can include virtual reality using 3-D animations in
places such as Second Life (http://secondlife.com).
Many today are familiar with Internet Relay Chat (IRC) or instant messaging
(IM). Both allow for synchronous interaction between individuals. IRC functions
