The common forms of media in today's world each have both
advantages and disadvantages. The Internet has been around for an
almost equal amount of time as most of them, but only recently has
it become a popular way of retrieving information. The Internet
takes the best of all other medium and combines them into a very
unique form. The Internet is the best way to retrieve information.
This combination of paper publishing, TV, radio, telephones, and
mail is the future of communications. The internet has several
types of journalism which can be defined into three sections. One
section is online magazines, online broadcasting, and other online
services. The next group is resource files and web pages. The third
is discussion groups/forums and e-mail. I will investigate these
areas of the net, showing the advantages and disadvantages of each
in comparison to the conventional forms.
In order to understand what all these topics are you must
first understand what the internet is.
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Internet!
Internet TetheringThe simple answer is that it
is computers all over the globe connected together by telephone
wires. It was first made by the military, 'No one owns the
Internet', to have a network with no centre. That way it could
never be destroyed by nuclear war. Since then, universities have
used it and it has evolved into what it is today. It is a library
that contains mail, stories, news advertising, and just about
everything else. 'In a sense, freenets are a literacy movement for
computer mediated communication today, as public libraries were to
reading for an earlier generation.' Now that the term 'the net' is
understood lets look at some sections of the net.
An online magazine is a computer that lets users access it
through the net. This computer stores one or more magazines which
users can read. 'PC magazine and other magazines are available on
the Web' 'Maclean's Magazine and Canadian Business online; and
Reuters' Canadian Newsclips.' This form is much better that
conventional publishing, 'we are using the online service to
enhance the print magazine', for several reasons. It is
environmentally safe, 'Publish without Paper', most are free, '$50
a month on CompuServe', you can get any article from any year at
the touch of a button, and you can search for key words. 'Search
engines make it easy pinpointing just the information you need'.
The articles don't have space limits so you will get a specially
edited full story version (depending on the reporter) and other
articles that didn't make the print. It is easy to compare the
story with another journalists view, or get the story from a
journalist from another country. This way, the reader can make
informed decisions on anything, without bias. A few people complain
that there is too much information to receive, 'mass jumble', but
there are filter programs that will cut the information to any set
amount. CNN online is a broadcast web page (another computer). CNN
not only has the articles to read but video, and sound clips too.
Anyone can get up to the minute news, and reports. 'We will send a
reporter to the game, who will interview people like the coach and
uplink the story while the game is being played.' This is an
excellent addition to TV. It is a mix of TV and publishing. TV has
a schedule to keep and might cut out parts simply for time but
there is no time limit online. Also, because it is interactive,
users will remember the information longer than if they watched TV.
An online service is a web page that sells something. It is easy to
order anything, from flowers to even airline tickets.
'...opportunity to buy tickets through TicketMaster.' But even
this has problems, 'the Internet is new and many possible types of
fraud must be dealt with,' but the solution is software, 'Secure
Courier...a secure means of transferring financial transactions'.
This service is the home shopping, catalogue, and printed flier
replacement. Their advantage is that you can buy directly, or skip
them if you wish, unlike TV.
Web pages on the internet are computers that are dedicated to
letting people access them. Many companies have a web page that
offers help to customers, news, services, product updates, advice
from experts, even 'information on elections, government programs,
and so forth.' 'These new, online services include daily industry
news, classified, a directory of suppliers, an interactive forum,
and tons of reference material, including government documents,
surveys, speeches, papers, and statistics.' Even home businesses
can have a page and advertise their products or services. The only
other medium that comes close to what a web page can do is the help
telephone lines, but a web page is much more useful. Resource files
are like a library of information. By using a search program a user
can find files on any topic. They can get, digital books, reports,
pictures, statistics, university essays, sound files, video, and
even programs, 'You can even download the federal budget
simulator'. However, there is always going to be the possibility
of false information, but because it is so easy to speak your mind
on the net, this bad information is quickly found and deleted.
