Entry 12

It is finally the last chapter of the semester and I must say, we have ended it on a good note! Throughout this whole journey, I have learnt a lot from the module. Initially, I only knew what the Internet was and it was for me to go online and do my research or just surf it during my pastime. 

After this module, I was opened to who was the creator of the web, who is none other than Mr Tim Berners-Lee himself. During the first week of lesson, we learnt about the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)and how it was helped to serve us people. 

In the beginning of the semester, I remembered Mr Choy asking us to do a simple survey on what we knew about the Internet. In it contained several aspects to what we have covered during the semester. I remembered vividly that of all the topics that were covered, I ticked "E-Commerce" as something that I was not too clear about and would love to learn more about it as we progressed into the module. Before the lesson, I thought that E-commerce had to do something about the internet and how organizations tap onto the Internet to do their business. But, to my surprise, it was not just about that. Hence, during the course, I looked forward to that chapter being covered and when it was finally covered, I finally knew what E-commerce was and how it was actually a growing industry, aiding many organizations out there to prosper. Also, when we had to do a blog entry about E-commerce, I decided to write on how to succeed in the E-commerce industry. It was quite interesting topic to do because I wanted to know how these businesses worked and what made them so successful! And because it was not covered during lecture, it was a good opportunity for me to research and write a post about it. 

Also in this module, we had to get into groups and pick a topic to present and it has to be linked to the Internet. My group mates and I had a unanimous decision on settling with "Online Dating" because it was a topic that we learnt in a previous module that we did. Hence, we had a brief understanding on the topic. However, though we had resources to refer to, we had to do more research on the Internet because what was covered very vague and we wanted to go more in-depth into Online Dating. After much struggle, we managed to pull through with the help of resources found on the Internet as well as real-life examples that we knew of. These sources really helped in guiding us through with the presentation details. It was fun while it lasted!

Learning about the Internet was surely not something that I was looking forward to in the beginning because I felt that it was a topic that was irrelevant to my major. However, I was wrong. Knowing what the Internet provides and the various measures about being secured on the net, was something that was extremely relatable and crucial. I honestly felt that I have indeed gained more knowledge than I had expected before this course. I am glad that I was able to have the opportunity to be in this class and many thanks to Mr Choy for being so patient with us throughout the semester! With all that I have said, it is time to bid our farewell and lastly, ALL THE BEST FOR THE FINAL PAPER!!

Entry 11

FUTURE OF THE INTERNET...

In my opinion, I would describe the future of the Internet to be a shining horizon. There is a bright future for the Internet. With the increasing use of the Internet in our daily lives, people NEED the Internet and thus, have constantly improved it as well. I am sure Tim Berners Lee would be proud to see his "baby" grow to such a successful "person"! Here are some examples of how the Internet has helped to generate various tools in helping us humans, have a more efficient lifestyle...

Today, people's lives revolve around the Internet and some of us fear that without it, we become "paralysed" or even, "handicap". Users also seek to be more interactive with the World Wide Web, trying to reach to it as if it was a realistic function. For example, the Internet has shown a vast improvement in terms of being "realistic" and this has been created. It is known as "Augmented Reality". Augmented Reality (AR) is a live,  view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by sensory input such as GPS data. This form of reality enhances one's perception of reality and replaces the real world with simulated ones. Artificial information about the real world and its objects are being overlaid onto the real world. With the help of AR, people become more interactive and digitally manipulable. 

Lets take a look at this video!

SUPER COOL ISN'T IT!

This example shows how a user is able to use his iPad to download an application that the magazine provides and from there, he is able to see a 3D motion picture of the cars in the catalogue. This is done simply by downloading and application and hovering his iPad screen over the page. HOW COOL?! 

The second example would be none other than... GOOGLE GLASS. What is GoogleGlass? Here's a video to show YOU, WHAT GoogleGlass has to offer. Get ready to be "WOWED".

I KNOW RIGHT... How awesome is GoogleGlass!!! WAYYYY COOOOOOL!!! GooglGlass is by far the SMARTEST technology device ever made and it is indeed, out to make your lives a whole lot more efficient and fuss free. With GoogleGlass, people have everything they need with just a scroll of a button, or a command of a voice. Remember in the video when the man walked to the subway and GoogleGlass immediately notify him that the subway service was closed? Okay, now remember what happened next? GoogleGlass immediately rectify his problem by giving him a direction that he can take by foot! This is extremely useful because in our lives today, we are constantly exploring various places and who here can say that they rely on a street directory to look for their location? NONE. Everyone gets to their location with ease nowadays thanks to GoogleMap and with that in hand, people can get around much easier with how user friendly GoogleMap is and how it is able to guide you with voice commands whilst travelling towards your destination. 

Thus, the future for Internet is not bleak at all and it is in fact, constantly improving and growing. I am fortunate to be born in this generation whereby the Internet is so readily accessible for us. Imagine having to go to the library just to look for a book when I can search it up online and download an "E-book" instead? Talk about being SAVVY!

