As we begin a new century, the astonishing spread of nationally and internationally accessible computer-based communication networks has touched the imagination of people everywhere. Suddenly, the Internet is in everyday parlance, featured in talk shows, in special business "technology" sections of major newspapers, and on the covers of national magazines. If the Internet is a new world of social behavior it is also a new world for those who study social behavior. This volume is a compendium of essays and research reports representing how researchers are thinking about the social processes of electronic communication and its effects in society. Taken together, the chapters comprise a first gathering of social psychological research on electronic communication and the Internet. The authors of these chapters work in different disciplines and have different goals, research methods, and styles. For some, the emergence and use of new technologies represent a new perspective on social and behavioral processes of longstanding interest in their disciplines. Others want to draw on social science theories to understand technology. A third group holds to a more activist program, seeking guidance through research to improve social interventions using technology in domains such as education, mental health, and work productivity. Each of these goals has influenced the research questions, methods, and inferences of the authors and the "look and feel" of the chapters in this book. Intended primarily for researchers who seek exposure to diverse approaches to studying the human side of electronic communication and the Internet, this volume has three purposes: * to illustrate how scientists are thinking about the social processes and effects of electronic communication; * to encourage research-based contributions to current debates on electronic communication design, applications, and policies; and * to suggest, by example, how studies of electronic communication can contribute to social science itself.

That information and communications technologies (ICTs), such as the Internet, are challenging the very fabric of our political systems can no longer be doubted. Yet the nature of such technologically driven changes and their desirability is hotly contested. This text critically focuses upon the alleged transformations in power relationships between individuals, government and social institutions as they are emerging in what is becoming known as cyberspace: a computer generated public domain which has no territorial boundaries, is controlled by no single authority, enables millions of people to communicate around the world and maybe encourages post-hierarchical control of populations. The ability of computer networks to transcend modern conceptions of time and space has considerable consequences for governance based upon the nation-state. Thus traditional forms of government are said to be weakened by an increasing link to control over global communications in Cyberspace. Hence issues of surveillance, control and privacy in relation to the Internet are coming to the fore as a result of state concern with security, crime and economic advantage. This text explores the issues of surve

The internet has grown in recent years from a fringe cultural phenomenon to a significant site of cultural production and transformation. Internet Culture maps the contours of this new domain of language, politics and identity, locating it within the interconnected histories of technologies of communication and the public sphere. Neither a user's guide to the Net nor a futuristic manifesto, Internet Culture offers instead a critical interrogation of the sustaining myths of the virtual world and of the implications of the current mass migration onto the electronic frontier.
Among the topics discussed in Internet Culture are the virtual spaces and places created by the citizens of the Net, and crucially, their claims to the hotly contested notion of "virtual community". The contributors also examine the communication medium behind the worlds of the Net.

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This important volume reviews the history of the telecommunication superhighway pointing out its beginnings in the interactive TV and broadband highway of the wired cities more than two decades ago. It explains the technological uncertainties of the superhighway and many of its futuristic services, and also gives an understandable review of the technological principles behind today's modern telecommunication networks and systems.
Recognizing that technology is only one factor in shaping the future, the author, a well-recognized telecommunications expert, analyzes the financial, policy, business, and consumer issues that undermine the superhighway. The book concludes by showing that today's switched telephone network and CATV systems already form a telecommunication superhighway carrying voice, data, image, and video communication for a wide variety of services that enable us to stay in contact with anyone anywhere on our planet.
"Highway of Dreams" is written clearly with understandable explanations for nonspecialists. It challenges the technological utopia offered by the promoters of the superhighway and suggests that consumer needs, finance, corporate culture, and policy often have far greater impact on the future than technology alone.

The Internet is so huge and its growth so explosive that it is growing faster than most of us can keep up. Environmental Management Tools on the Internet is your one-stop source when moving through and around the World Wide Web in search of the very best in environmental data-free of cost.
This manual does more than emphasize the tools you need to find valuable information. The manual shows a number of sites where no-cost data can be obtained off the Internet in categories such as water, land/soil, air, hazardous waste, release and risk, and general environment, just to name a few.
Environmental Management Tools on the Internet is a tool that will be useful on a day-to-day basis by scientists and environmentalists, engineers, consultants, educators, and students alike.

