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Showing papers in "The Information Society in 1999"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that having a home computer is associated with higher test scores in mathematics and reading, even after controlling for family income and for cultural and social capital.
Abstract: This article assesses the effects of home computers on school performance, and examines inequalities in educational payoff among those children who have home computers. We find that having a home computer is associated with higher test scores in mathematics and reading, even after controlling for family income and for cultural and social capital. However, children from high socioeconomic status (SES) homes achieve larger educational gains from home computers than do lower SES children. Boys' performance advantage is larger than girls'. Ethnic minorities gain far less of a performance boost than whites. Home computing may generate another ''Sesame Street effect'' whereby an innovation that held great promise for poorer children to catch up educationally with more affluent children is in practice increasing the educational gap between affluent and poor, between boys and girls, and between ethnic minorities and whites, even among those with access to the technology.

321 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The argument is developed that the primary barrier to the successful commercial development of the Web is the current lack of consumer trust in this new commercial medium.
Abstract: While there is no question that the commercial development of the World Wide Web is still in its infancy and growing rapidly, this development faces a serious barrier to ultimate commercialization. In this article we develop the argument that the primary barrier to the successful commercial development of the Web is the current lack of consumer trust in this new commercial medium. This lack of trust is engendered primarily by the industry's documented failure to respond satisfactorily to mounting consumer concerns over information privacy in electronic, networked environments. We examine how such concerns are affecting the growth and development of consumer-oriented commercial activity on the World Wide Web and investigate the implications of these concerns for potential industry response. In the short run, the commercial development of the Web depends on giving consumers the opportunity to be anonymous when engaging in information exchanges and online transactions. Ultimately, however, commercial Web pro...

317 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Sociology and computer science are combined to compare face-to-face (f2f) and computer-mediated communications (CMC) from the viewpoint of their respective abilities to form and sustain communities.
Abstract: In this article we combine the perspectives of sociology and computer science to compare face-to-face (f2f) and computer-mediated communications (CMC) from the viewpoint of their respective abilities to form and sustain communities. We also identify a third type of community-a hybrid-that is based on a combination of faceto-face (f2f) and CMC, or off- and online communications. The article thus in effect addresses an oft-asked question: Can virtual communities be "real", have the same basic qualities as f2f communities? The article is exploratory, because much of the necessary evidence has not yet been generated, and the relevant technologies are rapidly changing.

287 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article identifies a number of major rationales and contexts for anonymity and identifiability and suggests a principle of truth in the nature of naming, which holds that those who use pseudonyms on the Internet in personal communications have an obligation to indicate they are doing so.
Abstract: To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of either the recent death or coming dominance of anonymity have been greatly exaggerated. This article is a beginning effort to lay out some of the conceptual landscape needed to better understand anonymity and identifiability in contemporary life. I suggest seven types of identity knowledge, involving legal name, location, symbols linked and not linked back to these through intermediaries, distinctive appearance and behavior patterns, social categorization, and certification via knowledge or artifacts. I identify a number of major rationales and contexts for anonymity (free flow of communication, protection, experimentation) and identifiability (e.g., accountability, reciprocity, eligibility) and suggest a principle of truth in the nature of naming , which holds that those who use pseudonyms on the Internet in personal communications have an obligation to indicate they are doing so. I also suggest 13 procedural questions to guide the development and assessment of any in...

242 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A rhetorical analysis of the two harassment episodes sheds light on the means used to construct and maintain asymmetrical gender and power dynamics in different modes of CMC.
Abstract: This article compares two extended interactions that took place recently on the Internet, one from a recreational Internet Relay Chat (IRC)channel, and the other from an academic listserv discussion group. The two interactions exhibit similar gender dynamics, which can be characterized as harassment of female by male participants. This harassment takes different forms, in keeping with the possibilities inherent in the two modes of computer-mediated communication. Whereas female participants on IRC are kicked off the channel, in the discussion group harassers must rely exclusively on language to intimidate and silence. This "rhetoric of harassment" crucially invokes libertarian principles of freedom of expression, constructing women's resistance as "censorship." A rhetorical analysis of the two harassment episodes thus sheds light on the means used to construct and maintain asymmetrical gender and power dynamics in different modes of CMC.

