Questions for the article “Historical Development”

1.      Why is broadband service the key for the success of online communication? What are the social effects of broadband service? How does the broadband service make digital convergence possible?

Broadband service is quintessential for the success of online communication because without a broadband connection communication via video or audio cannot happen in real time. The social effects of a broadband connection are that different behaviors are displayed by users with faster broadband connections. Broadband service makes digital convergence possible by making streaming videos and audio available at high quality.

2.      Why does the use of World Wide Web open the door of the Internet communication to a much wider audience? In what way does the Web with graphical web browsers move the online communication to “acoustic world” discussed in the pervious class?

The World Wide Web opens the door of Internet communication to a much wider audience by making access to parts of the Internet to the public; before the development of the World Wide Web only the government and academic institutions had access to the Internet. Graphic web browsers move online communications into the acoustic world by combining pictures, video, audio, and text together.

3.      How might telecommunication change if the government supported the development of broadband Internet for everyone?

If the government supported the development of broadband internet for everyone, then people from different socioeconomic backgrounds would be able to benefit from the same access to the Internet and its ideas.

4.      News organizations were changed by the telegraph, and a whole new business of news, that of the wire services, was created because of the telegraph. Discuss other industries that could benefit from rapid dissemination of information and how and why they would benefit from it.

Really any industry could benefit from the instant dissemination of information, from the most up-to-date marketing strategies to instant recalls and spreading of crisis information.

5.      Choose one of the common methods of online communication and think of how it could be improved in terms of facilitating communication between people, ensuring quality communication, and enabling the greatest number of users to distribute information.

If Facebook provided video chat it would get rid of the need for other applications like Facetime. It would also get rid of the need for a completely separate address book, as Facebook would provide you with your friends list.