E-business is an innovation that brings with it new ways of dealing with customers and business partners, new revenue streams, new ways of processing information, new organization structures, new skill sets, electronic supply chains, new standards and policies, new collaborations, the need for adaptable business strategies and effective management of associated changes. However, e-business and change management have often been addressed as separate issues by organizations, often leading to disappointing results. E-Business Innovation and Change Management addresses e-business innovation and change management issues. It provides an understanding of the interdependence and synergy between the two issues and that a holistic approach is imperative for organizations to survive in this new economy and achieve a competitive advantage. The book includes chapters from leading academics around the world on change management, which has bee identified as an important barrier to e-business success.

Environmental destruction is seen a matter of worldwide concern but as a Third World problem.
Ecology and Equity explores the most ecologically complex country in the world. India's peoples range from technocrats to hunter-gathers and its environments from dense forest to wasteland. The bookanalyses the use and abuse of nature on the sub-continent to reveal the interconnections of social and environmental conflict on the global scale. The authors argue that the root of this conflict is competition within different social groups and between different economic interests for natural resources.
Radical both in its critique of the causes of crisis in India and in its proposals for ecological reform, Ecology and Equity is essential reading for all concerned for the Third World's in the world.

Choose the right programmable logic devices and development tools Understand the design, verification, and testing issues Plan schedules and allocate resources efficiently Choose the right programmable logic devices with this guide to the technolog

Pressures for reform in teacher education have begun to take on the same sense of urgency as school reform. Those faculties of education who have been strong advocates for change in the schools now find themselves the subject of similar pressures from governmental policy makers. Attempts at change have taken place in many different countries and jurisdictions around the world.; This book details, through a series of international vignettes, how teachers are responding to the changing times and social contexts in which they do their work. The authors hold the view that changes are inevitable in teacher education but what is not clear is who will control the changes and whether the end result will actually improve the preparation of teachers. The theme of the book is that the reform of teacher education should be informed by intelligent debate and that any attempt to restructure teacher preparation should result from a careful reconceptualisation of it purposes and processes.

The internet provides one of the most effective marketing tools your company can use to promote your brand, service or products. It offers a whole range of new ways to reach both new and existing customers; support press enquiries; research campaigns; investigate new export markets; set up focus groups; get advice or discuss techniques with other professionals, or simply find the best place to buy balloons for your next product launch!

The opportunities are endless but you need to know what you want to achieve and how to go about achieving it. In this comprehensive book Simon Collin provides all the latest information you need to understand and use the range of new tools available. He points out the pitfalls as well as highlighting the advantages of using the Internet. Whether you are still planning a start-up or if you're hoping to bring your marketing efforts up to date, you will find this book an essential starting point.

E-marketing is packed with references to useful websites and each chapter covers a particular area of marketing and explains how it works on the Net.

This volume presents a wide range of methodological strategies that are designed to take into account the complex, emergent, and continually shifting character of virtual worlds. It interrogates how virtual worlds emerge as objects of study through the development and application of various methodological strategies. Virtual worlds are not considered objects that exist as entities with fixed attributes independent of our continuous engagement with them and interpretation of them. Instead, they are conceived of as complex ensembles of technology, humans, symbols, discourses, and economic structures, ensembles that emerge in ongoing practices and specific situations. A broad spectrum of perspectives and methodologies is presented: Actor-Network-Theory and post-Actor-Network-Theory, performativity theory, ethnography, discourse analysis, Sense-Making Methodology, visual ethnography, multi-sited ethnography, and Social Network Analysis.

Expanded Internet Art is the first comprehensive art historical study of "expanded" internet art practices. Charting the rise of a multidisciplinary approach to online artistic practice in the past decade, the text discusses recent currents in contemporary artistic practice that parallel the explosion of the internet through advances such as social media, smart phones, and faster bandwidth. Internet art is no longer determined solely by its existence on the web; rather, contemporary artists are making more art about informational culture using various methods of both online and offline means. It asks how artists, such as Seth Price, Harm van den Dorpel, Kari Altmann, Artie Vierkant and Oliver Laric, create a critical language in response to the persuasive influence of informational capture on culture and expression, where the environment itself becomes reorganized to be more legible as information.

