Sourcing Pop Culture In an Internet Culture

Pop culture has been around for a few decades. It couldn't truly exist until the technology was developed that would make possible the dissemination of so many different forms of media in such a short period of time to so many people. Radio and film kicked the whole thing off and now here we are, a hundred years later watching as the industry grows ever larger and beyond the scope of sympathetic definition.

It's a beast, a monstrous, mechanical beast. But, like any beast that humanity doesn't understand, it will probably soon be taken down. This isn't so much idle prognostication though. It's already happening. Pop culture is evolving quickly and it's because, once again, of technology.

Over the years, things change in the world. Pop culture adapts to the mindset of the culture it targets and while it may seem like the industries are setting the agenda, more often than not, major companies scramble to and fro, trying to put together the next big craze based on what the people want.

What happens, is one company will take a calculated risk, releasing something that no one thought would be successful; something like comic books in the 30s or video games in the 90s. Today, it's hard to think of comic books, as not having been a major force, in pop media. But, in the 1930s, when the kids behind Superman were first publishing their bravado and explosions of pop story telling, a lot of people were skeptical. It didn't matter though. The kids loved comic books and soon the industry was booming and dozens of books were released every week.

You can look at reality television in today's market. The first network reality TV show was Survivor. With monumental ratings, every other station followed suit. It's how the industry works. One company takes a gamble and the rest wait to see what happens. When that gamble pays off, they all jump in head first. If it fails, they point and laugh as though they wouldn't have followed suit.

Which makes today's developments in pop culture all the more intriguing. Not only is it much more rare for the industry to properly read the consumers these days, anomalies of popularity arise all the time. And it's because companies can no longer market their goods to the entire population and hope for good numbers. Today's pop culture is no longer truly "pop culture" in the sense that everything is broken down.

Beyond the presence of a dozen different demographics that no one truly understands, there is the internet, and this is the crux of my point. The internet has redefined how pop culture exists and what is defined as truly popular and important in today's media. There are no companies online telling people what to like and what not to like. Instead, it is the people online, sorting through millions of videos, songs, books, and movie trailers to decide what they want to watch or listen to.

Websites like YouTube have become so prevalent in the spread of the next big thing and the 15 seconds of fame (or less, these days) that certain video creators have actually found honest celebrity offline as well. The internet is no longer a giant encyclopedia to which school age children turn for homework advice and middle age men turn to for pornography. It's the world's largest forum for the free spread of ideas and new media and that power has started to make the internet a bigger force than television or radio. Already, you see more "next big thing" bands come from the bowls of Myspace and Facebook buzz instead of MTV. MTV rarely bothers to play music anymore, let alone participate in the dialog over what is good and what is bad.

So, the people are in control of their media then, yes? If only that were the case, the power these companies wield over us could finally start to diminish. Rather, the companies are finding themselves forced to rethink their entire approach to marketing. Because of the sheer volume of new ideas presented on YouTube and the like, the ones that sink in, have to be truly original and exciting. No one wants to see the same old schlock online that they see on TV. They don't have to. There are thousands of genius videos that go beyond the schlock.

So, it is that everyone from car companies to political figures are taking their messages to the internet and trying new and exciting things to stimulate the quarter second attention spans of so many of today's youth. The end result is a society that relies on brilliant new ideas that can be produced en masse, hundreds at a time, to keep everyone happy. The move to force creativity and intelligent thought out of today's artists and media executives is amazing, but the problem with that creativity is that it quickly turns to gimmickry. Everything is now a gimmick instead of a progression, and gimmicks are easily mimed, which only leads us down the same path we've been down a thousand times before; that of waiting to see what the next big thing will be.

Information Infrastructure Design in IT

As life progresses, new information emerges in turn leading to further progress of mankind! Information remains to be like a limitless ocean. It is infinite and extends till eternity. Information technology (IT) involves the management of information on computer-based information systems. IT deals with the use of computers to store, process and retrieve information. The construction and design of a safe, reliable and an always-available information infrastructure is an important constituent of information systems and IT.

Information Infrastructure
Information Infrastructure is the collection of communication networks and the software associated with it. It refers to the networks and the software, which supports interaction among people and organizations. Information infrastructure refers to the currently available networks and the prospective facilities that they will make available. It includes the Internet, the telecommunication networks and the embedded systems as also the computers.

