Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Communication and Cyberspace 1-2

I found Dramatism and Virtual Reality very interesting.  The virtual scene I found particularly interesting because theater revolves around a fourth wall.  Some people break it but most people keep the fourth wall and becomes something for the audience to look into.  The book says that the virtual scene "always remains in flux."  the virtual scene is used for video battles, airplane cockpits, hospital operating rooms, and driving lessons.  It is used so that the participant can be able to perform this virtual scene in an actual environment.  In the theater the occupants in the scene are who the actor can use in the specific scene.  In a virtual scene it is never complete and always changing.  The viewer or part6icipant can change the sce3ne and who they interact with.  It does not need to be the same group of people or the same scenario which is what the theater revolves around.  In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, virtual reality was introduced.  This book shows that the virtual reality used all the senses.  We can see this now through the virtual reality that people use to practice their craft and make sure that things are perfect.

Another interesting part of the book was the problem of privacy on the internet.  there have been many cases where people loose their identity or they are fired or not hired because of what they put on a certain social networking site.  The internet is a great way for people share information and learn new information.  Sadly anything that is put on the internet will never completely be erased.  When people use Facebook and put pictures up and show the world what you have been doing.  Yes, Facebook has privacy settings but they can be easily hacked into.  This happens all the time on Facebook.  When you erase a picture it is never fully erased.  People are not hired depending on what sites they are on and what type of interests, pictures, and comments are on their Facebook.  Online banking has become very popular but it is unsettling because an experienced hacker can easily get your credit information and steal everything in your account.  People need to be careful of what they put on the internet because it is like permanent marker never coming off or leaving you.
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3 comments:

  1. Privacy, and ethics in general, are problematic online. Can a virtual act be considered immoral, unethical, even criminal, and under what circumstances are people held responsible or absolved from responsibility?

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  2. Brave New World is one of my favorite books. I think it is a good look at the schism between technology and reality. We can fall far from the places that our ancestors have pushed us up too quite easily.

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  3. Its an interesting question that Professor Strate has. If a criminal act happened online, how far do you take the punishment? How is it measured? Would the punishments be the same as if the act where done physically? I think that punishments would have to vary case by case before rules are set in place. It would end up being very controversial.

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