202 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Online forums on the Internet hold the promise of facilitating the formation and operation of citizen associations, as well as the need to meet at one common time, and the potentially high costs of participation.
Abstract: Political theorists like Alexis de Tocqueville have long recognized the importance of citizen associations for the practice of democracy. Through participation in associations, citizens both receive an education in public affairs and create centers of political power independent of the state. Essential to participation in an association is participation in a forum, a communication space that allows for many-to-many communication in which citizens can "treat of public affairs in public" (Tocqueville, 1945, p. 109). Participation in forums suffers from numerous barriers, however, such as the need to meet in one common place, the need to meet at one common time, and the potentially high costs of participation. Online forums on the Internet avoid many of these barriers, and thus they hold the promise of facilitating the formation and operation of citizen associations. This was confirmed in 1995 by the experiences of a Boston-based citizen association, the Telecommunication Policy Roundtable-Northeast (TPR-NE)...

151 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: C'est ce that se propose d'approfondir, sous forme of reflexion personnelle, l'auteur de cet article.
Abstract: Quel est le sens de l'anonymat a l'heure de l'ere electronique et de l'information en surabondance ? C'est ce que se propose d'approfondir, sous forme de reflexion personnelle, l'auteur de cet article.

130 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The researcher discovered that traditionally masculine and feminine forms of discourse dominate the chatrooms, and the groups constructed and maintained normative forms of behavior.
Abstract: This study explores the gendered discourse of social-based computer-mediated contexts. Specifically, the critical ethnography explicates the patterns of discourse of both a sports-related (masculine-dominated) chatroom and a female-based (feminine-dominated) chatroom. Through the participant observations, the researcher discovered that traditionally masculine and feminine forms of discourse dominate the chatrooms. Furthermore, the groups constructed and maintained normative forms of behavior. Masculine participants were aggressive, argumentative, and power oriented. While feminine participants sought relationships and intimacy, they were often dominated and overpowered by the aggressive discourse of the masculine members. The findings have significant implications for the construction of gender in cyberspace, the normative behavior of computer-mediated communication, and power and gender in the use of technology.

82 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Findings were that online anonymous communication is morally neutral; that it should be considered a strong human and constitutional right; that online communities should be allowed to set their own policies on the use of anonymous communication; and that individuals should be informed about the extent to which their identity is disclosed online.
Abstract: The Internet offers new opportunities for anonymous and pseudonymous communications. Users can, for example, engage in political advocacy, receive counseling, and perform commercial transactions without disclosing their identities. The cloak of anonymity can also facilitate socially unacceptable or criminal activities because of the difficulty in holding anonymous users accountable. This article reports the results of a conference on anonymous communication organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Among the findings were that online anonymous communication is morally neutral; that it should be considered a strong human and constitutional right; that online communities should be allowed to set their own policies on the use of anonymous communication; and that individuals should be informed about the extent to which their identity is disclosed online. The article discusses how anonymous communications can be shaped by the law, education, and public awareness, and highlights the ...

81 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This essay examines the development of GVRs in order to question how representations of selves in these newer versions of cyberspace relate to on-linecommunication and raises the issue of how the visual affects the verbal when both are mediated by technology.
Abstract: This article discusses the rhetorical aspects of avatars, or virtual selves, within multiuser graphical virtual realities (GVRs). In both text-based and graphical virtual worlds, users are represented in the world by discursive or visual avatars. Because the manner in which users in a synchronous shared environment are represented affects how they are able to communicate, the design of an avatar affects the communicative possibilities within a virtual world. This essay examines the development of GVRs in order to question how representations of selves in these newer versions of cyberspace relate to on-linecommunication. The focus here is particularly on how bodies in GVRs are gendered, and how differing modes of gender inscription might affect online interaction. Ultimately, GVRs raise the issue of how the visual affects the verbal when both are mediated by technology.

