Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Internet – Social aspects – Morocco'

This dissertation examines the representations of Casablanca in Moroccan cinema and their articulation of postcolonial subjectivity since the 1990s. To overcome a deep economic recession and simmering social unrest in the early 1980s, Morocco embarked on a comprehensive programme of structural adjustment policies under the aegis of the International Monetary Fund. Market reforms ushered in novel forms of spatial development and social relations in Moroccan cities over the next decades. In the cultural field, a popular cinema emerged in the early 1990s and has projected the complex structures of everyday life in urban space. The New Urban Cinema (NUC) has anchored national cinema in the everyday life and affective economy of a society in transition. The country’s largest city, Casablanca, is the setting for some of NUC’s most original portrayals of the Moroccan subject under globalisation. Taking space, affect and violence as intertwined sites of film analysis, my research project closely examines the new forms of postcolonial subjectivity that have evolved in Morocco through this cinema. Twenty films are read against the backdrop of neoliberal Casablanca and the social, economic as well as political transformation of Morocco and the world under globalisation. The dissertation combines close textual analysis with a cultural studies perspective, which situates films in their historical contexts of production and reception in Morocco and beyond. Drawing on postcolonial, film and urban studies, my aim is to contribute to interdisciplinary scholarship on cinematic responses to neoliberal globalisation, and to a social history of contemporary Morocco.

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 thesis has a three-fold goal: (1) it aims to contribute to studies which analyze the gender dimension in social shaping studies of technology; (2) in its emphasis on the Internet and the new information infrastructure it is a complement to the literature in communication studies on the gendering of communication technologies; and (3) it adds to emergent theories of virtual communities by positing how gendered practices and gender-related activities have influenced the emergence of social policy mores in the evolving information infrastructure.
In emphasizing the social factors that shape technological change the thesis departs from dominant approaches towards technology that typically study the "affects" or "impact" of technology on society. This thesis similarly responds to the gender-perspective gap that exists in sociotechnical studies, and enlarges the scope of gender studies through its consideration of emergent information and communication technologies, notably the Internet. How the social mores of virtual communities have been influenced and affected by and through a consideration of gender and gendered practices on the Internet forms a core component of the thesis, based upon case studies.
As this thesis argues, new information and communication technologies must be considered in relation to other communication technologies, as well as in relation to the social context in which they are designed, developed and used, including the often unarticulated social assumptions of various groups, and the unanticipated consequences of the new information infrastructure. In this sense, social scientists are now at a key turning point in their explorations of new information and communication technologies.
This thesis should be of significance to communication scholars interested in the history and theory of gender and communication technologies; social historians of technology, and feminist scholars, with an interest in a gendered perspective on new communication technologies; and public policy officials interested in how different groups of individuals will interact with, influence, and be affected by new communication and information technologies.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2001.