Future for Online Technology (5 questions)

1. Who is Chris De Wolfe and what does he say is the future for social networking? What impact will portable hardware have on this area of technology?

A: Chris De Wolfe is a CEO and a co-founder of the social networking website MySpace. He says that, recently, there has been a boom within these social sites with people logging on and contacting each other. This is also affecting other industries, such as music and advertising. He also says that the future of the social networking web is more personalised and, any realtionships that started through this technology, will grow closer and more personal.

2. Who is Chad Hurley and what does he say is his company's goal? Is he a positive or negative technological determinist?

A: Chad Hurley is the CEO and co-founder of the extremely successful video-sharing website YouTube. He states that his company's goal is to introduce everyone to simple accessible technology, and to make it almost second nature to us as when we use our phones to make a call. He is a posotive technological determinist becuase he describes this technology in a constantly positive light, never mentioning any negaitves about this technology.

3. What does Maurice Levy say is the challenge for advertisers and what is 'liquid media' compared to 'linear media'?

A: He compares digital and analogue media, and says that the hightened popularity within digitality shows the increasing spiral of analogue media forms, and the possibilites included with advrtising digitally is much greater than the traditional advertising. Linear media is the old way of advertising, with no interactivity involved. Liquid media, which he says has "seamless value", can interact, jump and skip parts of playlists, and many other options. It is the revolution new digital media.

4. What parallels does Norvig draw between Edison inventing electricity and the development of online technology in terms of searching for information?

A: He explains that Edison's invention of electricity, opened the world to whole new range of ideas and possibilites, stretching boundaries like never before. He also describes how the current technology will allow us to advance technologicall and build faster, better machines with what Edison gave us.

5. What are the issues for the developing world? How is this evidence of a 'digital divide'? (socio-economic divide due to access to technology)

A: The economic divide between 1st world and 3rd world, countries means that the poorer nations will not have the technology that the U.S or the U.K has, meaning a divide has occured between them. For exmaple, the first internet connection in Africa was in 1991, while more econmically developed countries, had this connection before this.This was also evident in the podcast; the teacher explains that African countries will not have the technological access that our society has got. Lastly, the last paragraph on the developing world also says that internet development in Africa will be limited until 2012, so no bridge of the "digital divide" will appear.