77 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: L'Internet-deuxieme generation, voulue par le president Clinton, ne pourra pas s'adresser effectivement aux citoyens ordinaires, a cause- mais ce n'est pas la seule cause- de the complexite de the technologie.
Abstract: L'Internet-deuxieme generation, voulue par le president Clinton, ne pourra pas s'adresser effectivement aux citoyens ordinaires, a cause- mais ce n'est pas la seule cause- de la complexite de la technologie. C'est pourquoi il serait necessaire de prevoir un budget important pour des recherches en matiere sociale

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The social character of anonymous communication and the ways that anonymous communication has played important roles for professionals such as journalists and the police are examined and some of the new technological supports for anonymous communication on the Internet are explained.
Abstract: Anonymous communication on the Internet offers new opportunities but has ill-understood risks. This article helps to ground the policy debates by examining some fundamental aspects of anonymous social behavior and current controversies over anonymous communications. It is a companion to the article in this issue, "Anonymous Communication Policies for the Internet: Results and Recommendations of the AAAS Conference." It examines the social character of anonymous communication and the ways that anonymous communication has played important roles for professionals such as journalists and the police. It also explains some of the new technological supports for anonymous communication on the Internet. The openness, decentralization, and transnational character of the Internet challenge the efficacy of traditional control mechanisms and have raised issues related to accountability, law enforcement, security and privacy, governmental empowerment, and e-commerce. Yet, to ban or restrict all anonymous communication ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Analysis of conference transcripts and pseudonym choices indicated that women tended to mask their gender with their pseudonym choice while males did not, and women in both forums generally tended to exhibit certain dimensions of social interdependence more frequently than men.
Abstract: A quasi-experimental study examines how pseudonymous identification in a computer-mediated communication (CMC) context might (1) reflect a motivation for gender-based status parity and (2) mitigate supposed gender-based communication differences associated with social interdependence. One hundred and fourteen undergraduate students were assigned to participate in one of two separate computer-based, bulletin-board-style discussion groups or "forums". In one forum, participants were identified by their real names while participants in the other were identified by self-chosen pseudonyms. Consistent with expectations, analyses of conference transcripts and pseudonym choices indicated that (1) women tended to mask their gender with their pseudonym choice while males did not, and (2) women in both forums generally tended to exhibit certain dimensions of social interdependence more frequently than men. These dimensions included references to others, references to self, and supporting statements. Contrary to expe...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The intention is to provide an analytic framework for understanding key dimensions of information warfare and some of the myriad social ramifications arising from the co-option of internetworking technologies for the conduct of IW campaigns.
Abstract: (1999). Information Warfare: Its Application in Military and Civilian Contexts. The Information Society: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 257-263.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is argued that although privacy in Web browsing has no current legal protection in the United States, the right to privacy in the analogue equivalents has...
Abstract: Browsing the Web gives one the heady feeling of walking without footprints in cyberspace. Yet data surveillance can be both ubiquitous and transparent to the user. Can those who browse the Web protect their privacy? And does it matter if they cannot? I offer answers to these questions from the American legal tradition. The American legal tradition focuses on a right to privacy, rather than a need for data protection. To answer these questions I begin by delineating the differences among privacy, security, and anonymity. I then discuss what information is transferred during Web browsing. I describe some of the available technology for privacy protection, including public and private key cryptography and Web proxies. I then describe the American tradition of privacy in common, statutory, and constitutional law. With the support of this tradition, I close by arguing that although privacy in Web browsing has no current legal protection in the United States, the right to privacy in the analogue equivalents has...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The legal constraints on anonymous communication, and the constitutional constraints on those who would regulate it further, should be considered in tandem with the policies animating regulation and also their side effects.
Abstract: The regulation of anonymous and pseudonymous communications promises to be one of the most important and contentious Internet-related issues of the next decade. Resolution of this controversy will have direct effects on the freedom of speech, the nature of electronic commerce, and the capabilities of law enforcement. The legal resolution of the anonymity issue also is closely bound up with other difficult and important legal issues: campaign finance laws, economic regulation, freedom of speech on the Internet generally, the protection of intellectual property, and general approaches to privacy and data protection law. The legal constraints on anonymous communication, and the constitutional constraints on those who would regulate it further, thus should be considered in tandem with the policies animating regulation and also their side effects.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the National Identities and Communications Technologies (NIC) for the Information Society: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 235-240.
Abstract: (1999). National Identities and Communications Technologies. The Information Society: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 235-240.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the age of cyberspace, the role of ethnic media in fortifying the cultural traits of ethnic immigrants is expected to be further strengthened and ethnic groups are more likely to be assimilated into the mainstream culture without losing their own cultural roots and ethnic identity.
