Communications and Cyberspace: Chapters 19, 20, 12, 13, & the Epilogue

Chapter 19 explores the characteristics of e-mail. While e-mail is supposed to be a remediation of letters, what makes it unique is its oral quality. The instantaneous speed at which e-mails can be exchanged induces a more conversational type communication. This conversational aspect to e-mails have given the sender a more informal atmosphere to work within. Now e-mails are inundated with informal vocabulary, phonetic spellings, and colloquial sentence structures. Some of these habits have trickled into places such as school essays where such language is unacceptable. Another issue with e-mails is miscommunication. Sometimes people may read into things and misinterpret certain messages. However we have found ways to adapt this language to our true tone of voice through emoticons and caps locks.
In Chapter 20, author Philip Thompsen commences the chapter with a series of definitions of the term flaming. He says one of the primitive definitions of flaming is "to speak rabidly or incessantly on an uninteresting topic or with a patently ridiculous attitude". The definition of flaming has slowly broadened and now includes a range of negative social behaviors such as hostility and using profanity. Thompsen also concludes that flaming is both a media use and a media evaluation. This means that flaming takes into consideration both the behavior of flaming and the "social negation of what that behavior means." People may start flames by using all caps in order to indicate shouting or use less descriptive messages to suggest discontent.
In Chapter 12 one of the most valuable topics the author discusses is the value of VR in education. When students participate in responsive learning environments that are provided by VR are more like to retain information than the traditional passive learning experience. Information taken in by one's sight, sound, and touch instead by just viewing text and numbers often results in more efficient cognitive absorption. VR is also very practical for training purposes. The author uses the example of flight simulators where novices can practice certain tasks without the risk of injury or danger. VR is more active and can be more fun than a traditional classroom environment. I would support the use of VR in the educational system because often students are more conducive to learning when they are having fun or in a less formal environment.
Chapter 13 talks about the rising popularity of online education. While some still prefer the traditional face to face classroom learning environment, taking classes online has several advantages. Two enormous benefits of online classes are that it is cheaper and that location does not matter. One does not need to pay for transportation or worry about time commuting to school. Furthermore, the student does not have the hefty tuition of a university student because they are paying solely for the classes and not any of the facilities. It also very convenient for those who have many time constraints since classes are offered at flexible times. Although there are some subjects that would be more effectively taught in the traditional class room, online education has many benefits and several class offerings.

6/26 Computer-Mediated Communication & Edu.

Chapter 19 discusses the implications of e-mail. E-mails are different from print letters because they no longer need the predictable “to” and “from.” Instead we are forced to learn new ways to communicate with eachother. This is true because emails are usually informal, have phonetic spelling and the “literate and oral codes mingle and swap juices.” As a consequent we must learn new ways in communicating. Emoticons or smiley’s are a good example of new forms of communication. I find emoticons to be very interesting because even though there is no face-to-face communication through email, the smiley face or other symbols can show a facial expression. Furthermore, the chapter says, “People are always free in whatever medium they use (314).” in other words people have the ability to hide behind what they are saying through the computer and even use a fake identity. This could lead to falsified information and harassment. Furthermore, the chapter makes a good point about breaking off from a chat or email. Rather then the telephone where you can just hang up, “breaking off” seems more difficult to do in email and as a consequent there is talk that serves no function.

Chapter 20 discusses flaming. I found this chapter interesting because it states that this antisocial behavior may be a result of technological constraints that “encourage people to lose themselves and let their emotions fly (330).” I agree with this because when people lack face-to-face interaction, it becomes more impersonal leading to lack of respect and profanity. The chapter also said that experienced users are more aware of email etiquette and develop skill in “flame management” where a novice would reveal lack of experience by typing in all caps (339).

