Chapter 2 Vocabs
The History of New Media
Telegraph
Definition: A device developed in the early nineteenth century for sending coded messages long distances over wires (and later via radio waves).
This technology formed the first global network, prompting one writer to call it “the Victorian internet.”
Multiplexing
Definition: The process of encoding multiple streams of information into a single stream to make maximum use of a scarce resource such as a telegraph or telephone line and, more recently, mobile phone radio channels and fibre optics.
Example: In terms of telegraph, sending more than one message at a time to make the most of the limited wire capacity.
Globalization
Definition: The process by which markets, technologies, cultures, and businesses are homogenizing and becoming accessible everywhere.
Example: Telegraph was a pioneering technology that enabled globalization, by which organizations develop the capacity to operate at a global scale.
Scanning
Definition: A method of breaking a picture (or later, a series of pictures) into discrete elements for encoding and transmission to a remote location.
Example: This process was pioneered with the telegraph (wire photos) and was repurposed for fax machines, television (as a series of pictures), and again for computers.
Paper Tape
Definition: Developed during the days of the telegraph, this was a method of storing messages to be transmitted later, or recording incoming messages for later decoding.
Recording was done by punching holes in a paper tape and reading was accomplished by sensing those holes with a light or metal rods.
This technique was adapted for use in early computers.
Metcalfe’s Law
Definition: Robert Metcalfe predicted that the value of a network lay in the number of possible connections between the members—or nodes—in the network.
It’s more of an observation describing the increasing value of a network according to the number of connections it has.
According to Metcalfe’s Law, “the value of the network increases at the square of the number of connections,” which can be mathematically represented as O(n²), where O is the value and n is the number of connections
App
Definition: An abbreviation for application, commonly referring to computer applications, especially on mobile devices.
Network Neutrality
Definition: A principle, borrowed from transportation regulation, whereby the company agreeing to carry goods cannot discriminate between customers who wish to transport similar goods.
This is sometimes referred to as the separation of carriage and content.
It is widely applied in telecommunications pricing and regulation and most recently in the management of the internet.
Although network neutrality is a term used today for internet technologies, in the early days of the telephone a similar principle applied: common carriage law as defined by the Telecommunications Act, in which “carriage” is a reference to the earlier regulation of railroads. These regulations were originally put in place to keep railroads from charging different rates to different companies (e.g., subsidiaries) and giving unfair advantage to some at the expense of others.
Example: Network neutrality means the network is unbiased in relation to transmitted content. This has been under stress due to user behavior and competition between carriers. Some internet service providers sought to charge differential rates or limit bandwidth for data-heavy activities, leading to protests. In Canada, a significant milestone was reached in 2017 with the release of a decision disallowing preferential pricing.
Broadcasting
Definition: The practice of sending a signal from one transmitter to many receivers; first done with radio and later television. On the internet, there are some equivalents, such as multicasting, that simulate a broadcast model.