Abstract: This article explores the roles of on-line publications in promoting ethnic communication. Through a case study of the on-line Chinese language publications, it examines the potentials of such publications in supplementing and expanding the functions of the traditional ethnic media, strengthening cultural and communal ties of the ethnic groups, and mobilizing them for action The authors argue that in the age of cyberspace, the role of ethnic media in fortifying the cultural traits of ethnic immigrants is expected to be further strengthened. As a result, ethnic groups are more likely to be assimilated into the mainstream culture without losing their own cultural roots and ethnic identity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The contested role of information in disaster relief efforts, the clash of political and social values emerging from the use of information within the international community's involvement in high-profile crises, and the resultant rethinking of government's power within national borders, sovereignty are explored.
Abstract: Because of rapid developments in information technology, abuses of sovereignty by authoritarian governments have received much publicity in recent years, raising public consciousness of massive human rights violations to new levels. Contributing to the dialogue on the influence of information technology on social systems, this article explores (1) the contested role of information in disaster relief efforts, (2) the clash of political and social values emerging from the use of information within the international community's involvement in high-profile crises, such as those in Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda, and (3) the resultant rethinking of government's power within national borders, sovereignty. With life-anddeath stakes, international affirmation of a free flow of information during disasters is emerging as a global human rights mandate.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An intersection of feminism and cyberspace in the ethos of online discussion is examined, including a rhetorical analysis of two popular feminist newsgroups, alt.feminism and soc.
Abstract: Users of the Internet are stripped of voice inflections, body language, and other common cues of conversation-only their words are left. Some claim that the lack of these social cues and the lack of hierarchy in the structure of the Internet provide the potential for equality in cyberspace. Many others have shown, though, that the issues of power in cyberspace are similar to the issues of power in physical space. This article examines an intersection of feminism and cyberspace in the ethos of online discussion. It is a rhetorical analysis of two popular feminist newsgroups, alt.feminism and soc.feminism. Do these newsgroups create a feminist and inclusive space online? What are the rhetorical strategies that make an online space more or less inclusive of women? Usenet newsgroups reveal the rhetorical power of these bare words. Although no formal means of discrimination is built into Usenet newsgroup discussions, discrimination does occur through the subtle and not so subtle use of language. This article l...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This document provides a summary of some of the technical solutions for producing anonymous communication on the Internet and presents an argument that anonymity is as much a part of crime prevention as requiring people to provide their names.
Abstract: This document provides a summary of some of the technical solutions for producing anonymous communication on the Internet and presents an argument that anonymity is as much a part of crime prevention as requiring people to provide their names.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Using transaction data from the third quarter of 1995, a network analysis produced structural findings similar to those found for the international telecommunications and trade networks that indicate the world's monetary flow system is composed of a single group with the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Canada at the core and the former members of the Eastern Block and less developed countries at the periphery.
Abstract: The emergence of the global service economy has altered the flows of information and capital among the world's nations. Electronic international banking networks now provide the economic infrastructure for the ''global village'' as millions of financial transactions are processed daily. This article describes the world system based on the financial transactions of an international credit card network. Using transaction data from the third quarter of 1995, a network analysis produced structural findings similar to those found for the international telecommunications and trade networks. These results indicate that the world's monetary flow system is composed of a single group with the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Canada at the core and the former members of the Eastern Block and less developed countries at the periphery. Additionally, a number of nations are marginal in the network with only a single link to a core member of the network.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The article shows that Celie's interactions on a virtual forum are related to and an extension of a multitude of factors such as her upbringing, her schooling, her wish to succeed in an environment often inhospitable and hostile to her needs, and her gendered identity.
Abstract: This article complicates concepts of gender and race in virtual environments by presenting a case study of an African American woman's (Celie's) on-line personalities. It discusses how one woman's presence in a college class and her on-line contributions to a (cyber)community of peers influenced her and the group's perspectives on violence and gender issues. The article shows that Celie's interactions on a virtual forum are related to and an extension of a multitude of factors such as her upbringing, her schooling, her wish to succeed in an environment often inhospitable and hostile to her needs, and her gendered identity. A close analysis of her on-line voice provides a starting point for cyberfeminists to look more closely at virtual forums and their potential for enhancing student learning, diversity, and multiple perspectives in classroom environments. This article also encourages feminist scholars to continue explorations centered around the multiple discourse strategies employed by participants in any given conversation.



