Essay about Computer and Social Media

Submitted By Manbear92
Words: 2318
Pages: 10

Topic 2
1. When was the first pocket calculator designed and introduced in America? (Highlight correct answer)
a) 1932
b) 1967
c) 1982
(1 mark)
2. What did Alan Turing ‘automate’ with his ideas for computing? (1 mark)
Alan Turing’s Idea to go digital had led him to realise that his digital machines could accomplish many feats and imitates anything that required the digital symbols and logic the he had created. Turning had ideas that with the brain of the digital computer he could potentially take parts to look like man and hence come up with the Idea of recreating man with artificial intelligence (Robotic).
3. What is a ‘thinking machine’? Discuss in context of notes in the study guide. Consider the function of cameras. (4 marks)
Turing’s idea of a Thinking machine that could be linked to media technology is all possible through the idea of communicating through cameras. This is possible by using the cameras for vision for artificial actions and motion. Turing explains this through the concept of the microphone communicates towards the ear and the same with television camera for the eye.
To this day the cameras and microphones are the mainframes for the thinking machine in robotics. 4. What was the PDP-1? What was it used for? (2 marks).
The use of digital computers for personal use and play began in universities. The digital computer was only made by hobbyist and enthusiasts at the time. It didn’t exist as a product for the public to invest in. The Programmed Data Processor-1 short for PDP-1 was used in a university to build a game known as ‘Spacewar’. This was a huge stepping stone towards the modern computer games that are now being played on personal computers all around the world. 5. How did creative ideas such as mock-ups or stage props provide starting points for new media technologies? Provide at least one example. (2 marks)
It all began with the mobile phone which was a huge evolutionary digital device. Martin
Cooper who was the first creator of the portable device commonly known as the Mobile phone had in fact created an analogue not digital. The Idea for the mobile phone was also perceived from films including star trek and 2001: a Space Odyssey was where they were used as mock-ups and stage props. A quote from Turing could have possible changed the way we see Mobile devices in the modern aspect. He quoted ‘It would be quite possible to arrange to control a distance by means of a telephone line (1947)’.

6. What year was the personal mobile phone invented?
a) 1962
b) 1973
c) 1983
(1 mark)

Topic 3:
1. What was Mark Zuckerberg given an award for in 2010 by Time magazine? (refer to chapter 14, Alphabet to Internet extract on e-reserve). (1 mark)
(highlight correct answer)
a) For completion of a PhD at the age of 19 .
b) For 'changing how we live our lives'.
c) For increasing sales of Time magazine.

2. What was the age group that made up the highest proportion of social network use in
Australia, according to the ABS figures mentioned in this weeks study guide?
a)

5-10 year olds

b)

12-14 year olds

c)

50 +

(1 mark)

3. What does ‘Transmedia’ mean in context of social media? Who coined it? (2 marks)
In the context of social media, definitions are thrown around the room with various meanings that link to one. Social media has expanded from being a place where you could blog on how you are feeling and the world being able to see and like your statuses to being reliable sources for newspapers and media in general. Henry Jenkins used the term Transmedia to define the changes in storytelling across the multiple platforms that are used for communications.
4. What is Crowdsourcing? (2 marks)
Crowdsourcing in short is to get a group of people to gather information or get input into a particular task. This is mainly done through the internet. Journalist had integrated this type of method in to their interviews and one way of using it to their advantage was through a social media site ‘Twitter’. Twitter was that