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is widely accepted that the Internet has become a valuable resource for social scientists, not just for the purpose of information exchange; via e-mail, discussion groups and electronic journals, but also as a medium for data collection. Its global nature gives a researcher access to a vast range of individuals located around the world. It also opens up access to difficult to hitherto penetrate study areas, such as sensitive research on deviant behaviour. Further, it is claimed that considerable savings to both research budgets and time frames are made possible with the new technology. It is not surprising, therefore, that a substantial body of research, employing the Internet as the primary means of data collection, already exists. This raises a number of questions as to how the Internet fares as a research tool. Are there any important methodological issues that this new approach raises? Do the traditional research methods suffice? Or are adaptations to existing methods necessary when difficulties are encountered? Does such changes affect the more fundamental question of the research design? These questions are considered in this thesis. To answer them, I consider two different types of empirical research designs. The first,' survey research, is a quantitative, numerical design that traditionally has a high level of control. I consider in detail issues of sampling, including non-response, and questionnaire design. The second design examined, ethnographic research, is qualitative, textual and generally has a low level of researcher control. I address the methods used in cyber ethnography and then discuss the considerable ethical concerns that feature in such research. I conclude that, on the whole, the existing methods can be transferred to Internet research. Indeed, some of the problems faced in traditional research are also considerations in Internet studies and can be overcome by employing similar techniques, such as using incentives to reduce non-response rates. However, a number of new problems emerge, such as the lack of paralinguistic cues, which require adaptations to the existing methods in order to produce results that can be considered valid and reliable. However, I also argue that these necessary adaptations to the methods do not affect the underlying principles found in the research design.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit word algemeen aanvaar dat die Internet In waardevolle hulpmiddel is vir sosiaalwetenskaplikes; nie net vir die uitruil van inligting deur middel van e-pos, besprekingsforums en elektroniese joernale nie, maar ook as In instrument om inligting te versamel. Die globale aard van die internet gee die navorser toegang to In wye spektrum individue internasionaal. Dit verleen ook toegang tot moeilike navorsingsareas, soos sensitiewe navorsing oor afwykende gedrag. Verder word beweer dat dit aansienlike besparings moontlik kan maak vir beide die navorsingsbegroting en tydraamwerk. Dit is dus nie verbasend dat In substansiële hoeveelheid van navorsing, wat die Internet as die primêre bron van dataversameling gebruik, reeds bestaan nie. Dit laat verskeie vrae ontstaan oor hoe die Internet vaar as In navorsingshulpmiddel. Is daar enige belangrike metodologiese kwessies wat hierdie nuwe metode aanraak? Is die tradisionele metodes voldoende? Of moet daar veranderinge aan die huidige metodes aangebring word wanneer probleme ontstaan? Sal hierdie veranderinge die fundamentele aspekte van navorsingsontwerp beïnvloed? Die vrae saloorweeg word in hierdie tesis. Ek gebruik twee empiriese navorsingsontwerpe om die vrae te beantwoord. Die eerste, steekproefnavorsing, is In kwantitatiewe ontwerp wat tradisioneel In hoë vlak van beheer toon. Ek ondersoek in detail kwessies van steekproewe, insluitend geen respons en vraelysontwerp. Die tweede ontwerp wat ondersoek word, etnografiese navorsing, is kwalitatief, tekstueel en toon in die algemeen In lae vlak van navorser beheer. Ek ondersoek die metodes wat gebruik word in kuberetnografie en bespreek dan die etiese vraagstukke wat hierdie navorsing kenmerk. Ek kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat oor die algemeen die huidige metodes toegepas kan word op Internetnavorsing. Inderdaad kan van die probleme wat ondervind word in tradisionele navorsing ook ondervind word in Internet studies en ook hier kan dit oorkom word deur die gebruik van soortgelyke tegnieke, soos om aansporingsbonusse om geen responskoerse te verminder, hoewel daar nuwe probleme opduik, soos die gebrek aan para-taalkundige wenke. Dit noodsaak veranderinge aan die huidige metodes om resultate te lewer wat geldig en betroubaar is. Ek redeneer egter ook dat hierdie nodige veranderinge aan die metodes nie onderliggende beginsels van navorsingsontwerp verander nie.