Chp.12- virtual organizations allow students to go at their own pace and therefore focus on weakness. I thought it was interesting how the chapter relates the technology to internships. The technology allows students to have valuable tasks and networking rather then doing the typical internship job of answering the phone. Furthermore the virtual intern can design something and check the effectiveness. Furthermore VR is great because it allows people to participate directly. Also, in addition to the visual aspects of VR, the auditory cues are also extremely important to get a feel of a real world. It is also important to note that there are philosophical issues at hand about VR. These philosophers say that we shouldn’t spend too much time in our VR body because it can result in a self identity crisis and give us health issues such as bad headaches. I find this fascinating that a virtual world can change our perception of things.

Understanding New Media: Chapters 47-49

Chapter 47 involves virtual reality and simulations. VR is described as "any medium that imitates another medium"and "an environment hat is simulated by a computer". VR technology fulfills these definitions through the use os special stereoscopic googles and speakers in order to encompass all the users senses to create the illusion of a realistic environment. This is a powerful aspect of VR because when you are immersed in the program, you are not simply an observer but a participant. This interactive nature of VR has led to the creation of RPG games and VR reality platforms.
Chapter 48 describes robots as a "hybrid technology consisting of a computer and a electromechanical mechanism that can automatically perform tasks. The creation of robots, bots, and agents have made many tasks much easier and safer for humans. The use of robots has played a huge role in space exploration as well.
Similar to robots is the creation of Artificial Intelligence and Expert systems. Weak AI is defined as the use of computers to perform automated tasks that need human intelligence. On the other hand, there is strong AI which is an area of research working on ways to make computers intelligent beyond human capacity. This is difficult or impossible to achieve given that AI are only extensions of our own intelligence. A human cannot create something that is beyond them.

Communications and Cyberspace: Chapters 5, 6, 7, 14

In Chapter 5 Hebert Zettl analyzes the philosophical and ethical aspects of Virtual Reality in terms of human interaction in cyberspace. He examines the philosophical implications of VR through the Cave Theory of Plato. In Plato's Cave Theory, he describes prisoners that are jailed in a cave that are fascinated by shadows. Suppose one prisoner was released and was exposed to the light. At first, the prisoner would be blinded and would have difficulty deciphering the things that caused the shadows. He would initially reject the notion that these are the true objects and would refer back to the shadows as reality. However, the prisoner's eyes would eventually adjust to the light and he'd be able to perceive the truth vividly. The world of shadows described in Plato's theory can be paralleled to our synthetic VR. We are purposefully returning to the cave of shadows to become "perceptual prisoners" when we enter VR. When we engage in VR, we restrict our visions and motions to the monitor and computer. The author also poses concerns involving human behavior. What choices will we make in an environment with almost no consequences? The author wonders if humans are driven and lured to VR because we seek an escape from reality and responsibility. Some may also feel more comfortable in VR because we are in the power to create our own safe society.
Chapter 6 discusses implications and predictions of virtual reality. Critics of VR hypothesize that people will spend most of their time engaged in the false reality and slowly distance themselves from the real world. Because of the strong sense of intrapersonal communication, which is interaction between the person and the machine, VR inhibits the sense of community. VR technology challenges the concept of authenticity as it morphs into a seemingly alternative reality. Moral issues include the enslavement of robots, the use of VR for propaganda, and the question whether VR users will suffer consequences from their actions when engaged in the program. The most dramatized implication of VR is the ambiguity the technology places on ideas on subjective, objective, and social reality.
Chapter 7 involves virtual reality and the redefinition of self through text in relation to new technology. In the age of print, the two most significant constructions of self have been the Cartesian ego and the Kantian subject. Both constructions emphasized the autonomy of the individual and a separation between the subjet and object. They also place the visual and sensual facets of humanity under the control of reason. 
A notable topic in chapter 14 is the discussion of Cyberpunk culture which raises serious questions about human relationships to technology. Cyberpunk symbolizes the content in stimulations transferring into reality. Symbols generated by media are starting to weave into the fabric of reality. Cyberpunks love to engage in VR because they deem the real world as "boring". However, when they are too immersive in this fake world, they are detaching themselves from both their physical bodies and physical world. 