Internet that is regarded as the network of networks is the information infrastructure of today. It is a collection of interconnected computer networks that transmit data in the form of packets using the Internet Protocol. Each of the networks carries information and services like mail and file transfer. World wide web, a collection of documents and other resources, is a service offered by the Internet.

Information infrastructure design is concerned with issues like privacy, security, translation, right to information and most of all the software and hardware compatibilities. Let us look at each of them.

• Privacy: Privacy of information is related to the collection of personal information. Many a time we are asked to furnish our personal details on the web. It might be in case of an online transaction or in the process of a registration. Such information collected over the web has to be kept private and confidential. People should feel safe while letting out such information. For this purpose, it is important to include information privacy in the design of information infrastructure.
• Information Security: Securing information is about protecting it from unauthorized access, disclosure or modification. An unauthorized access to information should not result in destruction of that information. Information security deals with confidentiality, availability and integrity.
  1. Confidentiality: It is preventing the information from being disclosed through unauthorized access.
  2. Availability: Computing systems that store information and the communication channels that enable access to it, must function properly. The information in an information system should be available for the users at any time.
  3. Integrity: In information security, integrity means that the information cannot be modified without authorization.
• Rights surrounding Information: Citizens have a right to obtain information. They are allowed to access copies of certain official documents. Law allows us as citizens of a country to access information. Information rights pertain to possession of the rights to copy or modify the acquired information. People who create content are its logical owners. So anyone other than the author cannot modify it. One is not permitted to steal content of another author. Rights to translation of content are as prescribed by law. To organize information in an information infrastructure, it is necessary to manage the rights to information.
• Compatibility issues: While accessing information over the web, different users access it in different ways. The software and hardware they use is different. The type of communication network over which they access information may be different. Here arise the compatibility issues. Looking at the pace with which new types of software and hardware are being built, backward compatibility of newer versions with the older ones is a serious concern.

National Information Infrastructure is associated with Information Infrastructure. It relates to the integrated communication system of the US. It takes into account the high-speed public and private broadband and narrowband networks. It also includes the satellite, wireless and terrestrial communications. It is inclusive of all the information that flows over the infrastructure.

Free Information Infrastructure
Free Information Infrastructure is a term used in Europe and it resembles the National Information Infrastructure. The use of the word 'free' in the term in intended to focus on freedom and the internet which is freely accessible. It comprises no software patents. It sometimes refers to open source software. It is about free access, open standards, network neutrality and less control by state.

Global information Infrastructure
Global Information Infrastructure is an upcoming communication framework that is meant to connect the computer and telecommunication networks all over the world. Currently the Internet is considered as the Global Information Infrastructure.

Information infrastructure in IT is actually a vast subject. It deals with the creation, design and organization of information. It focuses on an information infrastructure that caters to the security and access needs of information. In the words of William Pollard, "Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision-making, it is a burden, not a benefit." This briefly describes the goal of an information infrastructure design!

Cyber Culture : One Look

It has made information access easy. It is very fast. It has crossed so many boundaries. It has created a new world, a new space and a new culture.

A network of network - an Internet had changed a world's information access and communication. Search engine has played wide role in mining data and information from Internet. Portals like Yahoo and MSN played key roles in getting large awareness in public. They made communication easier. Chat room - is becoming new friendship and chitchat mechanism. No one sitting on Internet believes in restrictions of religion, caste and countries. It has mixed up so many cultures on new platform. It is in other terms "Cyber Culture".

Cyber Culture

Cyber culture is the culture that emerges from the use of computers for communication and entertainment and business.

Cyber culture comprehends the human-machine social levels involved in what was previously defined as cyberspace. Cyber culture engages into political, philosophical and psychological issues engendered by humans in the network.

Cyber culture Luxembourg: It is defined as "a collection of cultures and cultural products that exist on and/or are made possible by the Internet, along with the stories told about these cultures and cultural products."

Cyber culture" refers specifically to new technologies in two areas: artificial intelligence (particularly computer and information technologies) and biotechnology.... They embody the realization that we increasingly live and make ourselves in techno-biocultural environment structured by novel forms of science and technology.

Cyber culture is in direct relation of cyber space similar as every culture is within boundary of a specific country.

