THE SYLLABUS SAYS:
DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN ... THE TRANSMISSION AND FLOW OF IMAGES, IDEAS, INFORMATION AND FINANCE.
EXAMINE THE CONTRASTING RATES, LEVELS AND PATTERNS OF
ADOPTION OF AN ELEMENT OF ICT IN TWO COUNTRIES.
DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN ... THE TRANSMISSION AND FLOW OF IMAGES, IDEAS, INFORMATION AND FINANCE.
EXAMINE THE CONTRASTING RATES, LEVELS AND PATTERNS OF
ADOPTION OF AN ELEMENT OF ICT IN TWO COUNTRIES.
The image of our planet is one that we are all familiar with, but it was only possible for people to see it from the second half of the 20th century. Since then, images have continued to be spread more easily than ever before.
ICT and the flow of images
There are several kinds of images that have an impact on a globalized world:
- informative graphics
- commercial messages
- personal images
- news images
- maps
News images
The adoption of the internet has made it easier for images to circulate, with a corresponding effect on the way in which news is perceived as important. News stories that do not have a photograph accompanying them are less likely to be reported, or to be reported lower down the webpage than a story with an effective picture. Television news has operated in this way for decades.
The case of the Abu Ghraib prison is a good example of how a powerful image can bring major changes. In April 2004, images surfaced of American guards torturing Iraqi prisoners. The photographs led to 17 soldiers being discharged from duty. They were accused of psychological and physical abuse, such as making prisoners stand on a box believing that if they fell off they would be electrocuted.
When news images are presented wrongly, the power of the image is highlighted. A small example is from May 2012, when the BBC ran a news report on its website with a photograph illustrating a massacre in Syria. However, the picture was in fact taken in Iraq in 2003. Because it showed an incorrect picture, the BBC was forced to apologise for poor journalism, despite the written content of the piece being accurate.
A much more high profile mistake occurred in the breaking of a major news story by the Mirror newspaper. In 2004, the British tabloid newspaper reported that the British army had been involved in serious breach of human rights against Iraqi captives. The Queen's Lancashire Regiment was accused of beating and abusing a prisoner, with the evidence coming from photographs taken in the back of a van. However, over the course of two weeks, the regiment successfully proved that the images had been falsified (they found the van in the UK, thousands of miles from where the abuse was meant to have taken place) and this led to the resignation of the editor. The editor, Piers Morgan, later went on to replace Larry King at CNN in the USA, but poor ratings led to his removal from air.
Maps as images
Maps are seen by many as a stamp of authority and 'truth'. When information is mapped, the purpose and authority behind the map is often forgotten. However, maps are produced in largely the same way as news images - they are designed by an individual or organisation to illustrate a certain opinion. Further debate can be found here.
The map as an objective piece of knowledge
Internet mapping has revolutionised the way in which we see the world. Yet many things are missing from most maps. Can ICT save the map? Google Maps (the world's most popular mapping tool) allows vertical mapping. What else is missing from these maps?
- ocean depth
- climate
- non-transport information
- non-fixed objects such as cars
- vegetation types
There are several kinds of images that have an impact on a globalized world:
- informative graphics
- commercial messages
- personal images
- news images
- maps
News images
The adoption of the internet has made it easier for images to circulate, with a corresponding effect on the way in which news is perceived as important. News stories that do not have a photograph accompanying them are less likely to be reported, or to be reported lower down the webpage than a story with an effective picture. Television news has operated in this way for decades.
The case of the Abu Ghraib prison is a good example of how a powerful image can bring major changes. In April 2004, images surfaced of American guards torturing Iraqi prisoners. The photographs led to 17 soldiers being discharged from duty. They were accused of psychological and physical abuse, such as making prisoners stand on a box believing that if they fell off they would be electrocuted.
When news images are presented wrongly, the power of the image is highlighted. A small example is from May 2012, when the BBC ran a news report on its website with a photograph illustrating a massacre in Syria. However, the picture was in fact taken in Iraq in 2003. Because it showed an incorrect picture, the BBC was forced to apologise for poor journalism, despite the written content of the piece being accurate.
A much more high profile mistake occurred in the breaking of a major news story by the Mirror newspaper. In 2004, the British tabloid newspaper reported that the British army had been involved in serious breach of human rights against Iraqi captives. The Queen's Lancashire Regiment was accused of beating and abusing a prisoner, with the evidence coming from photographs taken in the back of a van. However, over the course of two weeks, the regiment successfully proved that the images had been falsified (they found the van in the UK, thousands of miles from where the abuse was meant to have taken place) and this led to the resignation of the editor. The editor, Piers Morgan, later went on to replace Larry King at CNN in the USA, but poor ratings led to his removal from air.
Maps as images
Maps are seen by many as a stamp of authority and 'truth'. When information is mapped, the purpose and authority behind the map is often forgotten. However, maps are produced in largely the same way as news images - they are designed by an individual or organisation to illustrate a certain opinion. Further debate can be found here.
The map as an objective piece of knowledge
Internet mapping has revolutionised the way in which we see the world. Yet many things are missing from most maps. Can ICT save the map? Google Maps (the world's most popular mapping tool) allows vertical mapping. What else is missing from these maps?
- ocean depth
- climate
- non-transport information
- non-fixed objects such as cars
- vegetation types
ICT and the flow of ideas, information and finance
In the same way as maps and images can be presented as objective truths about the world, ideas and information becomes more difficult to contradict if it is repeated across many sources. 'Proof' of 'truth' becomes blurred and subjective according to the imposed values on a source. Where many sources are presented, even if they rely on the same root source, it becomes more difficult to dispell.
ICT has aso made it much easier to spread money around the world. The introduction of linked computer systems means money can be sent instantly around the world. This brings into question the relationship between money and its value, and therefore the subjective opinion of individuals as to that value.
In the same way as maps and images can be presented as objective truths about the world, ideas and information becomes more difficult to contradict if it is repeated across many sources. 'Proof' of 'truth' becomes blurred and subjective according to the imposed values on a source. Where many sources are presented, even if they rely on the same root source, it becomes more difficult to dispell.
ICT has aso made it much easier to spread money around the world. The introduction of linked computer systems means money can be sent instantly around the world. This brings into question the relationship between money and its value, and therefore the subjective opinion of individuals as to that value.
An element of ICT: Social networking
From the syllabus: EXAMINE THE CONTRASTING RATES, LEVELS AND PATTERNS OF ADOPTION OF AN ELEMENT OF ICT IN TWO COUNTRIES. Note: more information (though increasingly out of date) can be found in 'Global Interactions' by Paul Guinness. Social networks connect individuals primarily through the internet and, increasingly, apps on smartphones. Facebook has 1.4 billion users worldwide, and 98% of 18-24 year olds use some kind of online social network. The global nature of these networks makes them a suitable point for study in Global Interactions. The graph to the right shows the total number of social network users for selected countries. |
Social network users in selected countries, 2014 & 2018
Source: http://www.statista.com/statistics/278341/number-of-social-network-users-in-selected-countries/
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The graphic to the left shows the popularity of various social networks in the USA in 2014.
Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014/
Further data relating to China can be found on the China Internet Information Centre website.
Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014/
Further data relating to China can be found on the China Internet Information Centre website.