Lawrence Peter Ampofo
Appendix Three: Glossary of Terms
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- Blogs
- Functioning Core / Non-Integrating Gap
- Natural Language Processing
- Top Level Domains
Appendix Three: Glossary of TermsActor Network Theory: In his 2004 chapter for Hepp, A. et al (2004), Nick Couldry defines Actor Network Theory as a ‘highly influential account within the sociology of science that seeks to explain social order not through an essentialised notion of “the social” but through the networks of connections between human agents, technologies and objects. Entities (whether human or non-human) within those networks acquire power through the number, extensiveness and stability of the connections routed through them, and through nothing else.’ It is Couldry’s definition that will be used as the basis of this thesis. Blogs: Weblogs or blogs are websites that allow its users to create and publish a variety of computer content such as video, audio, text and images (Kolari et al. 2006). Bulletin Boards: Bulletin boards are an older form of social media in which users submit posts or bulletins to topics of interest (Rafaeli, 1986). Bulletin boards have all but been superseded by discussion forums. Cloud Computing: This thesis will take as its definition of cloud computing that offered by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ‘Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction’ (NIST, 2011: 6). Crisis Mapping: Crisis mapping is a form of collaborative computing where individual users upload information to a central site in the case of an emergency. Such information can include images of the ground situation or GPS locations of survivors. The most prominent crisis mapping site is the Africa-based Ushahidi (Meier, 2008). Distributed Computing: Distributed computing is a form of computing where many computers in various locations can be accessed by users to perform tasks (Cummings & Huskamp, 2005). Functioning Core / Non-Integrating Gap: The term Functioning Core, which was developed by Thomas P.M. Barnett, is outlined in his thesis The Pentagon’s New Map and is defined thusly: ‘[t]hose parts of the world that are actively integrating their national economies into a global economy and that adhere to globalization’s emerging security rule set. The Functioning Core at present consists of North America, Europe both “old” and “new,” Russia, Japan and South Korea, China (although the interior far less so), India (in a pockmarked sense), Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, and the ABCs of South America (Argentina, Brazil, and Chile). That is roughly 4 billion out of a global population of more than 6 billion’ (Barnett, 2011: 1). In addition, he added a definition for those countries which lie outside the Functioning Core which he termed the non-Integrating Gap. Barnett defined these countries thusly, ‘Regions of the world that are largely disconnected from the global economy and the rule sets that define its stability. Today, the Non-Integrated Gap is made up of the Caribbean Rim, Andean South America, virtually all of Africa, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East, and most of the South-East Asian littoral. These regions constitute globalization’s “ozone hole,” where connectivity remains thin or absent in far too many cases. Of course, each region contains some countries that are very Core-like in their attributes (just as there are Gap-like pockets throughout the Core defined primarily by poverty), but these are like mansions in an otherwise seedy neighborhood, and as such are trapped by these larger Gap-defining circumstances’ (Barnett, 2011: 1). Identity Theft: Identity theft is the term given to the unsanctioned use of one person’s personal details by another person for their own purposes, according to the Identity Theft in the UK Blog. (2010). Identity Theft is on the Rise in the UK [online]. Available at Information Terrorism: Information terrorism is a concept developed by the scholars Post, Ruby and Shaw (2000) to describe acts of terrorism which use information technology to ensure the successful completion of their strategic objectives. Instant Messaging: Instant messaging is a form of computer mediated communication in which a software program uses internet relay chat to perform real-time communication with users. Early proponents of this include Microsoft Messenger and ICQ. Internet of Things: This thesis takes as its definition of the Internet of Things the International Telecommunications Union’s definition as the connection of devices and objects to the internet and the Web in which ‘[c]onnections will multiply and create an entirely new dynamic network of networks – an internet of things’ (ITU, 2005: 8). Internet Penetration: The term internet penetration refers to the definition offered by the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) for both fixed line and wireless penetration. The number of Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) offering internet connectivity at speeds of at least 256 kilobytes are counted for fixed line DSL lines while wireless penetration is measured by the number of subscriptions to services of at least 256 kilobytes. Organisation for Economic Development, (2011). Broadband and Telecom. Organisation for Economic Development Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry. [online] Available from Market State Terror: Market State Terror is a term defined by the scholar Philip Bobbitt (2008). He contends that market state terror is a direct reaction to the market state which he claimed ‘does not see the State as more than a minimal provider or redistributor. Whereas the nation state justified itself as an instrument to serve the welfare of the people (the nation), the market state exists to maximize the opportunities [of its citizens]. Such a state depends on the international capital markets and, to a lesser degree, on the modern multinational business network [including the news media and NGOs]…in preference to management by national or transnational political bodies.’ Market state terror by extension is ‘just as global, networked, decentralised, and devolved and relies just as much on outsourcing and incentivizing as the market state. It does not depend upon state sponsorship; indeed, in some cases it would appear that al-Qaeda had more influence over the government in whose jurisdiction it worked than did that government over it’ (Bobbitt, 2008: 42). Micromedia / Microblog: Micromedia is the name given to social media content that is pithy and condensed. Examples of this include the status updates on the social networking site Facebook and LinkedIn. Another prominent example of micromedia is Twitter. Users of this service post updates to their individual profile of no more than 140 characters (Owyang, 2007). Moore’s Law: Moore’s Law refers to a prediction made by the co-founder of the semiconductor company Intel that ‘transistor density on integrated circuits doubles about every two years’ enabling the increasing computational power of microprocessors used in personal computers. Intel, (2005). Moore’s Law: Raising the Bar. Intel Corporation. [online] Available at Natural Language Processing: NLP is the term given to software programs that attempt to comprehend items of text in natural language and not as structured forms. This type of software seeks to understand the complexities of language such as slang and sarcasm for example. Net Neutrality: Internet neutrality refers to the notion that online users are free to use any internet application without interference from internet service providers (Save the Internet Coalition, 2011). Open Source Software: Open source software is the definition given to software whose source code is available for developers to work with. According to the Open Source Initiative, the term can be defined as any software that adheres to the following code: free redistribution, access to the source code, permission to allow modifications and alterations, if patches are required then only the redistribution of the modified source code is permitted, the software cannot discriminate against any person or group of persons, no discrimination against the industry of use is permitted, the software must not restrict other software, and the software must be technology neutral. (Open Source Initiative, 2011). Phishing: Phishing is the name given to a criminal practice that involves criminals posing as a trustworthy source with the intent of defrauding people of either money or information. (2011). The Phishing Guide. Technical Info [online]. Available at Semantic Web: The Semantic Web is a different version of the World Wide Web in which software protocols are developed in order to make content on the Web more accessible by other services such as search engines and social networks. This thesis will take as its overarching definition of the Web the following from the WC3 Consortium ‘[t]he Semantic Web is the extension of the World Wide Web that enables people to share content beyond the boundaries of applications and websites. It has been described in rather different ways: as a utopic vision, as a web of data, or merely as a natural paradigm shift in our daily use of the Web. Most of all, the Semantic Web has inspired and engaged many people to create innovative semantic technologies and applications’ (WC3.org, 2011: 1). Source Code: the thesis will take as its explanation of source code the definition offered by the Linux Information Project as ‘the version of software as it is originally written (i.e., typed into a computer) by a human in plain text (i.e., human readable alphanumeric characters)’ (Linux Information Project, 2011: 1). Tethered Appliances: Zittrain (2007) uses the term tethered appliances in which he claims that devices such as iPods, iPhones and PlayStations, can only be modified by the makers of the appliance. This is in contrast to the scope of creativity possible on the internet and the Web. Zittrain claims that the ‘shift to tethered appliances and locked-down PCs will have a ripple effect on long-standing cyberlaw problems, many of which are tugs-of-war between individuals with a real or perceived injury from online activity and those who wish to operate as freely as possible in cyberspace…A shift to tethered appliances also entails a sea change in the regulability of the Internet. With tethered appliances, the dangers of excess come not from rogue third- party code, but from the much more predictable interventions by regulators into the devices themselves, and in turn into the ways that people can use the appliances… It invites regulatory intervention that disrupts a wise equilibrium that depends upon regulators acting with a light touch, as they traditionally have done within liberal societies.’ (Zittrain, 2007: 102). Transit Country: A Transit Country is the name given to a country that is perceived to act as transit points into Europe for illegal immigrants from other countries. Morocco, for example, is seen as just such a transit country for illegal immigration into Spain (Düvell, 2007). Top Level Domains: Top level domains are the country domains denoted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers such as .com, .co.uk, .fr. User Generated Content: User generated content (UGC) is used to denote computer users who create computer-readable content (Hetcher, 2007). Visible Web: The Visible Web is the name given to the pages of the Web that have been indexed by commercial search engines and are therefore searchable. The converse of the Visible Web is the Invisible Web or Deep Web which contains a vast amount of web pages that have not yet been indexed by commercial search engines (Sherman & Price, 2002). Directory: portal -> files -> 4733003 files -> Impact case study (ref3b) files -> Ethics and Factual Television: a short history files -> P. O. Box 27, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland tel. 358-9-191 58080 / 22216; fax 358-9-191 58096 / 23008 files -> The impact of a pledge campaign and the promise of publicity: a randomized controlled trial of charitable donations files -> Diversity and Voice: the Political Participation of Young People in the European Union files -> Chapter 15 a voice in Decision Making: young children in Denmark Stig Broström Introduction Download 1.29 Mb. Share with your friends:
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