The Internet has emerged as a prominent medium of communication. Today, it has become the focus of enormous debate and evaluation. The objective of this study is to examine the evolution of its impact on society. In this regard, various interpretations of its societal impact are provided. First, the debate on the information society exhibits the widespread belief that society is transforming and a new type of society is emerging. Second, a chronological description of the evolution and development of the Internet displays its burgeoning growth and current utility and capacities. Third, optimistic and pessimistic perspectives elucidate opposite views of the potential it can have on society and humankind. Lastly, a synchronic analysis of media coverage, using The Globe and Mail as an illustration, demonstrates the present reporting of its impact. These various interpretations provide an understanding of the Internet's increasing significance and position within society.

This study explores discussion forums within two autistic community websites in an attempt to gain intimate insights into the educational experiences and cultural identification of high functioning autistics (HFAs). Throughout this thesis I have referred to people with Autism as 'autistics' or HFAs in recognition of their self-referencing on the websites and to strike consistency with their identity politics. (ex: Autistic Pride Parade). The study maintains a narrative component from the perspective of a teacher-researcher as a means of facilitating the development of a grounded theory for educating high functioning autistics. The study begins with an examination of contemporary controversies within the field of autistic studies, with a particular focus on issues surrounding the classification of Asperger's Syndrome under the deficit model of mental disorders. Several tables are then presented from data collected from Aspiesforfreedom.com and Wrongplanet.net. The tables present high functioning autistic opinions, thoughts and experiences related to emerging autistic advocacy efforts, as well as retrospectives of their social and academic experiences over the course of their schooling. An Internet Culture Theory (ICT) develops which honors the existence of an authentic community of autistics online. ICT explores how this acknowledgment can help shape educational policies and practices related to improving the self-esteem, identity formation, academic success and social experiences of HFAs in both our schools and communities. The study contends that modifications should be implemented prior to grade 7 due to reports of emotional deterioration during this particular year of development. Existing programs operating in the spirit of ICT are discussed in order to provide some concrete examples of what certain modifications might look like.

This thesis analyzes the production of conspiracy theories and paranoia within the realm of Internet newsmaking. Since the end of the Cold War, our traditional enemies have disappeared, and popular culture has embraced the conspiracy theory as their replacement. On the Internet, conspiracy theories are born, evolve and copied in a way unmatched by traditional forms of media. What makes the Internet such a successful conduit for paranoia-inspired narratives? In order to answer this question, I will examine the historical and technological facets of old and new media; how conspiracy theories disseminate through memetic behaviour and simulacra; and whether the media's recent obsession with paranoia is due to the Internet's commodification. The thesis will conclude by addressing whether our perception of the news has changed in the Internet age, and if conspiracy theories offer the possibility of narrative closure in a medium built on non-linear structure.

Der Beitrag stellt die Ergebnisse einer bundesweiten Umfrage zum Thema Internet-Awareness – Risikokompetenz und Risikowahrnehmung im Umgang mit neuen Technologien – vor. Im Versuch der Einordnung werden drei Cluster identifiziert: der Mischtyp Sorglos- & Benefit-Nutzer (Typ C), der eher Kontrollgläubige-Nutzer (Typ B) und der Awareness-Nutzer (Typ A). Der große Teil der befragten Web-2.0-Nutzer, mehr als 82 %, scheint sich der mit dem Internet verbundenen Risiken bewusst und gibt an, sich dementsprechend verantwortungsvoll zu verhalten (Mensch 3.0). Jedoch stellt sich die Frage: Handeln wir tatsächlich so verantwortungsbewusst? Muss Internet-Awareness verstärkt auf den Lehrplan?

The Internet consists of thousands of autonomous networks connected together to provide end-to-end reachability. Networks of different sizes, and with different functions and business objectives, interact and co-exist in the evolving "Internet Ecosystem". The Internet ecosystem is highly dynamic, experiencing growth (birth of new networks), rewiring (changes in the connectivity of existing networks), as well as deaths (of existing networks). The dynamics of the Internet ecosystem are determined both by external "environmental" factors (such as the state of the global economy or the popularity of new Internet applications) and the complex incentives and objectives of each network. These dynamics have major implications on how the future Internet will look like. How does the Internet evolve? What is the Internet heading towards, in terms of topological, performance, and economic organization? How do given optimization strategies affect the profitability of different networks? How do these strategies affect the Internet in terms of topology, economics, and performance? In this thesis, we take some steps towards answering the above questions using a combination of measurement and modeling approaches. We first study the evolution of the Autonomous System (AS) topology over the last decade. In particular, we classify ASes and inter-AS links according to their business function, and study separately their evolution over the last 10 years. Next, we focus on enterprise customers and content providers at the edge of the Internet, and propose algorithms for a stub network to choose its upstream providers to maximize its utility (either monetary cost, reliability or performance). Third, we develop a model for interdomain network formation, incorporating the effects of economics, geography, and the provider/peer selections strategies of different types of networks. We use this model to examine the "outcome" of these strategies, in terms of the topology, economics and performance of the resulting internetwork. We also investigate the effect of external factors, such as the nature of the interdomain traffic matrix, customer preferences in provider selection, and pricing/cost structures. Finally, we focus on a recent trend due to the increasing amount of traffic flowing from content providers (who generate content), to access providers (who serve end users). This has led to a tussle between content providers and access providers, who have threatened to prioritize certain types of traffic, or charge content providers directly -- strategies that are viewed as violations of "network neutrality". In our work, we evaluate various pricing and connection strategies that access providers can use to remain profitable without violating network neutrality.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-113). / x, 113 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

