WORLD WIDE WEB AS A MULTIMEDIA APPLICATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION                                                                             3

         

HOW INTERNET IMPROVE OUR LIVES                                       4

HOW INTERNET INFLUENCES USER IN POSITIVE AND

NEGATIVE WAYS                                                                          5

THE SHORTCOMINGS OF WORLD WIDE WEB USAGE              11

CONCLUSIONS                                                                               12

REFERENCES                                                                                  13

ABSTRACT

Multimedia refers to content that uses a combination of different content forms. This contrasts with media that use only rudimentary computer displays such as text-only or traditional forms of printed or hand-produced material. Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, or interactivity content forms.

The term multimedia was coined by singer and artist Bob Goldstein (later 'Bobb Goldsteinn') to promote the July 1966 opening of his "LightWorks at L'Oursin" show at Southampton, Long Island. Goldstein was perhaps aware of a British artist named Dick Higgins, who had two years previously discussed a new approach to art-making he called "intermedia."

Since media is the plural of medium, the term "multimedia" is used to describe multiple occurrences of only one form of media such as a collection of audio CDs. This is why it's important that the word "multimedia" is used exclusively to describe multiple forms of media and content.

1.0              INTRODUCTION

The Internet is rapidly becoming a key resource for locating information relevant to a particular field, engaging in professional discourse, accessing published material, and checking on tomorrow's weather. It has become the foundation for tomorrow's electronic community, providing access to government, media, scientists, and friends and relatives. Access to the Internet is now becoming a requirement of doing business for many enterprises. Commercial use of the Internet is one of its fastest growing uses. Several factors have led to the dramatic increase in the size of Internet including increased bandwidth, relaxation of government restrictions, and less expensive connection options. One major factor which has led to the popularization of the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW), which provides a hypermedia layer over information and resources available on the Internet.

The current Internet connects over 2 million hosts and nearly 25 million users on every continent in the world. Through the Internet, users can access the latest weather maps of North America, check the New York Stock Exchange quotes for the day, send electronic mail to colleagues on the other side of the world, browse through digital shopping centers, check out the latest electronic magazines, download images from a travelogue on eclectic tourist stops in the Southwest United States, among many other uses.

The history of the Internet begins with the development of electronic computers in the 1950s. Initial concepts of packet networking originated in several computer science laboratories in the United States, Great Britain, and France. The US Department of Defense awarded contracts as early as the 1960s for packet network systems, including the development of the ARPANET (which would become the first network to use the Internet Protocol.) The first message was sent over the ARPANET from computer science Professor Leonard Kleinrock's laboratory at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to the second network node at Stanford Research Institute (SRI).

Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce, including the rise of near-instant communication by electronic mail, instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calls, two-way interactive video calls, and the World Wide Web with its discussion forums, blogs, social networking, and online shopping sites. The research and education community continues to develop and use advanced networks such as NSF's very high speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS), Internet2, and National LambdaRail. Increasing amounts of data are transmitted at higher and higher speeds over fiber optic networks operating at 1-Gbit/s, 10-Gbit/s, or more. The Internet's takeover of the global communication landscape was almost instant in historical terms: it only communicated 1% of the information flowing through two-way telecommunications networks in the year 1993, already 51% by 2000, and more than 97% of the telecommunicated information by 2007. Today the Internet continues to grow, driven by ever greater amounts of online information, commerce, entertainment, and social networking.

2.0              HOW INTERNET IMPROVES OUR LIVES

The onset of Globalization has increased and expanded the need for people, places and things to be able to communicate and work together.  Essentially, it has improved the way how we do business thus, widening the gateway to other cultures and economies.  Consequently, increasing the market economy on a global scale opening our doors to other diverse groups.  In today's age driven by technology, education has adopted this form of methodology to deliver learning in both the asynchronous and synchronous environments.  This is in itself the information highway, which continues to improve the lives of people and cultures.

Many businesses are now using the Internet as a portal to learning and implementing instructional design training for their employees. This creates better working environments, increased productivity and enhances our knowledge base as a workforce. I have known people who have used the Internet to research topics on diseases, food, herbs, lifestyles and other materials and they have become better informed about various subjects and topics.

The internet continues to improve the lives of many as a result of giving us the opportunity to connect us and direct us to do our own research on any subject.  It's a tool to reach out to other people, places and things, shop, learn, or simply for fun and interest groups. As the age of technology continues to unfold the Internet will continue to improve our quality of life in the community and the global market.

One example, which is evident is the new revolution of video players referred to as "gamers" who continue to evolve and revolutionize the way in how we play.  This new group of individuals is not only revolutionizing this market but also helping to create solutions for the world in such areas as poverty, world peace, famine, disease and cultural differences. 