Scientists in different geographical locations conduct real-time experiments in a virtual shared workspace. E-commerce provides an emerging market for businesses large and small. E-mail, Servers, and Enterprise Resources Planning have revolutionized businesses on every level. People from all over the globe gather in chat rooms. The Internet is here to stay and Internet technologies and applications continue to grow and evolve. The Handbook of Internet Computing presents comprehensive coverage of all technical issues related to the Internet and its applications. It addresses hot topics such as Internet architectures, content-based multimedia retrieval on the Internet, Web-based collaboration, Web search engines, digital libraries, and more. Real-life examples illustrate the concepts so that technical, non-technical and business people can quickly grasp the fundamentals.

In recent years, luxury goods markets have faced significant changes that have influenced both the dynamics of the competition, as well as their strategies. The principal changes include the following: new geographical market development, such as in the Far East, India, and some parts of Africa (these countries are added to a list of already relevant countries that are involved in luxury goods consumption, such as the Emirates, Russia, and South America); diffusion of new media and new technologies in communication, which is characterized by a high degree of interaction; the evolution of distribution channels is underway - these channels are moving towards new forms of integration that utilize both physical digital channels. This has forced firms to revise their strategies and implement multichannel marketing strategies to continue to operate in increasingly international markets that are characterized by increasingly more demanding and informed consumers. This book will enable readers to gain a clear insight into how the luxury goods market operates and amongst other things, focuses on: recent internet and social media strategies adopted by luxury companies and their brands; how luxury companies manage their communication and distribution channels to compete in the market and the impact of digital marketing on their competition; the main models of direct and indirect distribution in the digital channels; how consumers react to multichannel strategies; trends, social commerce and CSR and how luxury companies react; identifying the different social media strategies for luxury companies.

Game studies has been an understudied area within the emerging field of digital media and religion. Video games can reflect, reject, or reconfigure traditionally held religious ideas and often serve as sources for the production of religious practices and ideas. This collection of essays presents a broad range of influential methodological approaches that illuminate how and why video games shape the construction of religious beliefs and practices, and also situates such research within the wider discourse on how digital media intersect with the religious worlds of the 21st century. Each chapter discusses a particular method and its theoretical background, summarizes existing research, and provides a practical case study that demonstrates how the method specifically contributes to the wider study of video games and religion. Featuring contributions from leading and emerging scholars of religion and digital gaming, this book will be an invaluable resource for scholars in the areas of digital culture, new media, religious studies, and game studies across a wide range of disciplines.

This unique book draws on research that constituted the first major nationwide evaluation of the use and impact of key digital health information platforms which were provided to thousands of health consumers in the UK. The authors offer the first comprehensive and detailed comparison of usage and impact of the three major ICT platforms delivering health information - the internet, touch-screen kiosks and digital interactive television. It provides an extensive reference source on how health consumers behave when online, whether this differs according to digital platform or type of user, how users perceive digital health services and what health benefits these services deliver. The book will be invaluable reading for all those interested in digital health information - students, academics, health policy-makers and information managers.

This handy textbook covers all you need to know to begin to use databases such as Microsoft Access.Learning Made Simple books give readers skills without frills. They are matched to the main qualifications, and written by experienced teachers and authors to make often tricky subjects simple to learn. Every book is designed carefully to provide bite-sized lessons matched to learners needs. Building on the multi-million success of the previous series Made Simple Books, Learning Made Simple titles provide both a new colourful way to study and a useful adjunct to any training course. Using full colour throughout, and written by leading teachers and writers, Learning Made Simple books will help readers learn new skills and develop their talents. Whether studying at college, training at work, or reading at home, aiming for a qualification or simply getting up to speed, Learning Made Simple books will give readers the advantage of easy, well-organised training materials in a handy volume with two or four-page sections for each topic for ease of use.