Entry 10

Journalism has indeed been affected by the Web 2.0. In today's context, people are always on-the-go, even a simple action of picking up a newspaper can be time consuming. Hence, people have turned to the web to read the news and be updated with what is currently happening.

Personally, I reckon that the Internet has made journalism worse but in a way, better. In the past, journalists would have to go to a scene, go back to the office to write up the article and then head to the printer's office to get it printed. All these were somewhat of a hassle for journalist as it was time consuming and when time was hindering their efficiency in printing the story, it also meant that people have to wait for the story to be printed in order to know what happened.

(Old New York Times)

(Online New York Times)

With the increased amount of users on the web, journalist seek to post their news on the web for these people. This is because with the busy schedule of our lives these days, people are searching for quick and efficacy when going about doing their daily routines. 

Technology has helped to improve stories and made them more newsworthy. Utilising social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it provides a snapshot of events happening around the world. For example, when a journalist finds something to write about, he/she would snap a picture and post it on the Straits Times Facebook page and everyone would be able to see it in seconds once it is being uploaded. This provides a first-hand witness of the story and furthermore, it offers analytical perspective from the ground faster than print or what television can provide. This in turn, helps to make the story more newsworthy. Also, it can increase awareness much faster from the public. 

Twitter has also changed the way journalism works. Twitter is also known as "micro-blogging" which meant that people are able to churn out their news within a limit of a 140 characters. Journalist again would snap pictures or post links to the actual article using Twitter. Because Twitter is being used by the mass, posting snippets of their articles there would meant that it would cover a greater mass of population who will read their articles as compared to posting it on print where only a minority would get to read it. 

It is undeniable that people are going to have a debate on how the Internet has destroyed businesses for newspaper companies. However, we have to bear in mind that because technology has been advanced and so has the demographics of people in the world has changed, it is only appropriate for us to adapt to change, since "change" is always considered "good". 

Entry 9

Communication is key especially when you are involved in a political party. It is of upmost importance that you are constantly connected with the people of your nation, to be able to hear and be updated of what the citizens want. This importance is further being stressed when the General/Presidential Elections occur because the future politician/president is determined by the people. In addition, people will only vote for a candidate that is trustworthy, credible and lastly, secure. However, the most important trait he/she should possess is none other than being able to "Communicate" effectively across all demographics. 

Indeed, utilising various methods such as television broadcast, radio broadcast or advertisements on billboards may increase likability, but such methods do not necessarily work anymore. In today's context, it is the future of communication that wins the battle. An extremely good living example would be American President, Barack Obama. Obama has undertook his campaigns into future communication methods by embracing the Internet, using it as a platform for his presidential campaign. Obama has navigated social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to multimedia social networks such as Youtube during the presidential campaigns. 

Firstly, starting up a blog or Twitter account is simple. But making yourself known is another factor altogether. However, lucky for Obama, he was able to make himself known to the public with his social media platforms. Having over 1.5 MILLION friends on MySpace and Facebook and over 45,000 followers on Twitter, Obama is able to communicate with the people 24/7, sending live post every minute, updating his followers about what there is to expect during the presidential campaign.

Because Youtube videos have no time limit to them, it is possible to upload a full hour clip on it and further enhanced the quality with High Definition. In addition, the popularity of Youtube amongst the population has risen greatly and because Youtube videos are made public, it gives access to any person who wishes to watch the video. Obama has also made sure that his video qualities look good and sound as good as the ones that is being aired on television so that his speeches would be able to resonate with the people watching them. More than often, the bulk of the citizens that uses Youtube or Twitter would be the Young adults and because these group of demographics are heavy uses of the Web 2.0, Obama has indeed done his homework to tap on these social networking sites to connect with these young adults through the use of Youtube and Twitter. 

(Obama's weekly address found on Youtube)

Barack Obama is constantly in search of doing his best in communicating and connecting with his people. By initiating a website to connect with the people, the site has to be user-friendly in order for all demographics to use with ease and needless to say, Obama delivered. He created a website known as the "My.BarackObama.com" The websites allows users to log onto the site by creating their own profile, join groups, participate in fundraising and arrange events which are all similar to what you see on Facebook and MySpace. 

Ultimately, Obama has changed the way people look at America and he has definitely changed the way YOUNG  adults view political and presidential campaigns. With the use of social networking sites, Obama is just a "click" of a button away from his people and with that, they are constantly updated 24/7 with news occurring at any point in time. Also, with the use of the Web 2.0, not only does Obama has a voice in his presidential campaigns and weekly addresses, the people too are able to have a say on these platforms, thus creating interactivity between the people and Obama. 

Entry 8

Multimedia has made its way into the Internet. Multimedia can be in the form of music, video and animation. I believe Youtube is no stranger to any of us. Youtube is a platform whereby people are able to upload their videos made by them. For example, it can range from music that they have covered, make-up tutorials, how to play online games to just uploading a video of their everyday lives.