3.0              HOW INTERNET INFLUENCES USER IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE WAYS

The Internet can be explained as a network of computers, designed to receive and send data in the form of e-mails, blogs, webcasts, etc. To put it simply, it can be likened to a super-massive server, armed with a plethora of information which is used by billions of people simultaneously. The Internet is basically a network that connects other, smaller networks. All modern technologies are connected by the Internet, thereby leaving no stone unturned. This digital world can be a playground for some and a battlefield for others.

The Internet has become an indispensable business tool, which has helped bring the world closer. Receiving news from across the world, accessing knowledge resources, and shopping online are simply a click away. The Internet has tremendous potential and a lot to offer in terms of services. However, like every other innovation in science and technology, the Internet comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, which will be discuss in this article.

3.1              The Positive Ways

a)      Faster Communication

The Internet has been mankind's greatest means of communication yet. Newer innovations are only making it faster and more reliable. Today, we can initiate real-time communication with someone who is in another part of the world.

For more personal and interactive communication, it is possible to avail the facilities of video conferencing, chat and messenger services. With the help of these services, the geographically fragmented countries have come together to form a community that is able to share its thoughts on global issues, that affect each and every one of us. The Internet has given us a common platform and medium through which we are able to explore other cultures and ideologies.

b)     Abundant Information Resources

The Internet is a treasure trove of information; which offers knowledge on any given topic under the sun. Search engines make information accessible on various subject matters such as, government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new innovations and technical support, and even dispense advice on love and relationships matters.

It has become common practice to seek assistance from the web in order to research and gather resources for homework, office presentations, and supplement ones own research. The web also updates news about the latest breakthroughs in the field of medicine, technology, and other domains of science. Numerous websites such as America's Doctor, have made it possible to seek online advice from specialist doctors without having to actually fix an appointment.

c)      Inexhaustible Education

The Internet has become an essential propagator of knowledge, both through free as well as paid services. The credibility of this form of education and whether it is safe, secure, and trustworthy, is usually proven through the quality and authenticity of content presented by each website. The World Wide Web has become a remarkable avenue for the academically unprivileged, to amass greater knowledge and know-how on subjects.

The entire scope of homeschooling has expanded because of increased accessibility to videos of teachers giving lectures, showing diagrams and explaining concepts, much like a real classroom. Nonprofit organizations too have opened websites that seek volunteers and donations in order to help the ones in need. There are also sites like Wikipedia, Coursera, Babbel, Archive, and Teachertube, among others, that have dedicated themselves to the art of imparting knowledge to people of all age groups.

d)     Entertainment for Everyone

Entertainment is one of the foremost reasons why people prefer surfing the Web. In fact, the Internet has gained much success by marketing for several multifaceted entertainment industries. Finding the latest updates about celebrities and exploring lifestyle websites have become day-to-day activities of many Internet consumers. On the other hand, even celebrities are using the Internet effectively for promoting their cause and for keeping their fans happy.

There are innumerable games that can be download, either for a price or for free. Indeed, online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal success because of its ever-increasing demand throughout the world.

e)      Social Networking and Staying Connected

One cannot imagine a social life without Facebook or Twitter. These portals have become our means to stay connected with friends and family, and stay in touch with the latest happenings in the world. Social networking has also evolved as a great medium to connect with like-minded individuals and become a part of interesting groups and communities.

Apart from finding long-lost friends, the Internet also makes it easier to search and apply for jobs and business opportunities on forums and communities. There are public chat rooms where users can meet new people. For those who are single, the Internet also provides the option to select a suitable dating partner through secure online profiles that can be filtered as per personal preferences.

3.2              The Negative Ways

a)      Theft of Personal Information

The use of Internet for banking, social networking, or other services, often makes our personal information vulnerable to theft. There are no fail-proof ways to securing names, account numbers, addresses, photos, and credit card numbers from being stolen or misused by thieving websites and individuals.

Unscrupulous hackers can access our sensitive information through unsecured connections by planting phishing software. Needless to say, the damage caused by having our identities misused and our accounts broken into, is often irreparable and most of all, embarrassing.

b)     Spamming

Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails, which serve no purpose and needlessly obstruct the computer system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating as it makes it slower to access our email accounts and makes the entire service unreliable for consumers.

