Media Power and Culture CHAPTER TEN History of the Internet Early internet developed with internet funds Packet switching sending digital messages in chunks thru any open pathway to be reassembled at their destination Protocols software codes that enable one computer to communicate with another Structure of the Internet World Wide Web a simplified means of navigating the Internet based on hypertext links and graphical user interfaces Hypertext links hyperlinks highlighted words and images within a web page that allow the user to move to another site by pointing and clicking a mouse button Browser a software program that enables a user to move around the internet Graphical user interface GUI a set of browser features such as icons and hot spots that allow users to navigate websites easily Uniform resource locator URL an Internet address that connects the user to a website on a particular computer Hypertext transfer protocol http enables computers to recognize the world wide web Hypertext markup language HTML the basic computer language used to write http Java an advanced programming language used for animated images and advanced sound applications Social Media Streaming enables video to be delivered via the web and viewed on a computer screen Buffering downloading and saving a video file at the same time it is being viewed This technology resulted in YouTube in 2005 Blogs facebook Web 2 0 the idea of a second generation internet that is highly participatory allowing users to improve it as they use it Mashup online participation in which users combine material and add to the application as they use it Cloud computing using online software applications rather than tools and info housed on a personal computer Cell technology radio wave towers are set up on a grid so that each area of the grid is supplied with radio service First cell phone became available for purchase in 1983 then 2G cells were made lighter and 3G have faster data transmission speeds access to web audio and video streaming Impact of cell phones In the U S 90 of mobile users subscribe to one of the Big Four wireless providers Verizon AT T Sprint or T Mobile Distance learning taking classes at locations other than a school facility especially online Microblogging blogs with very short posts E Commerce Other uses of the web paid content including Online Games E commerce the selling of goods and services online amazon walmart com ebay Paid Content online newspapers magazines sometimes charge for full access pornography distance learning online matchmaking convenient content on mobile devices Online Games Massively multiplayer online role playing games MMORPGs games such as EverQuest that allow many players to join in over the Internet Advertising A variety of ads appear on popular web pages and search engine results Spyware programs that track internet user s activities and report them back to advertisers SMS short message service mobile phone text messaging MMS multimedia message service mobile phone text messaging that includes image sound or video Portals sites from which users begin their web surfing top two Google and Yahoo Long tail the end section of a normal curve the part that trails off into infrequent events that have a low probability of occurrence Brick and mortar businesses carry only a small number of popular items Niches narrowly targeted goods and services Dangers of the Web Hacker one who uses programming skills to gain illegal access to computer network or files used to steal financial data and therefore money spammers and other reasons Phishing sending fake e mails to get victims to reveal sensitive info Spam unsolicited email messages Spyware and viruses Controversies Net neutrality whether there should be centralized commercial control over the internet Censorship controversy with what should be censored pornography the 1st amendment Privacy example sexting Cookie a file placed on a computer s hard drive that enables that computer to be tracked Reliability of information Media in the News Flashes Football Weather news hurricane Sandy Forbes tipping point magazines holding their own Facebook Google stocks hit for weakness in mobile revenue Big books merger Penguin and Random House publishers to join forces Flicks of the day all things Alfred Hitchcock 1899 1980 5 of top 15 in the 1950s Greatest English director of all time Among most influential worldwide 50 films from the 1920s thru the 1970s mysteries thrillers murders Distinctive style camera mimics person s gaze Rear Window 54 Dial M for Murder 54 Vertigo 58 Psycho crimes and the Birds The Internet Impact rivals the printing press and radio transmitter Printing press info preserved and access greatly expanded Transmitter info shared with many over long distance at same time Internet info individualized digitized with massive distribution potential at near zero cost 2012 the Key Parts and Functions Multi platform today a 5 screen world TV PC game consoles smartphones tablets Internet is the hardware servers fiber cable etc Web email apps etc the software Search social apps e commerce A top 3 media invention How the Internet works All info translated into binary code 010110101010110001 Digitized info goes out thru wired network and or wifi or mobile data Message broken into packets which can go in diff directions Travels from computer to routers to backbones to routers to computers Short history 1968 69 J C R Licklider father of the Internet Launches ARPANET an email network Evolves beyond original intent info exchange about defense projects to Sci Fi chat group arises also gossip idle chat 1979 USENET bulletin boards 1987 NSF founds internet supercomputing centers linked by hi speed networks 1990 businesses not for profits invited to join 1995 Net turned over to nongovernment organization to run ICANN 2000 100 000 networks worldwide linked in The WWW Until mid 1990s Internet is text only Timothy Berners Lee s 1991 program the idea is called the World Wide Web Marc Andreessen and Mosaic browser 1993 adopted by millions Andreessen moves on to develop Netscape 1994 permits easy browsing The URL WWW browsers open the Internet ICANN thru private partners assigns specific addresses or URLs Uniform Resource Locations Internet Breaks out 1998 An estimated 25 million online Critical mass pushes dramatic change Columbine 1999 The massacre and the news Ties to the Internet video video games music Net as a post event info source CHAPTER ELEVEN Newsreels