The present study draws on uses and gratifications and media system dependency perspectives for examining factors related to Internet usage behaviors of international students and their motives to use their home-country Internet resources.

 The relationship between Internet technology and human beings has been the main focus in the realm of Internet study. Those studies, generally speaking, either paid attention to the political, economical and social influences of the burgeoning Internet technology on human society, or focusing on the changing of human behavior, attitudes and psychological conditions in the Internet technological environment. Lacking of considering the core nature of Internet technology, most of studies, though proposed many insightful arguments, cannot explain why and in what way the Internet has such great influences on human beings. Since the Internet technology constructed the cyberspace, its relationship with human beings has been undoubtedly influenced by the inherent nature of the Internet. Examining the intrinsic nature and the bias of Internet technology, this study proposes the concept of cyber-micropower to describe the power relationships in the Internet field, and explores the origins of cyber-micropower. By investigating the formation and operational mechanism of the three kinds of cyber-micropower – information micropower, context micropower and subject micropower, this study provides a new analytical framework to the Internet study as well as understanding various cyberspace phenomena. The qualitative methods, especially critical literature research, online participant observation, and oral history are adopted to make thick description of various online phenomena, get empirical online data and develop the key concept of cyber-micropower. Particularly, the formation of information micropower is examined through the phenomenon of online free. Based on the analysis of online virtual identity, the formation process of context micropower and subject micropower can be developed. Then, the operational mechanism of cyber-micropower was mainly investigated through human flesh searching phenomenon. Briefly, this study argues that the bias of Internet technology is liquidity. As the core features of the Internet, both digitalization and networking of information directly reflect the widespread requiring for liquidity. This liquid Internet plays the role by empowering cyber subjects. Cyber-micropower, then, is the liquid networking relations among cyber subjects. During online interactions and the Internet use, cyber subjects always tend to make surveillance and self-surveillance, restriction and self-restriction, group participating and other ways, through which cyber subjects adapted to the new liquid cyber contexts and relations, as well as positioning their own locations in the liquid network. This new liquid disciplinary model in the “many watch the many” kind of cyberspace is the operational mechanism of cyber-micropower. Accordingly, disciplined cyber subjects and cyber conditions are like numerous panopticons superimposed together. Then, this study further argues that with the development of Internet technology, the liquid may be faster, and a larger scale of digitalization and intensive networking will follow. Such trends, though may liberate human beings initially, will go beyond humans’ ultimate state in the end. The liquid nature of information restricts cyber subjects’ ability of self-reflexive and understanding. And the liquid cyberspace may promote multiple and unstable virtual identities. As a result, cyber subjects’ cyber-micropower will become more fragile and sensitive. And the human nature may also be networked and liquefied gradually. Yet, when human beings become numerous nodes in the liquid network, not only their traditional ethics and morality are in the danger of reversing, but also the meaning of humans’ existence may be challenged.
published_or_final_version
Linguistics
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

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.

Problematic use of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) is an emerging societal challenge worldwide. There are increasing numbers of incident of problematic use of MMOGs and even reported cases of death from playing MMOGs excessively. With its prevalence, problematic use of MMOGs has received increasing awareness from the scientific community, the general public, and the media. Since information systems (IS) research traditionally emphasizes the positive and productive values of system usage, relatively few published studies on problematic use of MMOGs are found in mainstream IS journals. In addition, research on problematic use of MMOGs is hindered by a lack of uniform conceptualizations, valid measurement instruments, and theory-guided study. As a step towards bridging these gaps and fostering the understanding of problematic use of MMOGs, this study aims (1) to conceptualize problematic use of MMOGs and distinguish it from its counterparts, (2) to develop and validate an instrument of it using a rigorous approach (Study 1), and (3) to propose and empirically test a theory-driven model explaining the development of problematic use of MMOGs (Study 2). Study 1 aims to conceptualize problematic use of MMOGs, and develop and validate an instrument of it. First, drawing on the literature of problematic use of MMOGs and behavioral addiction, this study distinguishes among the often interchangeably used terms of “addiction, “problematic use, “excessive use, and “dependence, suggesting that their use requires careful consideration of the research scope and context. Second, following the robust paradigm in the IS literature, the instrument development process is carried out in three stages, including item generation, scale development, and instrument testing. The instrument is empirically validated with 517 active MMOG players. The final instrument, consisting of 37 items, exhibits adequate levels of reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and nomological validity. The validated instrument adds to the repertoire of rigorous research instruments available to future IS researchers, helping to establish a tradition of IS research on problematic use of MMOGs and other hedonic technologies. Study 2 aims to advance theoretical understanding of the development mechanism of problematic use of MMOGs. Drawing on the hedonic management model of addictions, this study proposes a theoretical model explaining how the duality of hedonic experiences, mood enhancement and emotional relief, derived from playing MMOGs lead to problematic use. The research model is empirically tested with 468 active MMOG players with the majority of the hypotheses supported. The findings suggest that both mood enhancement and emotional relief are important mechanisms leading to salience of gameplay, which in turn, explains the development of problematic use of MMOGs. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge on technology usage-related problems and advances theoretical understanding of development mechanism of problematic use of MMOGs. In addition, the findings provide MMOG developers, policymakers, and educators with insights on how to alleviate problematic use of MMOGs

This study aimed to explore adolescents perceptions of how their use of information and communication technologies may impact on the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. Obtaining information from adolescents on how they experience their parents interaction with them when they engage with theses technologies, can provide insight into adolescents perceptions of whether information and communication technologies impact on this relationship. This research therefore aimed to explore the way that parents interact with their adolescents on their use of the Internet, gaming activities, or regulating their use of a cell phone, and how this is perceived by adolescents.