Spammers usually use bots that bombard the receiver with an endless line of advertisements. This can prove to be increasingly perplexing, as it keeps getting mixed with our more important emails. Fortunately, email service providers often have security systems in place to guard against spamming. Fortunately, it is possible to report an email as spam, so that all emails from the same email id or IP address, are blocked.

c)      Malware Threats

One of the most annoying problems with the Internet is the ease with which any malware can infect our computers. Internet users are often plagued by virus attacks that harm their computers and important files. Virus programs are inconspicuous and may get activated simply by clicking a seemingly harmless link. Computers connected to the Internet are extremely prone to IP targeted virus attacks that may end up crashing the system completely.

Internet virus can be of three types. The first type of virus affects files and goes directly for a particular file or file type. The second type harms system and executable boot files. These can be particularly nasty, as they can effectively stop the computer from starting again. Lastly, there's the macro virus, which is the most common as well as the most harmless of them all. The macro virus simply keep changing things like symbols on word files. The type of virus that can replicate and spread itself is known as worms. When a virus is disguised as something else, it's known as a Trojan.

d)     Age-inappropriate Content

Pornography and age-inappropriate content is perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the Internet. The worst being underage porn, which is largely rampant in the deeper parts of the web. It is the lack of control over the distribution and unrestricted access of pornographic material that is detrimental to children. All that parents can do, is lock harmful sites and monitor the sites viewed by their children.

Pornography is not just frowned upon by most societies, it's also banned by some. The Internet makes uploading shocking content so easy, that we end up coming across inappropriate words and images, despite not wanting to.

e)      Social Isolation, Obesity, and Depression

The biggest problem with having the Internet is, its ability to create rifts between the real and virtual world. The virtual world can often seem so alluring that once hooked, going back to real life seems daunting.

There is an addiction for everything that pertains to the web and that includes excessive surfing, online gambling, social networking, and gaming addiction. There are now psychiatric clinics and doctors that specifically cater to resolving the problems created by the Internet. These addictions create both physical as well as mental issues that can lead to health complications if left unattended. It is ironic that, while it is easy to find plenty of online support for agoraphobia, the Internet itself can be a big cause or trigger for it.

The link between obesity and the Internet is rather easy to understand. The more one sits in front of the computer, the lesser one exercises. At the end of the longish list of physical and emotional maladies, is depression. Since all problems are so deeply linked with one another and with the Internet, it isn't uncommon for people to be afflicted with multiple issues. Recent studies and research have gone deep enough to actually differentiate between compulsive Internet use and excessive Internet use. Furthermore, thanks to smartphones, holding a simple face-to-face conversation seems out of the ordinary as compared to chatting online.

4.0              THE SHORTCOMING OF WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW) USAGE

Naturally, there are some disadvantages with the WWW. The disadvantages are:

1. Control of who uses the web

The WWW is typically a wide open free for all type environment. There is no reason that Login privileges cannot be attached to the web server. This would limit the users to those individuals who are authorized (pronounced paid) for the right to use the course.

It is quite common to have the first course module open to the public for evaluation. If Joe Q. Public is interested, than further modules will carry a cost and enrollment.

2. Keeping documents proprietary

Presently, if a HTML file can be downloaded it can be copied. This can be a big factor in making a decision on whether you want to put your lifeblood on the net. The solution can be to make many small files (which will happen naturally) which makes it next to impossible to copy all the files. For example, the small Ohm's law demo contains 24 files. It may become logistically impractical to download a complete curriculum.

Another tact is to have a large secure question databank. If the questions and answers are controlled, then the HTML files become reference material.

           

            4. Managing the HTML files

One thing that you will notice is how quickly the number of HTML files grow. A big problem is keeping track of the files, and the HTML "tree". There are programs available that will trace a HTML tree. The problem is tracking where the links go to.

Another area of concern is the naming of HTML files. A "standard" naming convention must be decided at the beginning of the development so that it is easy to track which file belongs to which. Another consideration is upper and lower case letters for filenames. UNIX is case sensitive whereas DOS is not. Someone who mixes upper and lower case letters in DOS will soon find that UNIX will hiccup on the filenames.

CONCLUSIONS

An attempt has been made in this paper to bring to the fore the applications of multimedia in business. The central theme of the paper is improving World Wide Web and how it can be achieved most effectively using multimedia. The main emphasis for improving productivity and quality is to bring the people and various elements of the systems together. Multimedia should be an excellent tool for this. Multimedia can also improve the effectiveness of business. The lead-time for transferring information, material and services can be reduced by an interactive multimedia application. Future applications such as video groupware will push video servers into the mainstream. The emergence of broadband networks for residential and business customers enable a wide range of new interactive services. For consumers, these new services might include movies on demand, networked multi-player video games, and interactive shopping via TV. Business applications might include broadcast-quality video teleconferencing, distance learning, and telecommuting.

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