Concept of Cyber Space

The concept of cyberspace thus evolves out of a coincidence of developments including:

1. Philosophy that has led us to question our role and agency in creating and understanding the world;

2. Media technologies that link that with changes in perceptions of space, time and location in the world;

3. Art and architecture that familiarizes us with picturing and desiring imaginary spaces, designed "to order";

4. Mathematics that creates the ability to graphically represent and read space, time and place differently.

Culture Components

Chat Rooms: Internet Gardens

Chat rooms are rooms where people of common interests, or not common at all, can meet up with each other, and talk over the computer. Talking over the Internet by use of chat rooms and instant messages can be very positive. Chat rooms give people a chance to talk without making a first impression by eye. In other words, in chat rooms you can't see who you are talking to, but in face to face talking, the person is right in front of you

Digital Libraries

Internet includes millions of web pages that provide you text in context of information and data. One can go about conducting research on the Internet by looking up search engines online. Some search engines include Lycos, Yahoo, Alta Vista, and many more. To look up information via search engines is very simple, type in the information and then click on search. Even people with the slightest computer knowledge can find information with almost no hassle whatsoever.

Cyber Robbers

Privacy is not guaranteed anywhere on the Internet. To provide credit card numbers, phone numbers, and other private personal information is not safe. Email intrusion, important business information breaks up or theft and credit card numbers intrusions are normal types of hacking techniques used by cyber robbers. Internet is not safe medium only because of such culture violators.

Cyber Laws

To fight against hackers and unethical behavior cyber laws are drafted. However it depends on countries' acceptance and rules. Yet most of countries have shown their keen interest in following standard cyber laws.

Cyber bullied - Victim of Unethical behavior on Internet

Internet is the perfect tool for reaching others anonymously - anytime, anyplace. There are several ways that young people bully others online. They send e-mails or instant messages containing insults or threats directly to a person. They may also spread hateful comments about a person through e-mail, instant messaging or postings on Web sites and online diaries. Cyber bulling is taken seriously in Cyber laws stating it is a crime to communicate repeatedly with someone if your communication causes them to fear for their own safety or the safety of others.

Cyber addiction

Psychologists are buzzing with discussion about a new type of addiction - Internet addiction. People are seems to be on Internet for hours without any specific purpose. "Addictions" can be healthy, unhealthy, or a mixture of both. If you are fascinated by a hobby, feel devoted to it, would like to spend as much time as possible pursuing it - this could be an outlet for learning, creativity, and self-expression. Even in some unhealthy addictions you can find these positive features embedded within the problem. It is also claimed by many people regarding internet as nothing pornography and cybersex . Cyberspace is maliciously eating your life, and when it is nourishing it.

Nobody can change human mind or behavior at all. Technology is any way tool for them. If good brain knows how best he can use technology, evil mind understands it too. But one thing is sure for all in cyber culture public is only human being. Behavior and success in cyber culture depends on us only.

In other words.

"Some would argue, perhaps, that such advanced technologies may not, after all, be of interest or indeed necessity to certain sections of society or regions of the world. . . Such arguments, however, only underline a tendency not only to create and perpetuate underclasses, but also to assume a liberal right to speak for such constituencies. Clearly, for billions of people around the world, cyberspace and connectivity are not a priority. . . but surely, a technology as versatile and increasingly domineering as that of cybercommunication holds inevitable possibilities, and consequences, for not just the minority that presently accesses and controls it, but for many others, too" - Oguibe

However considering Cyber culture as Robotics theory, it can be concluded: -

"The Three Laws of Robotics (Isaac Asimov (1941))
1. A robot may not injure a human being or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm;
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except when such orders would conflict with the First Law;
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."

I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I am the Internet – I am Intelligent

I see through the pop ups, the pop unders, the spyware, adware and malware,
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I understand the difference between press copy and user generated content.
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I can make out the difference between paid UGC and ‘real’ UGC,
(if you had to browse up or think for a moment about the full form of UGC, you know I am talking to you).
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I understand the difference between article marketing and people genuinely writing,
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I understand that a widescreen is useless unless media is actually shot that way.
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I understand that free antivirus software gives me minimal security.
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I know ninety percent of user reviews on websites are ad copy (what the heck, I wrote them a while back).
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I have in-built ad-blindness and therefore I don’t care whether the ‘free’ stuff at websites are ‘ad supported’.
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I know I am Important, because I can type a straight sentence in today’s world.
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I know that most companies that say they have ‘robust infrastructure’ and ‘cutting edge technology’ do not have any idea what it is actually means.
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.

I understand when a commercially minded individual contacts me on my social network.
I am the Internet, I am Intelligent.