An oft-stated view held by scholars and political observers is that given the unique characteristics of the Internet, the technology offers real opportunities for democratization and political transformation, especially in societies where the basic rights of freedom of expression and the press are constricted by state control. This thesis seeks to challenge this main assumption by examining the impact of the Internet along with the politics surrounding its use in Asia, with specific attention to the cases of China, Singapore and Iran. This thesis postulates that in the cases of certain authoritarian regimes such as China and Singapore, not only has the presence and use of the Internet failed to spawn strong opposition movements, but authorities in these states have cleverly entered the domain of online expression and have utilized the technology to improve governance and control of these societies. The conditions which make it possible for certain states to suppress online activism, and which in turn contributes to the strengthening of authorial control are then clearly identified and delineated. They include, namely: a strong regulatory regime; an effective use of e-governance and the pacification of Internet entrepreneurs. Iran serves as a contrast case to China and Singapore as civil society actors in the Islamic country have demonstrated a clear interest in participating in a struggle against the state by entering and articulating their positions in the virtual space of cyber interaction. The notable absence of stated conditions in Iran, however, clearly shows that a confluence of circumstances is still necessary for regimes to more fully manipulate online spaces. It is not the intention of the thesis to project the notion that China’s infamous “Firewall” is one-hundred percent full-proof or that citizens in these countries are deprived of all access to controversial news and media. The main conclusion that is drawn is that despite the government’s open promotion and dissemination of Internet technology, certain states have managed to strike a precarious balance by also maintaining control of the public agora.

Although the Internet is widely used in many areas, its use in school mathematics is at best in its infancy. Studies show that Mathematics teachers have fewer uses for the Internet than teachers of other disciplines. Hence, this research adopted a mixed method approach to investigate what mathematics materials are on the Internet, how teachers are teaching mathematics with the Web and mathematic students’ perceptions and engagement with the Internet. This research reviewed the World Wide Web for mathematics materials and found three major groupings of online resources namely interactive resources, non-interactive resources, and communications possibilities. A typology of Web objects was constructed and a database based on a Task-Web object approach was proposed for teacher use. A broad survey was used to elicit information about Internet usage among mathematic teachers. A total of 103 mathematics teachers responded and 15 were interviewed to gain further insight into their usage. Observations of Internet use were also conducted in the classrooms of 4 teachers. The results show that most teachers would like to use the Internet more in their teaching of mathematics but many do not know where and how to do so in an effective way. Statistics, Business Mathematics and Number operations appear to be the more popular topics. Using statistics data from the Web seem to be the Web feature that is most common followed by using the Internet as a resource centre for word problems. Web communications are seldom used. Common constraints teachers face include lack of time, difficulty in planning, lack of knowledge of good Web sites that map to curricula, slow download times, and limited booking times. Students perceive doing activities on the Internet as better than from the textbook because of the amount and variety of information, the better explanations and the change in mode of presentation. Students who have a low comfort level with mathematics wish their teachers would use the Internet. The power of interactive activities on the Internet to engage and motivate these students is due to a variety of reasons such as the element of game play, a change from the routine, its ability to present different conceptual visuals, the independent self-paced learning, and quick feedback that came with the use of the Internet. The Internet also enabled students to access difficult to find information and saved them time. The findings also suggest that teachers’ persistence in using the Internet could bring about a routine that helps students settle down to the task and stay on task. Teachers’ choice and discernment of Web-based activities that are engaging and motivating are paramount to the success of this learning tool. Four Web-based strategies for teaching mathematics were documented and a model of underlying knowledge for teacher practice with the Web was suggested. / Thesis (PhDEducation)--University of South Australia, 2006.

Overall this thesis is concerned with the implementation and development of Internet banking in Thailand. Paper 1 is a literature review. It examines the development of Internet banking, world-wide rationale for the use of Internet banking, Internet banking in Thailand and the driving factors which influence banks to adopt Internet banking. The results of this study are beneficial to understanding why many banks in the world are starting to use Internet banking as a marketing tool for increasing competitive advantage over their rivals. / Paper 2 represents a survey of Thai banking customers and their interest or non-interest in using Internet banking. A number of hypotheses are developed and tested in this survey. The survey encompassed 485 persons, of whom 400 responded, throughout Thailand and attempted to assess and measure their attitudes towards Internet banking. Findings indicate that Internet banking is currently the least popular form of banking in Thailand (after ATM and branch banking). However, the younger group of customers, those aged between 18-30, ranked Internet branch banking first on their list of choices as the most desirable form of banking services. The results of this study are beneficial to the Thai banking sector in terms of providing a detailed understanding of customers' preferences for Internet banking. In addition, banks can apply this information to develop strategic plans focusing primarily on identified target groups, thereby providing better products and services. / Paper 3 develops a conceptual framework utilizing the results discussed in paper 2, to recommend to Thai banks appropriate promotional and servicing activities to encourage the development of Internet banking in Thailand. It includes a range of recommendations, over three specific time periods: short term, identified as up to 1.5 years, medium term specified as 1.5-3 years, and long term, identified as more than 3 years. Essentially, the recommended approach to Internet banking in Thailand concentrates on a developmental approach over these three periods. As defined by the results obtained in the survey discussed in paper 2, it is clear that Thai banks should consider younger, higher education level customers as potential customers. In addition, this paper also recommends how to use strategies for developing Internet banking but this should not be done to the exclusion of older, lower education level and lower income level customers. / Thesis (DBA(DBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2004

Thesis (PhDSocialScience)--University of South Australia, 2005.