Many have become thoroughly involved with the internet, and believe what they read. Not only believe but share and converse about it. According to certain sociologists people are passive. We are naive and media injects us with information - hypothetically of course. The hypodermic syringe theory displays behaviour of certain people. Interactionists would not agree believing that people choose what they read and believe, however conclusions have been drawn that we believe what the internet say because we have such a strong bond with it.
Richard Wise wrote a few of the myths within the internet;
The development of computing has a number of influential cultural factors that impacted the cultural perception of the early internet.
- Cyberspace is a place apart and so not subject to rules that apply to the 'real' world.
- The technology of the internet makes it possible to be anonymous and so free to adopt any identity that you chose on-line.
- The technology of the internet is making a more social and helping to foster a new kind of community.
- We are the verge of a new political era of computer - mediated democracy.
- The development of the internet is unique and exceptional in human history and not subject to social forces that characterised the adoption of other important technologies.
- The US military planners
- University based hacker culture
- The counter culture
- US corporate culture
The earliest computers were created to calculate artillery range tables for US Army. Other logical uses such as; Code Breaking and US Census.
In the seminar we researched into a company known as 'Xerox Parc'. Xerox has assembled the worlds greatest computer engineers and programmers in the 1970s. They have influenced how computers are so popular and easy to use. They created some of our most successful inventions;
- Laser printing
- Ethernet / Distributing computer
- WYSIWYG - file formatting
- Graphic user interface
- Unicode multilingual computing.
They are also conducting a hands free mobility of computers, similar to google glasses.
Xerox parc began selling a successor to the Alto in 1981. It was slow and underpowered and xerox ultimately withdrew from personal computers. Larry Tesler conducted the demonstration of the 'the mouse'. Steve Jobs immediately demanded the Apple team to work of the next generation of computers. Including, menus on screen, windows, and the mouse.
So, how does history help us understand our own relationship with internet, computing and technology?
Evidently the history of computing has a huge impact on my own relationship with the internet. Knowing and understanding how different life was without the technology we have nowadays makes me appreciate that we have it. I understand so much more how different life would be and how much technology has adjusted through the years. Technology will continuously change, though without the history of this technology of computers and internet we would not have any at all.
& we all know we wouldn't want that.
& we all know we wouldn't want that.