One approach to studying media is uses and gratifications, a model that suggests media audiences can explain why and for what purpose they use the media. This study took a Uses and Gratifications approach to the Internet social interaction site LambdaMOO. On LambdaMOO, users log on and create an alternate persona to interact with other users. Using a set of questions, 222 selected LambdaMOO users were asked about why they use LambdaMOO, their actions as an alternate persona and their opinions on LambdaMOO. Answers from the subjects were content analyzed to find commonality against several preselected categories and sub-categories. Upon analysis, the subjects were found to use LambdaMOO for talking to other users, "building" up the site through programming and surveying the current events and political movements on the site. Also, the subjects were determined not to act different from their real life actions and preceived attitudes, although the opportunity for freedom through anonymity was everpresent.
Department of Journalism

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Internet and its Cyberspaces were developed in the 1960s to create a means to transfer information without the risk of interception and annihilation. Today, 40 years later, the Internet has grown in both size and application. The most used applications are still conversation and sharing of information. This thesis is an ethnographic account of my experiences in a Cyberspace of the Internet- a virtual community with the name Amazon City.com. Virtual communities are spaces on the Internet where people come together to discuss their daily lives, issues and anything that's appropriate for the particular community. It is seen as a response to the demise of third places in off-line life, globalisation, etc. The communities that form in these areas develop cultural assumptions. These cultural assumptions are revealed to a new member through time and interaction in the conferencing area. The assumptions that I experienced range from knowledge needed to be an excepted and successful member of the community, to language use and identity of the members. The conclusion was reached that members view their participation and membership in these communities as just as fulfilling and real as their activities in off-line communities. Further aspects that make a site a growing and economically feasible business strategy for its owner(s) were my next focus. Internet commerce is growing at an astonishing rate. Internet business does not only imply the selling of products on-line. Computermediated communication devices have been implemented on commercial sites after it was found in the early 1990s that people are looking for something more than just another shopping area. Other ways that this type of dot com site uses to generate revenue and whether the members on the site are perceived as citizens or ultimately as consumers were also studied. It was found that members see themselves as citizens but site loyalty will push them to act as consumers when need be. The commercial aspects of these sites are a part of and necessary for the existence of the dot com site, and the community that fosters there.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Internet en sy Kuberruimtes is ontwikkel in die 1960s as 'n manier om inligting oor te dra sonder die risiko van intersepsie en vernietiging. Vandag, 40 jaar later het die Internet gegroei in beide grootte en toepassing. Die mees algemene gebruike is nogsteeds kommunikasie en die oordrag van inforrnasie. Hierdie tesis is 'n etnografiese studie van my ervaringe in 'n Kuberruimte van die Internet- 'n virtuele gemeenskap byname Amazon City.com. Virtuele gemeenskappe is areas op die Internet waar mense bymekaar kom om hul daaglikse lewens, kwessies en enige iets toepaslik vir die spesifieke gemeenskap, te bespreek. Die tipe gemeenskap word gesien as 'n reaksie van die verval van "derde plekke" in af-lyn lewe en globalisering Die gemeenskap wat vorrn in hierdie areas ontwikkel kulturele veronderstelling. Hierdie veronderstellings word openbaar aan 'n nuwe lid deur tyd en interaksie in die konferensie area. Die veronderstellings wat ek ervaar het strek van kennis benodig am 'n aanvaarde en suksesvolle lid van die gemeenskap te word, tot taal gebruik en identiteit van die lede. Die konklusie is bereik dat lede hul interaksie en lidmaatskap in hierdie gemenskappe as net so bevredigend en "eg" ervaar as hul aktiwiteite in hul af-lyn lewe . Verdere aspekte wat 'n webblad 'n suksesvolle en ekonomiese vatbare besigheids strategie maak vir sy eienaar, was my volgende fokus. Internet besigheid groei teen 'n geweldige spoed, en impliseer nie slegs die verkoop van produkte aanlyn nie. Rekenaar-ondersteunde komrnunikasie toestelle is geimplimenteer op kornmersiele webbladsye nadat dit gevind is in die vroee 1990s dat mense soek vir 'n plek wat meer is as net nog 'n winkel. Ander maniere wat hierde dot com webbladsye gebruik am inkomste te genereer en of die lede gesien word as burgers of as verbruikers word ook bestudeer. Daar is gevind dat die lede hulself sien as burgers maar webbladsy lojaliteit sal die lede aanspoor om as verbruikers op te tree indien nodig. Die kommersiele aspekte van die tipe webbladsy is 'n noodsaaklik deel vir die voortbestaan van die dot com webbladsy, en die gemeenskap wat daar ontwikkel.