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Dans cet article, l'auteur essaye d'approfondir le balancement entre le droit individuel and les droits communs.
Abstract: La politique de l'anonymat dans les communications electroniques est necessaire a chacun pour preserver sa vie privee, ses activites, sa vie sociale. Dans cet article, l'auteur essaye d'approfondir le balancement entre le droit individuel et les droits communs. Tout depend du contexte et des informations divulguees.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article outlines how market orientation can be realized in the field of air freight by applying easily accessible communication infrastructures and by considering qualitative aspects in price-finding mechanisms.
Abstract: The increasing need for faster, cheaper, and better logistical service has brought forwarders, carriers, and related services such as customs, banks, and handling companies closer together. This suggests a need to adjust coordination mechanisms. Neoclassical theory considers market-oriented coordination superior to hierarchic if the necessary information and communication can be handled. Since these tasks can be taken over by software instead of human agents, basic requirements seem to be fulfilled. This article outlines how market orientation can be realized in the field of air freight by applying easily accessible communication infrastructures and by considering qualitative aspects in price-finding mechanisms.

Journal Article
TL;DR: It is generally accepted that science, as distinguished from other forms of fixing belief, is self-correcting, but how much of published scientific results needs to be corrected, what percentage of the erroneous results is intentional, and how effective is the scientific community in publicizing corrections to the literature?
Abstract: Everyone who engages in research, whether original scientific investigations or scholarly studies, knows how easily error creeps into the process. It takes just a momentary diversion, a hidden bias, a casual acceptance of unsubstantiated claims, or a neglect of proper controls for entropy to take its toll. Disorder, not orderly truth, is the default state. Although it should not be surprising that errors enter the production of knowledge, it is generally accepted that science, as distinguished from other forms of fixing belief, is self-correcting. But how much of published scientific results needs to be corrected, what percentage of the erroneous results is intentional, and how effective is the scientific community in publicizing corrections to the literature?

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article critically engages the theme of the game as a model for identity, community, and the meaning and function of objects in a recent work by Pierre Levy.
Abstract: This article critically engages the theme of the game as a model for identity, community, and the meaning and function of objects in a recent work by Pierre Levy Two of Levy's books have recently appeared in English translation, making this a timely moment to return to this theme that resonates throughout cultural modernity, especially in the areas of business, the military, sports, and, of course today, in digital software and network design