NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Internet network gave birth to the entirely new information space cyberspace, and even the new type of culture - cyber culture. Cyberspace is a new information medium that allows communicating in a more efficient, and unique way. What does it mean? Communication, indeed is the most important "mineral wealth that can be found in internet. Information medium offers to the users not only the possibility to find any kind of data, but, above all, it offers new possibilities of communication. Can we rely on cyberspace for communicating with other?
What role does cyberspace plays in how people receive and disseminate information? It is a common knowledge that communication in cyberspace occurs in various ways. According the scientists, there are two types of communication synchronous communication, where communication occurs in real time (here and now), and asynchronous communication that implies the delayed response. Synchronous communication involves internet chats (i. e.
IRC Internet Relay Chat), role games MUDs (Multi-User Dimension - internet game that allows a large number of users to interact and play simultaneously), while the second type of communication includes internet blogging, web-based forums, discussion lists, guest books, e-mail, and mailing lists, to mention a few (Ermann, 1990). In contrast to real-time internet chats, web-based forums and internet blogs are mostly oriented to delayed type of communication, as far as the user is supposed to leave the message and gets a reply in several hours or even days. Communication in cyberspace can be also symbolically categorized in compliance with the peculiarity of communication trend - communication for the purposes of communication alone (for example, internet chats dedicated to flood, general topics, etc), and other purposes (for example, thematic internet blogs, or web-based forums). However, in whatever form the communication occurs, cyberspace communication significantly differs from the communication that occurs in reality (Brin, 1998). In order to understand whether we can rely on cyberspace for communicating with other as well as the role cyberspace plays in how we receive and disseminate information, it is very important to understand the major features of virtual communication in cyberspace.
It is quite difficult to rely on cyberspace for communicating with other people, as when the person communicates in cyberspace, the major part of information about the other side comes in the form of text messages (Spinello, 2000). When we communicate in internet, we rarely have chance to observe face expression of the other side, to observe his posture, gestures, etc. Rarely can we hear the voice of the other party, as well as his intonations while he speaks. We can hear and see the other party only when the web camera or IP phone works.
There is a possibility to send photos and to communicate using videoconference's; however, the major part of the information about the other side comes in the form of text messages. In such a way, visual and auditory components of communication in cyberspace are limited. Yet, it should be said in all fairness that non-verbal language in cyberspace does exist, as there is a possibility to express feelings and emotions with the help of smiles. For example, combination (expresses a playful smile, while; -/ is used to express skepticism. There are special sets of graphic smiles aimed to express various types of emotions. The vast majority of them bears semblance of stylized face expressions and is widely used to show smile, laughing, tears, anger, etc.
However, it should be noted that although these smiles' help people to express their real emotions, they also allow them expressing the emotions they want to show. While in reality such tricks may be played by artistic persons only, as it is quite difficult to pretend being happy while bursting with tears, cyberspace allow all users to pretend whom they want to be. To a certain extent such impossibility to make distinction between the real emotions and the false ones makes difficult to believe in real nature of the other sides emotions and sometimes makes impossible to rely on cyberspace for communicating with other people. Yet another thing that can make difficult relying on cyberspace for communicating with other people is the uncertainty in the users identity. What does it mean? As far as cyberspace communication is relatively limited, the process of communication usually occurs in textual form.
In such a way, the cyberspace user receives the possibility to pretend of being somebody else and gets an opportunity to manage the impression the other cyberspace users have concerning his personality (Smith, 1999). The cyberspace user, therefore, can choose whom he want to look like, thus being able to construct the image of the self he wants, or remaining anonymous. The internet user is able to choose any name he wants, and, in the vast majority of multiuser environments (such as internet chats, forums, blogs, livejournal's, etc) he can also choose an avatar graphic picture, or graphic representation of the self. In such a way, in cyberspace people are able to choose whom they wants to be, to look like anybody they want, and to choose the sex (to choose male or female image), etc. To put it differently, cyberspace has no limitations similar to the limitations present in the real world. The next aspect of cyberspace communication is anonymity.
