1: Living Online - How We Got Here

Globalization

The study of integration at an international level.

Neoliberalism

An ideology that favours the expansion of global trade and opposes restrictions placed by government or regulations.

Global Village Concept

Attempts to explain the structures that influence all of humanity; reflects the increased ability for people and processes to operate internationally.

Information Society

A society where the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information is a significant economic, political, and cultural activity.

Technological Determinism

The theory that technology dictates social change in a prescribed manner, with individuals having little control.

Social Constructivism

The view that technology is shaped by social, cultural, economic, and political arrangements.

Creative Destruction

A process where new products and services replace old ones, often causing displacement in the job market.

Post-Fordism

An approach to production that is decentralized and geographically scattered, creating more efficient sharing.

Information Age

An era marked by the shift from industrial production to information technology leading to growth in information-centric societies.

Costs of Technological Change

The economic and social impacts resulting from technological advancement, including job displacement and changes in worker skills.

What is the Digital Divide?

The gap between those who have ready access to computers and the Internet, and those who do not, often due to socioeconomic or geographical factors.

Define Internet Governance.

The development and application by governments, the private sector, and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programs that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

What characterizes Global Digital Culture?

The shared norms, values, and practices that emerge from the widespread use of digital technologies and the internet, transcending national borders.

Explain Surveillance Capitalism.

An economic system where personal data is harvested and commodified for profit, often through tracking online behavior to predict and modify consumer actions.

What is Algorithmic Bias?

Systematic and repeatable errors in a computer system that create unfair outcomes, such as favoring one arbitrary grouping of users over others, stemming from biased data or design.

What is the concept of 'Network Society'?

A society whose social structure is organized around information networks, supported by information technologies and influenced by the internet.

Describe 'Digital Millennium Copyright Act' (DMCA).

A US copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), criminalizing production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works.

What is 'Technocentrism'?

A belief that technology and technological solutions are the most effective way to address social and human problems, often overlooking other factors.

Define 'Information Overload'.

The difficulty in understanding an issue and making decisions when one has too much information about that issue, often leading to mental fatigue or cognitive paralysis.

What is 'Digital Citizenship'?

The responsible and ethical use of technology by individuals, including understanding their rights