Personally, Youtube has become MY own form of entertainment. When I am bored or taking a break from studying, I turn to Youtube for entertainment. Due to its wide array of videos, I am able to choose what type of videos I want to see.  Not only is Youtube a form of entertainment, Youtube has also made people famous.

For example, the oh-so-popular Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber started out as a humble little boy who just happen to upload one of his music video that he did. Soon after, a producer spotted him on Youtube whilst surfing through videos and the rest is history. Today, many unknown people have become known because of Youtube and have become Youtube sensations with the videos that they post. My personal favorite channel that I subscribe to on Youtube is the “Shaytards”. The Shaytards is a typical American family but because of Youtube, they have now revolved around “vlogging” which is a term for video-blogging. Hence, every day, they would have a video about their daily activities and sharing it with the world. Not only did people overseas got famous, Singaporeans are tapping into the Youtube industry to gain popularity as well! For example, this dynamic duo who go by the name of "Munahhirziofficial" has since become a top hit amongst teenagers. Due to their constant upload of videos relating very closely to the current news happening in Singapore, it is very relatable and with the touch of humour in their videos, it adds that bit of entertainment in them. For instance, the general election that took place 2 years ago.

Because Youtube is such a hit with the public, everyone logs onto Youtube at least once a day in search of videos either for entertainment purposes or educational purposes. Hence, multimedia has made the Internet more exciting and entertaining for people these days and it has indeed added another purpose for people to surf the Internet as well!

Entry 7

Personally, I feel that Internet security is paramount especially in today’s society whereby security issues such as hacking, phishing, viruses, worms and spy-wares are occurring daily. It is to my dismay that the society is not doing anything to stress on the importance of Internet security. In today’s context, majority of young adolescent are fortunate enough to afford laptops and computers, and hence, are expose to the Internet. However, they are not being educated to protect themselves from being attacked by viruses and people hacking their personal accounts. Throughout my entire education period, though there were computer classes, I remember vividly that there were no occasions whereby we were taught on Internet security and were only taught on HOW to use computer applications. It was only when I took COM125 that I start to know about the various security measures that I could take to prevent myself from being one of those innocent victims.

Today in class, we learnt various types of security measures that we could utilise to keep our computers virus free and prevent issues such as hacking and phishing from occurring.

Firstly, firewall is a software or hardware-based network security system that controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic. It is done by analyzing the data packets and whether or not they should be allowed through, based on a system known as an applied rule set. To many, this may sound a bit confusing but it is simply a "wall" located in your computer network to block off unknown sites or software that you may encounter while surfing the net, from entering your computer system. This is to prevent any unknown viruses and problems from occurring.

Secondly, surveillance monitoring of computer activity is when data stored on a hard drive, or being transferred over computer networks such as the Internet is being, well "surveyed" or "monitored". Network surveillance programs are widespread today, and almost all Internet traffic is or could potentially be monitored for clues to illegal activity or viruses. 

Lastly, anti-virus software is to prevent, detect and remove malware such as computer viruses, malicious cookies or worms. Anti-virus softwares must be installed in every computer and they are always recommended upon purchase of your computer/laptops. It is usually done so to extend the life span of your computer/laptop and prevent it from crashing due to the unfortunate circumstance whereby your computer/laptop is being attacked by viruses or malware.

Another thing that people should do is to be aware and alert when they are surfing the Internet. They should always be aware of what domains are safe for browsing and what domains may be at risk of infecting their software with viruses. Just because the website ends off with a “.sg” or “.com” does not always mean that it is safe. Some websites are not as credible as you think they are. Not only are these dangerous domains a concern for individuals, but also a concern for the country. When these dangerous Internet domains are lurking in Singapore, it does not pose a good reputation to the country and it could possibly affect businesses in Singapore who rely on e-commerce for their business. This in turn, lowers the trustworthiness between investors and Singapore.

If you were to follow the news, a recent incident has occurred in Singapore. A group known as the “Anonymous” has started hacking private accounts of people who high post in Singapore. This group of people are threatening the government due to how they are unhappy about some infrastructure issues that the government implements on its citizens. They have since declared war with political parties in Singapore and would not show mercy to any government officials who ignores them. Victims such as the Prime Minister, Singapore Police Force as well as famous celebrities in Singapore have all fallen into trap and whose accounts have been totally wrecked by the “Anonymous”. 

Because Internet security is not being stressed as an importance, the public takes this issue lightly. However, with the recent happening of the “Anonymous”, the public has been enlightened that indeed, it is POSSIBLE that they, could be the next victims. Therefore, with these security measures discussed today, I hope that it can come in handy for all of you reading out there to start taking measures to prevent yourself from falling prey.

Entry 6

This was a video that my best friend and I decided to do for one of our friend's birthday surprise. It was quite an impromptu decision because we did not planned on doing it that day. However, because time permits, we decided to do it! The whole process was so fun and entertaining we couldn't contain our laughter and straight faces as the video was being recorded. Enjoy!