On the one hand, anonymity allows the users in cyberspace to feel free and to speak more freely, thus eliminating the boundaries of the censorship and enabling all-embracing freedom of speech. Anonymity allows people to be honest and open during the discussions of important problems. However, on the other hand, anonymity may be used to do harm. For example, some internet users prefer anonymity as it enables them to offend the feelings of other people, or to express negative emotions in relation to the others. However, the situation is not as complex as it may be seen. The subject at issue is that it is impossible to be completely anonymous even in cyberspace, as the users often present personal and business information related to their personalities (i.
e. personal and business web pages, visual and textual information in user profiles, etc). From this point of view it may be even said that the parameter of anonymity is used not to hide information about the user, but, more often, to present as many as possible facts and information about the person, as well as his beliefs and standpoints (Turkle, 1995). Taking into account this fact, it can be assumed that anonymity facilitates communication in cyberspace, makes easier relying on cyberspace for communicating with the others, and allows receiving and disseminating information freely. In addition, the users in cyberspace have equal opportunities to express their opinions, viewpoints, and arguments in relation to all possible subjects and issues, whether it involves politics, social and cultural events, or something else.
Although the status the person has in his real life will obviously influence his life (and his image of life) in cyberspace, all users, initially, enjoy equal opportunities. Cyberspace also extends intensity-time boundaries. It means, that if compared with the face-to-face communications, the participants of cyberspace communication have more time to post their replies (Rochlin, 1997). Besides, this feature of cyberspace communication, namely, the possibility to 'fix' information allows the users to replay and re-experience the dialogue and to provide with more detailed and more thorough answer. Cultural and social diversity is another important aspect of communication in cyberspace (Baird, 2000). Internet allows communicating with people belonging to different cultures and different social classes, including those, with whom the person is unable to communicate with in his real life.
This aspect allows the information to be received and disseminated freely. Personally I am aware of potential dangers of communication in cyberspace and consider that due to limited nature of communication in internet and taking into account all possible features of such sort of communication as well as the role cyberspace plays in how we receive and disseminate information, it is quite difficult to rely on cyberspace for communicating with others in all instances. However, despite of an abundance of unknown users and sources of information present in cyberspace, there are credible internet sources as well as people whom you are familiar to. As far as I prefer communicating with real people, I use Facebook, - an online networking tool that allows to add real friends, and to talk to the users I know. Such online networking tools are quite popular with college students, as they provide with the possibility to share information, to add friends and simply unknown users you want to communicate with, to keep track on what's new, to talk to people you live, study, or work with, to search and to do many other interesting things. However, it should be taken into account that such social networks may cause both good and harm.
For example, MySpace was a good social networking tool, however, due to too many spammers the developers of this project have stopped innovating. Apart from that, MySpace is not as safe as Facebook as it has no network-driven structure. There may be also some safety and privacy concerns, as according to The Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there were several attempts to use such web networks to target children online in order to engage in sexual activity. However, in case managed properly, such social networks may be safe for the youth and may have additional advantages in tracking user behavior in order to detect problems early. References Baird, R. (2000).
Cyberethucs, Social & Moral Issues in the Computer Age. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Brin, D. (1998). The Transparent Society.
New York, NY: Perseus Books. Ermann, M. (1990). Computer Ethics & Society. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rochlin, G. (1997). Trapped in the Net: The Unanticpated Consequences of Computerization. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Smith, M. (1999). Communities in Cyberspace. London: Routledge.
Spinello, R. (2000). Cyberethics, Morality and Law in Cyberspace. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the Screen.
Simon and Schuster. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Free research essays on topics related to: equal opportunities, vast majority, simon and schuster, taking into account, social networks
Research essay sample on Taking Into Account Simon And Schuster