Visual Basic .NET is the most recent version of Microsoft's language for creating Windows programs and developing Internet applications. Visual Basic .NET forms part of the .NET Framework, the development environment now used for all Microsoft programming languages.Visual Basic .NET is an enhanced edition of this popular language, incorporating all the functionality of Visual Basic 6 but with the addition of new object oriented features. Some of the terminology has changed in this new version of the product and the development environment has been enhanced but the main principles remain the same.Visual Basic .NET Made Simple is intended for new programmers, as well as those who are upgrading from earlier versions of Visual Basic and those who have worked in different languages or environments and need to acquire new skills. No previous knowledge of Visual Basic, other languages or object oriented programming is required. However, readers are expected to have a basic knowledge of Windows and its operation.Main topics covered include: Creating applications for Windows XP Writing and testing Visual Basic .NET code Accessing external databases Developing Internet applications

Understanding Decentralized Finance demystifies DeFi, locating the integration points between decentralised and centralized finance to help finance professionals unlock valuable opportunities. DeFi - the next evolution of cryptocurrency - has brought a new wave of investors into the world of finance. As fintechs and financial institutions seek to integrate with DeFi, this book explores its history, its present context, and its future. It explains the world of DeFi by comparing it to the traditional finance sector, highlighting points of similarity, difference and integration. Understanding Decentralized Finance explores the technologies underlying the DeFi market and how they differ from those of traditional financial markets. It scrutinizes the difference between centralized and decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges, how NFTs fit into DeFi and how collectibles can be financialized. Readers will also find out how collateralized loans, derivatives, margin trading and liquidity provision work in a world where there is no centralized institution to coordinate these activities - and how regulators in different jurisdictions are ensuring that financial regulations keep up with these innovations. With examples from key actors in the field, including the movement of luxury organizations like Christie's and Sotheby's into the NFT space and the SushiSwap vampire attack, this is an essential read for anyone working in finance, fintech and technology who needs to understand the fast-moving world of DeFi.

For over 1500 years books have weathered numerous cultural changes remarkably unaltered. Through wars, paper shortages, radio, TV, computer games, and fluctuating literacy rates, the bound stack of printed paper has, somewhat bizarrely, remained the more robust and culturally relevant way to communicate ideas. Now, for the first time since the Middle Ages, all that is about to change.
Newspapers are struggling for readers and relevance; downloadable music has consigned the album to the format scrap heap, and the digital revolution is now about to leave books on the high shelf of history. In "Print Is Dead," Gomez explains how authors, producers, distributors, and readers must not only acknowledge these changes, but drive digital book creation, standards, storage, and delivery as the first truly transformational thing to happen in the world of words since the printing press.

7 Steps to Sharing Your School's Story on Social Media empowers school leaders to use social media through a simple and accessible plan that increases engagement and enhances the school's vision and mission. In a step-by-step guide for easy implementation, this book provides the nuts and bolts, as well as the strategic planning necessary, to ensure intentionality and impact of your social media presence. The authors explain how to measure impact and improve your strategies to ensure important information about your school is conveyed accurately, clearly, and effectively. Whether you use the 7 steps in order or you're just looking for some invigorating new ideas or you want to find new ways to connect, collaborate, and share, there is something for every school leader in this book.

With a vast selection of typefaces now available, there is no excuse for using boring typography in web design. The New Web Typography: Create a Visual Hierarchy with Responsive Web Design shows you how to implement web-safe fonts to create visually appealing and multi-browser-friendly websites while encouraging you to develop designs that express your own unique typographic voice. This book discusses general principles for choosing typefaces for on-screen display and tips for creating a visual hierarchy that works on monitors, tablets, and smartphones. It shares some of the authors' personal experiences to illustrate situations where one font would be more effective than another in giving readers an optimized experience that includes quick download times and an overall aesthetically pleasing presentation. Since good typography is good web design, font selection is a critical aspect of web design. The New Web Typography is more than a simple overview of web typography. It provides practical advice and examples that help you make good decisions in choosing fonts for web design.

Religion and the Internet will present a range of scholarly articles that offer a critical overview of the interdisciplinary study of new media, religion and digital culture. Scholars have documented individuals using computer networks for religious discussions and enagagment since the early 1980s. In the mid 1990s, when the Internet became publicly accessible, scholars began to study how users were translating and transporting their religious practices onto this new digital platform. This collection will cover the development of the study of Religion and the Internet over the past three decades, highlighting the core research topics, approaches and questions that have been explored by key international scholars at the intersection of new media and religion. The collection seeks to present how new forms of religious practices have emerged and been interrogated by scholars. It will also present how religious communities have negotiated their engagement with digital techologies and the online and offline implications this has had for religious practioners and individuals.

Logistics and fulfillment management is unglamorous, complex and expensive, but it is one of the primary factors determining whether an e-business will be profitable. Many enterprises (large and small) rush into the e-business model without adequate consi