Cyberspace and Communications Chapters 19, 20, 12, 13, epilogue

Chapter 19 is titled "Charting the Codes of Cyberspace: A Rhetoric of Electronic Mail." Author Judith Yaross Lee states that e-mail and other similar media heavily resemble formats from letter writing. However, according to Lee, this writing does differ from writing that took place before e-mail. E-mail allows for immediacy, but it lacks intimacy and often leads to misunderstandings, which can be avoided by the use of emoticons. Lee's point is that communication in cyberspace is new and different from any other form of communication and doesn't entirely compare to one medium or another.

Chapter 20 is titled "What's Fueling the Flames in Cyberspace? A Social Influence Model." In this chapter, Author Philip A. Thompsen argues that flaming involves a relationship between people that has been formed through any form of computer media, and that how one interprets a message is equally part of the flaming as the person who sent the message. He defines flaming as sending any insulting, profane, vituperative message through electronic media.

Chapter 12 is titled "Constructing the Virtual Organization: Using a Multimedia Simulation for Communication Education." Author Terri Toles Patkin discusses the psychological implications of Virtual Reality and what cognitive processes are involved. She also writes about the practical, real-life uses of VR.

Chapter 13 is titled "Online Education Unbound." Online education has become widely used, due to its low cost and flexibility. Author Paul Levinson writes that online education has many advantages: it doesn't require transportation, it is time-flexible so that people can take their class any time, it is usually inexpensive, and it allows students to interact with other students. There are also several drawbacks, including the fact that complex science courses with laboratory components do not translate well to online media.

Understanding New Media Chapters 47-49

These chapters of Logan's book again deal with New Media not covered in McLuhan's original book. Chaper 47 talks about Virtual Reality and the development of 3D virtual reality platforms. It also describes the concept of role-playing games, as well as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). These games, as the name suggests, include many players and often include a storyline and a theme. Chapter 48 deals with robots, bots, and agents. Logan defines a robot as "a hybrid technology consisting of a computer and an electromagnetical mechanism that can automatically perform tasks such as manufacturing, mining, exploration, or clean-ups in environments unsafe or difficult for human operators." Robots have been used in manufacturing for years, often making production faster, but coming at the expense of jobs for human workers. Chapter 49 discusses artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems. AI is divided into two forms: weak AI and strong AI. Weak AI is,  "the use of computers to automatically perform tasks requiring human intelligence. Strong AI involves the area of study in which research have attempted to create a computer with, "an intelligence that its human creators would not be capable of." An example of this is the IBM computer Big Blue, which won a chess championship.

Communication and Cyberspace Chapters 5, 6, 7, 14

Chapter 5 is titled "Back to Plato's Cave: Virtual Reality." In this chapter, author Herbert Zettl argues that VR is an art form that has aesthetics such as 3D representation, motion, and sound that can be analyzed much in the same way that we analyze other media. He also compares VR to Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Although VR has some helpful uses that can be applied in scientific and medical fields, it also has been used to depict violence, rape, and murder scenes. 

Chapter 6 is titled "Dramatism and Virtual Reality: Implications and Predictions." The author argues that VR can be understood and function as a form of rhetoric and its performative value. Using VR, he argues, involves performing virtual acts on virtual screens. 

Chapter 7 is titled "Virtual Reality and the Redefinition of the Self." The author, Jay David Bolter, argues that there is a battle between text-based media in cyberspace and graphics-based media, and how it relates to the use of VR. He also discuses philosophical implications of VR and how it refutes many long-held ideas. 

Chapter 14 is titled "Cyberspace: Creating Paradoxes for the Ecology of Self." The author writes about topics pertaining to VR and cyberspace and how they related to self-conception. She describes the conception of the self in terms of ecology. She writes that the ecology of self will dissolve when all communications technologies become a part of our senses.