'Established sources such as universities, libraries, and
government agencies can be considered reasonably reliable....Then
comes the free-for-all.' 'You must be a critical viewer of both
the source and the content'
The final area is discussion groups or forums. There is a
forum for just about any topic. 'The overall advantage is the
spread of ideas, information, and thoughts between people who would
not otherwise correspond. The Result is a free flow if ideas with
little moderation or control'. A forum is a mail group that allow
people all over the world discuss a topic, trade information, etc.
'everything from uploaded works by Canadian artists to chats on
hockey and politics.' Each forum has many users, each with their
own point of view. Anyone can talk, bias or not, loving or hating
the topic. 'There are no rules about what can or can not go on the
Internet. Legal standards are almost impossible to establish and
even less likely to be enforced on a global link,'. However, this
free flow of information can cause problems. These are evident in
adult forums and the EFF. The Electronic Freedom Foundation is a
group of people that want all information to be available to
anyone. This information can be anything such as; how to build a
car bombs, atomic bombs, working computer virus code, government
files, UFO info, hacking, cracking (copying software), and pheaking
(free telephone calls). This information is illegal in some
countries, and can be harmful or fatal if used. It is still
available because of the freedom of information act. The
information has always been available, but only lately has it
become this easy to get. Adult forums and web pages have created a
stir in the government. There are explicit pictures, novels,
catalog, stories, mail, and even child porn on the net. The
government has set out to stop the child porn but allowed the other
adult material to pass by. It would be improper for a young child
to access this information. To stop this, parents can install
programs to lock out these web pages, but a knowledgeable child can
still get access to them. The government is currently working on
this problem and setting up laws to protect the people who want to
be protected, while not infringing on the rights of the people who
want access to this information.
As you can see, the Internet has the potential to be the
worlds #1 medium. With the ever expanding Web and a growing number
of users, this is only a matter of time. Journalism on the Internet
is only one of many things that will be available through the net.
As these technologies advance, barriers will be broken, rules set,
and the world's knowledge will be a phone call and a mouse click
away.
Footnotes in Order
Bill Kempthorne, 'Internet, So What?', The Computer Paper,
September, (1995), p. 20
Trueman, 'The 1995 Canadian Internet Awards', The Computer
Paper, September, (1995), p. 94
Michael J. Miller, 'Where Do I Want to Go Today', PC
Magazine, March 28, (1995), P. 75
Sorelle Saidman, 'Online Canadian Content Expanding despite
Prodigy Setback', Toronto Computes, November, (1995), p. 9
Doug Bennet, 'Confessions of an online publisher', Toronto
Computes, November (1995), p. 35
'The Internet Comes of Age' PC Magazine, May 30, (1995), P.
19
Casey Abell, 'Letters', PC Magazine, May 30, (1995), P. 19
Rick Ayre and Don Willmott, 'The Internet Means Business', Pc
Magazine, May 16, (1995), p. 197
Bill Kempthorne, 'Internet, So What?', The Computer Paper,
September, (1995), p. 20
Chris Carder, 'Sports on the Internet a winner', Toronto
Computes, November, (1995), P. 98
Chris Carder, 'Sports on the Internet a winner', Toronto
Computes, November, (1995), P. 98
Patrick McKenna, 'Netscape's Digital Envelope For Internet
Transactions', The Computer Paper, September, (1995), p. 90
Patrick McKenna, 'Netscape's Digital Envelope For Internet
Transactions', The Computer Paper, September, (1995), p. 90
Michael J. Miller, 'Where Do I Want to Go Today', PC
Magazine, March 28, (1995), P. 75
Doug Bennet, 'Confessions of an online publisher', Toronto
Computes, November (1995), p. 37
Michael J. Miller, 'Where Do I Want to Go Today', PC
Magazine, March 28, (1995), P. 75
Bill Kempthorne, 'Internet, So What?', The Computer Paper,
September, (1995), p. 21
Bill Kempthorne, 'Internet, So What?', The Computer Paper,
September, (1995), p. 21
Bill Kempthorne, 'Internet, So What?', The Computer Paper,
September, (1995), p. 21
Sorelle Saidman, 'Online Canadian Content Expanding despite
Prodigy Setback', Toronto Computes, November, (1995), p. 9
Bill Kempthorne, 'Internet, So What?', The Computer Paper,
September, (1995), p. 22