Final Exam 2001
This is an open book exam.
Please answer three of four questions.
You have three hours.
Good luck!
1. Stacy Horn writes that:
Cyberspace shatters geographic boundaries so that, in an
instant, I can visit sunny places like The WELL, a service with
a distinct West Coast feel, which is great. This is part of its
charm. What good is it to be able to go all over the world if
you don't feel like you've arrived somewhere? If they are all
the same? Keep the cultural boundaries. On a day to day basis,
I chose to hang out in New York f__ing City. A darker city.
When I get online it's the same. Give me a place that has
character. National online services like America Online or
Compuserve feel like malls. (Horn, p. 8)
What features of ECHO make it feel unique, and less "like a mall"?
2. Pick two sites we have discussed this term, and compare and
contrast their approaches to representing user identity. Explain
the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and the ways the
approach is tailored to the needs of that particular site. What
would happen if you swapped the approaches between the two?
3. What does Langdon Winner mean when he says "artifacts have
politics"? Would Larry Lessig agree? How might Winner and Lessig
analyze the social and political implications of ebay?
4. You have been asked to supervise an undergraduate research project
that aims to better understand people's behavior on a sports
website during live sporting events. The website has live game
statistics, a chat room (not archived), and a threaded discussion
board (archived). Your student researchers are confused about the
ethics of what they are and are not allowed to do. Write a letter
to them explaining what they may do and why.