This thesis investigates young people's use of the Internet and mobile phones, and focuses especially on associations between use of these technologies for communication purposes and social anxiety. First, two surveys are reported which examine the broad characteristics of young people’s Internet and mobile phone use. The first of these was conducted on paper and provides a general description of these activities amongst young people in the Teesside area of England. The second survey was conducted online with a population from a wider area and supports the paper survey. Together, the surveys indicate that there may be a small bias towards male use of and competence with the Internet. There may also be a small bias towards female use of mobile phones. Results concerning non-use of the Internet and mobile phones are also discussed. Reports of the surveys are followed by descriptions of a questionnaire study, also conducted in the Teesside area of England, which indicates that associations between the psychological conditions social anxiety and social phobia and use of the Internet and mobile phones, generally, and for communication purposes, are minimal. (However, small but significant associations are discussed). Finally, was conducted using Grounded Theory, is described. This reveals that that control over social interactions, sometimes in relation to transient, or situational, social anxiety, might be one important reason why young people like to use text-based Internet and mobile phone communication media to interact. It is concluded that whilst social anxiety as a psychological characteristic or trait may not be strongly related to young people s use of the Internet and mobile phones for communication purposes, young people may nevertheless sometimes use these technologies to manage situational social anxiety.

This study aims to investigate the possible influence of Western culture on second-year Chinese students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in 2007 by focusing on their Internet usage. Roland Robertson’s theory of glocalization is employed as the theoretical framework in this study. The research design is qualitative in nature. Individual semi-structured interviews are the method of collecting research data while a thematic analysis is the means of analysing and interpreting the research data. The sample comprises twelve second-year Chinese students who are studying at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in 2007 and have access to the Internet. This study has found that Western culture has exerted multi-faceted influences on the Chinese students through their Internet usage, and that they always negotiate such influences by selecting, adapting and appropriating what is useful in Western culture in an eclectic manner.

Smelser's theory of collective behavior holds that people join radical social movements because they experience strain. Among the most serious strains are anxieties that relate to one's social status and the roles that correspond to it. A social movement arises as a means of coping with these anxieties. Militia presence and activity on the Internet (especially Usenet) is a phenomenon that can be studied within the framework of Smelser's theory. Militia watchers contend that those who join the militias have experienced the kinds of strain to which Smelser refers. A content analysis of Internet traffic of U.S. militias provides a test of the general thesis outlined above. By analyzing Internet sites it is possible to examine whether militiamen have experienced strain, and whether the strain, together with other factors, influence an individual's decision to join the militia. This dissertation was the first sociological study of American militias on the Internet and the first in which militias from all regions of the country was studied. Information was gathered on 171 militiamen who joined 28 militias. A qualitative analysis of militia web sites and Usenet traffic (n=1,189 online documents) yielded answers to seven research questions. Most militiamen studied experienced some form of stress or strain prior to joining the militia. Within this context, three generalized beliefs arose to help explain this stress among those militiamen. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco (BATF) raids at Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas were mentioned most often as movement precipitants. Based on the militiamen studied, the militia movement was Internet-driven, although a number of alternative media played a joint role in movement mobilization. On the basis of the cases studied, increased social control following the Oklahoma City bombing affected the direction of the movement as many militias went underground. Yet, Usenet traffic by and about militiamen rose significantly. Constitutionalism was the primary philosophical orientation of the militias in this dissertation; however, Christian Identity militias were growing in number and visibility.

