Assignment 5: Member of the Filesharing World

Throughout the semester our class spent a lot of topics concerning the internet. Some of these topics include copyright and conflict, internet economies, the nature of relational communication in CMC, group dynamics in CMC, internet privacy and identity, and Web 2.0. Of these topics copyright and conflict probably is the most relevant topic of the internet of my life.

As an active user of the internet and file sharing it is a factor that I face mostly every day. Wikipedia states; copyright is a form of intellectual property that gives the author of an original work exclusive right for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation, after which time the work is said to enter the public domain. The public domain is where creative works that are not under copyright protection become free use to the public.

The problem with copyright is that for me as an active purchaser of software and other electronic data I am not able to use the full capabilities of what I am buying. One problem that I hate the most would be digital rights management. Digital rights management (DRM) is a generic term for access control technologies that can be used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to try to impose limitations on the usage of digital content and devices. The term is used to describe any technology which inhibits uses (legitimate or otherwise) of digital content that were not desired or foreseen by the content provider. I have a very large music library and the converting procedures I need to go through just to listen to the music on the device of my choosing is quite ridiculous. iTunes is just one example of the Digital Rights Management restrictions. When I was younger Napster was one of the most popular places to go download any music. Metallica filed a suit against them when their unreleased song was placed on Napsters server. The new Napster still attracts over 36 million US file sharers.

With this being said I am very grateful of all of the free software movement. Sourceforge is just one example of where you can have free access to free software. With the free software movement comes new terms of "copyleft" takes form of a licence; which removes the restrictions that distribution of copies and modified versions of a work for others.

So as stated before copyright issues are a part of my life. Other than music I am a user of games, academic software and programs, along with other forms of entertainment. I understand that copyrights helps creators to protect their products, but the consumer should also have full rights of that product upon purchasing of that product. I support Richard Stallman's free software movement and it helps people that do not have a lot of money to have access to products that prove useful.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/

Assignment #4:Community

In society there are groups which are partially or completely mediated by the internet. One such group that I am an active participant is Facebook. According to Wikipedia; "Facebook is a global social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves" Facebook has reached an all time high of over 300 million active users.

I have been a Facebook user for about three years. My experience started with my girlfriend wanting me to make a page and what not so she can comment on my wall and upload pictures of us. Since then my Facebook usage has greatly increased. Facebook offers a large variety of internet communication technologies. Facebook itself has evolved since its creation. It allows users to join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region. In the beginning it was strictly for college students only, now anyone can create an account. Facebook offers many services such as IM, uploading of pictures with commenting abilities, wall posts, and note capabilities where you can blog. Aside from these Facebook even has applications for entertaining purposes, and now even allows users to access the site through their mobile devices.

Over the years my Facebook engagement has increased and using of all the different services began. As of now I use Facebook at least once a day if I have a computer with internet access. I use it mostly to stay in contact with friends and family, and to play the occasional game through the application programs. On a daily basis I write on my friend's and families' walls and check out their statuses. Just recently a lot of my family started using Facebook to stay in contact with each other; especially my family that live out of state from me. With Facebook I am able to look at the photos of all my family as they grow up. Sometimes I use the IM capabilities and chat with my Aunt just to catch up on things.

Facebook itself allows the development of social ties and other relationships within the group of users. At this point virtually anyone with a computer and internet access can contact someone else through Facebook. All of the different features it offers allows such development of these social ties. I use Facebook strictly to stay in contact with people I know offline. For me Facebook is just another way of communication where I can stay in contact with people I already know. A lot of media presents the negative issues of Facebook with online predators and other harms to their users, but that is what privacy setting are for. I for one have my setting set so that only my friends can access my page and photos. With this I do not have to worry about people seeing personal information of me and my family.

Overall Facebook has brought many benefits to me as a user. Its internet communication technologies allow for me to stay in contact with my family and friends that I do not see on a daily basis. With Facebook applications I am also able to play games in my spare time amongst other forms of entertainment it provides.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics