VoIP

I can forsee two possible options with regards to how VoIP will affect the phone industry and phone companies. One possibility is that VoIP will gain momentum and popularity and more people with computers will start to use the free VoIP software, rather than the paying the phone company's charges, which will force more and more phone companies to drastically lower their fees. The other scenario is that VoIP doesn't catch on and that it has no affect on the phone company. However, with more phone companies starting to use VoIP for their long distance service, this scenario is not going to be the likely outcome.

Technology and Political Activity

How is technology impacting political activity? Technology affects politics in a number of ways. For example: many politicians are starting to use blogging software to chronicle their lives, both personal and political. These politicians are using their blogs to spread the messages of their party, keep their constituents informed about their political moves, and show the American public a more intimate view of themselves through stories of their personal lives.

Public Cyberspace

What does the concept of public space in cyberspace mean to me? To me, cyberspace should be an open and free place for people to exchange communication and information. The Internet should be used as a public forum where the entire world can engage in discussions on important matters. It should serve to unite the people of the world, whereas from the articles, it seems that the leaders of certain countries want there to be borders on the Internet so they can continue to stifle the people in their country. The Internet was not created to be used as a way to promote propaganda.

Mid-term report

As far as my individual project is coming along, I am doing pretty well on it. I have gotten some photos for the webste, as well as designed how the entire site will look. I have also gotten the band members to write short, musical autobiographies of themselves to go on the website. All I need to do is finish putting it together on the computer, get some songs on the computer to have available for download from the website as well as videos, and post it all online.

For the group project, I am compiling information on my portion (cars and convergent technology, such as carphones, dvd players in cars, car stereos, etc.) and writing up my portion of the website. I will then give it to our coder who will put it on the website.

Blogs and Community

Blogging software helps foster community because it allows people of common interest to find one another and, through diary-like postings; users are able to have conversations that take place not in real time. Through this, people with common interests can have dialogues and can form bonds and relationships across the globe, whereas before this technology, it would have been very hard for these people to meet with one another.

WiFi and Commnications Scholars

As WiFi begins to spread across rural areas, and even in metropolitan areas city-wide, the opportunity to develop community networks increases more and more. As communities network themselves together, there will form new types of relationships people have with machines and with each other through machines. This will open up a new style of communication for communications scholars to explore and study. The expanse of WiFi will also bridge the digital divide, giving access to those in more remote areas. I'm sure communications scholars will be interested in what will happen when everyone has the potential to be connected to the Internet or other networks.

Open Source Movement: Should Com Scholars Study?

Should Communications scholars study the open source movement? Of course they should. I think communications scholars should study any new media/communication technology that comes out when it comes out. You wouldn't have an invention like the television come out and wait 5 years before studying it and the effects it has on society. It is important to research new technologies when they make their debut, even if we think they may not stick around, because we never know what the future will bring and it isn't a good idea to have to play catch-up if the technology does last.