Despite the exponential growth in internet usage for personal communication over the last 10 years (Madden & Zickuhr, 2011) little is known of the online interpersonal persuasion process. Whilst some psychological research has been undertaken in this area, the findings are somewhat contradictory (e.g. Di Blasio & Milani, 2008; Murphy, Long, Holleran, & Esterly, 2003). These studies also fail to give consideration to cues used in online persuasive interactions due to the absence of paralinguistic cues. Further, the extant research in this domain has not explicitly examined the persuasion process in terms of a theoretical model. This thesis aims to address these issues and provide a foundation from which future research can be based. This thesis comprises two studies. The first study examined participants’ reactions to anonymous persuasive requests. These requests were presented using three situational contexts, each of which elicited different self-interest motivations (i.e. social, learning, and political). It also compared participants’ reactions to these contexts across three different communication modes both online and offline (i.e. instant messaging, email, and face to face). Language cues (i.e. language power and emotion) contained in the messages presented were also manipulated. The findings from this study show that in anonymous interactions communication mode does not affect compliance decisions. Instead, individuals are sensitive to situational context in online interactions and they process information in accordance with their self-interest motivations. Further, it was also found that, despite the anonymity, individuals are able to engage in impression formation by using the available cues and utilise these impressions when making compliance decisions. In response to these findings, Study 2 examined the effect of prior information in online interpersonal persuasive interactions and found that this information influences message evaluations over and above those in anonymous interactions. This study also examined the persuasion process in terms of a theoretical model finding that individuals engage in hypothesis-testing utilising all the information they perceive to be relevant to a compliance decision. Thus, it was concluded that Kruglanski and Thompson’s (1999) unimodel of persuasion provides the best explanation for online interpersonal persuasion processes. The findings from this thesis provide a broad foundation from which to base future research. They demonstrate that context is important in online communication and affects compliance decisions. They also show that cues are attended to in online interactions and are used in the evaluation process as they provide relevant evidence from which to base a compliance decision. From the findings of this thesis a model of the interpersonal persuasion process is proposed.

Modes of communication in modern society have become instant and frequent. Internet users usually post ongoing activities and check their friends’ statuses with texts and photos in social networking sites. During information seeking and sharing processes, they enable peer-to-peer surveillance on the Internet. The present research adopts Foucault’s (1977) Panopticon as a metaphor to investigate this new advent of online surveillance. Surveillance from unknown people on the Internet may not always exist, but the perception of being surveilled could be embedded in the users’ mind. This kind of suspicion may generate some surveillance effects such as low self-esteem and communication discouragement, namely panoptic effects without the presence of actual surveillance (Botan, 1996). This study focuses on the negative panoptic effects to Internet users, leading to three hypotheses related to privacy infringement, Internet stress and self-monitoring. An online survey was conducted with 325 respondents aged from 18 to 29. Regression analyses were used to investigate the explanatory power of one’s perception of being surveilled on the outcome variables. The results showed that the respondents with higher level of perceived online surveillance report higher sense of privacy infringement, more situational stress and higher desire of self-monitoring in their online disclosure. With awareness of being surveilled, the respondents realize the information they share online may be exposed to anonymous observers and be prone to storage and dissemination, resulting in privacy infringement. Since online information could be exposed and misused, the respondents feel stressful to share their views and emotions online. They may conduct self-censorship on their online disclosure so as to acquire credits from other Internet users and avoid punishment for improper manner. Implications of these findings are discussed in detail.

I aim to make explicit the actualisation of heritage, following this orienting question: how do human beings come to qualify a thing, be it tangible or intangible, as heritage? I argue that heritage is at the same time a quality allocated by human beings in their relation with things and a fiction that circulates between and anchors in situation(s). To support this assertion, I focus on one element of official heritage, namely houses in the medina of Fez in Morocco, a World Heritage site listed in 1981.

Firstly, I follow medina houses in terms of networks, that is to say the various ways to engage with their materiality in the everyday life. In this ethnographic report, I wonder how to inhabit houses located in a World Heritage site. This ethnography allows to question notions such as legality, taste, privacy, hospitality tradition or agency, and it brings to the fore a debate concerning the skills of Moroccan inhabitants to take care of their house and their blindness to heritage. I argue that houses have another story the official heritage one because they offer holds, affordances, to which human actors qualify. Heritage is one of these qualities.

