Jennifer Whitlow
gtg160x
LCC 2700
Written Assignment 1
Creating a "Place" on the Web
Every site on the internet has established itself as a particular site. Two sites that are visited often by many people are Google and Facebook. Both Google and Facebook establish themselves as sites, or places on the web; however, each of these sites establishes itself as a different type of site because of the ways in which it uses the computer, the internet, and the material world.
Google establishes itself as an online library. Google uses the computer, one of the most common household items, to establish itself as an online library. It has taken the convenience of having a computer in the house and turned it into an easily accessible home library. People no longer have to leave their house and go to the library to do research; they now have more resources than they know what to do with at their fingertips. Google has made it easier for people to research books, locations, and interests in the privacy of the home or workplace. Google has also used the internet to establish itself as an online library. Because of the internet, resources from across the world are available to anyone who has a computer and the internet. Google has also taken the speed of the internet to make it easier and faster for the user to find exactly what he wants, instead of having to look through shelves and shelves of books, journals, magazines, and card catalogs. In terms of the material world, Google uses advertisements related to the item, place, or idea searched for to provide the funds for free information in so many areas of interest. By using advertisements, Google is not only providing information to the user, but also the possibility to purchase an item, visit a location, or attend an event relating to what the user has searched for, something a library cannot do. Thus, Google has established itself as an online library.
Unlike Google, Facebook establishes itself as an online student center through the use of the computer, internet, and material world. The one item that most every college student either owns or has easy access to is the computer. Facebook has taken this everyday piece of machinery and created an online student center. Through the internet the Facebook has created a place where students in universities across the United States can meet others at their school or someone who shares similar interests, get in touch with friends at other universities, send messages, share contact information, and even search for people that they have not had contact with in years. The material world, and the use of digital cameras has made this website even more possible. The website uses advertisements of popular items for college students to pay for the free access to the students. With the use of a digital camera, students can post a picture of themselves on the website for others to see. The picture of the student actually represents the presence of the student in the online student center. Therefore, Facebook has created a website that is an online student center.
While both websites use the internet and the material world in different ways to establish a site, all of these websites begin with the easily accessible computer and internet. The fact that the websites are free due to the advertisements of those items that appeal to the users. The use of all three of these to create a place for computer/internet users to search for books, resource materials, and friends across the United States expands upon the idea of speed, convenience, and easy access. Thus, websites, such as Google and Facebook, are creating places for users to visit a library or a student center with the ease and speed of touching a couple of buttons.
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