6/21 Chp. 47-49

Chapter 47 discusses virtual realty. It is important to note that VR seems realistic because it allows for interactivity and therefore a sense of personal involvement. Furthermore the chapter talks about certain VR games that feature real money to be able to purchase virtual commodities or services. When reading this, the Sims social, a Facebook game came to mind. The Sims social allows you to use real money and convert it into Sim money in order to buy certain virtual items or get to the next level. Chapter 48 discuses the role of the robot. Robots have impacted old media by their ability to be programmed to play soccer, sumo wrestling, navigate around furniture in order to clean and even be part of space exploration. What I found most interesting about the Robots is that some robots are able to be part of invasive surgical procedures. Robots have the ability to do so many things that are crucial in human life. For an example, some robots have the ability to translate languages, read emails out loud and even summarize a paragraph. These “bots” help simplify thing needed in everyday life. Chapter 49 discusses weak AI and strong AI. Weak AI would be the lowly calculator or a system programmed by someone to make inferences for a given set of data. Strong AI would be a computer capable of developing intelligence that humans do not have. The author argues that this is a fantasy because “computers are only extensions of our own intelligence (323).” Lastly, the author talks about AI and its ability to help explore the web. I found it interesting that the website StumbleUpon is a helpful resource to retrieve useful information from the web since it is filtered by people and the machine.

6/19 Chp 5,6,7,14

 I found chapter five very interesting. During my philosophy class on human nature we read the cave story in Plato’s Republic, so I find the connection to virtual reality to be interesting. The author points out that we see VR as an advancement without realizing that “we are returning to Plato’s cave (101).” In other words we too our fascinated with a “shadow” world. In addition the chapter also talks about how crucial sound is in virtual reality. This is important because when one thinks of virtual reality the first thing that comes to mind is the visual aspects of it. Furthermore, sound was also used in Plato’s book so make the prisoners believe they were in the real world. I also found it interesting that the author says that VR “provides a perfect existential world, in which we can exercise free will and make an number of decisions (108).” This is true because in the VR games we have the ability to steal and murder people, but it is our choice if we will do so. Other issues about VR are brought up in chapter six. The chapter says that a concern of VR is how much time people may “vegetate” their lives in a VR game. He also brings up the moral issues associated with VR such as rape, theft and murder during a VR episode and how accountable the person involved should be. This also relates to the idea of free will in chapter five. Chapter fourteen talked about the term Cyberpunk that I also found fascinating. These people known as cyberpunks “want the human nervous system to merge with the computer matrix by making reality and hallucinations collapse into each other (232).” It is fascinating to me that a relationship between human and technology can exist like this.

Chp. 1 and 4

6/13-strate 1, 4, 10

William Gibson originally coined cyberspace in 1984. It was used as a science fiction scenario where people can directly connect their nervous systems to a global computer, otherwise known as a virtual reality. Furthermore, Rosanne Stone suggests a different view of cyberspace. She said that it could only exist through social interaction with “communal agreement” between all parties. I also agree with Stone that in order for cyberspace to exist, both sides need to be involved. Since cyberspace functions as a substitute for public spaces, it impacts privacy and social interaction. A great example the book provides is the one of computer programmer David Alsberg. After he passed away not only did is family and friends come together in the physical world, but his online friends came together to form an online wake to mourn his passing. This shows the impact cyberspace has on people’s communication and social life. The friendships formed through these mediums seem to be just as valuable as face-to-face relationships. Chapter four as well as class discussion, shows the issues of metaphors in relation to cyberspace. I found it interesting that the book suggests that the “information  super highway” is a negative prediction of the Internet because, it suggests that information may not be free in the future. The metaphor is understood that way, but cyberspace is supposed to be a place where both user and viewer are in agreement and give feedback to one another. As a result this metaphor is not used that often to give people an idea of what cyberspace is actually about. Moreover I found the digital divide discussed in chapter ten to be very interesting. The statistics taken in 2000 said that 304 million people were online. Even though that’s a huge number, it is compared to the 6.1 billion people in the world. As a result, it is important to remember that everyone is not part of this virtual reality known as cyberspace and may never become part of this reality.