I then focus on heritage as a trajectory to shed light on how houses cross the heritage border – are qualified as heritage. I firstly add the category of autodidact experts and I propose a wider definition of expertise as an ability "to speak in the name of". I then underline the importance of senses and affects in the relation with houses and I suggest that they are one possible component in the heritage qualification together with actions and justification. Finally, I argue that better than the notion of heritage border, the notion of attachment allows grasping the qualification of houses as heritage for it stresses both the similarities and the differences between houses and elements of heritage. Heritage as a quality results from a "plus of attention" and relates to nostalgia or a feeling of threat, loss and disappearing; values related to purity, materiality and time; and actions of preservation and transmission.

Finally, houses may be heritage through their qualification but heritage is also something else than houses in Fez, such as a label or a justification for members of institution in charge of tourism development or heritage preservation, a tool for sustainable development in the context of international projects, a definition assorted with criteria, an object to preserve for experts, an object of research in the field of social sciences, or a legal object. These are forms of heritage circulating between situations in which they anchor and are actualised. Each form has its own characteristics, its own criteria of (e)valuation, while all the forms share similarities that I define as the heritage fiction, namely a specific relation to the past, the idea of culture as a specific entity, the importance of experts, and moral principles. In a last time, I take as a basis the circulation and the anchorage of the heritage fiction and its forms to think of the local and the global as qualities and not as scales or levels.

Mon objectif est d'expliciter l'actualisation du patrimoine en décrivant la manière dont les individus qualifient une chose, dans ce cas les maisons de la médina de Fès au Maroc (site du patrimoine mondial depuis 1981), de patrimoine. Dans ce cadre, je définis le patrimoine à la fois comme une qualité que les individus attribuent à cette chose dans leur relation avec elle, et comme une fiction qui circule entre et s'ancre en situation(s).

Tout d'abord, je m'intéresse aux réseaux qui passent par et se croisent dans les maisons et je pose la question de l'engagement des individus avec la matérialité des maisons. Cette ethnographie de l'habitat quotidien dans un site du patrimoine mondial permet d'aborder des notions telles la légalité, le goût, l'intimité, l'hospitalité, la tradition ou l'agency. Elle met également en avant un débat sur les compétences des habitants à prendre soin de leur maison et sur leur aveuglement au patrimoine. Je défends l'idée que les maisons ont une autre histoire que celle, officielle, du patrimoine national et mondial et qu'elles proposent aux individus des prises et affordances que ces derniers peuvent qualifier. Le patrimoine est une de ces qualités.

Une étude de la trajectoire du patrimoine permet alors d'expliciter comment les maisons traversent la frontière patrimoniale (sont qualifiées de patrimoine). Tout en proposant une définition plus large de l'expertise comme la capacité de "parler au nom de", je relative l'opposition entre experts et non-experts avec la catégorie intermédiaire d'amateur. Je souligne également l'importance des sens et des affects dans la relation aux maisons qui, tout comme les actions et les justifications, constituent des composantes possibles de la qualification patrimoniale. Enfin, la notion d'attachement, mieux que celle de frontière patrimoniale, met en lumière à la fois ce qui est similaire et ce qui distingue les maisons et les éléments de patrimoine. Le patrimoine est une qualité qui résulte d'un "plus d'attention" relatifs à de la nostalgie ou un sentiment de perte, de menace ou de disparition; des valeurs de pureté, matérielles et temporelles; et des actions de préservation et de transmission.

Finalement, le patrimoine est aussi autre chose que des maisons à Fès, comme un objet à préserver, un objet légal, un objet de recherche pour les universitaires, un label servant de justification ou d'accroche promotionnelle de la ville, un outil dans le cadre du développement durable, une définition assortie de critères. Ces multiples patrimoines sont autant de formes de la "fiction patrimoniale" qui circulent entre et s'ancrent en situation(s). Si chacune possède ses caractéristiques et critères d'évaluation, toutes partagent les caractéristiques de la fiction patrimoniale, à savoir un rapport spécifique au temps, l'importance des experts, des principes moraux et une idée de la culture comme entité particulière. Je me base sur la circulation et l'ancrage de la fiction et de ses formes pour penser le local et le global comme des qualités d'une chose et non comme des niveaux ou des échelles.

Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Social networking sites are a recent phenomenon and have experienced tremendous growth in popularity especially among young people. Social networking sites are changing the way individuals communicate with each other and the world. Social networking sites (SNS) provide users with a unique computer-mediated environment where individuals are able to disclose their thoughts, feelings, and experiences within their own social network. The present study aims to explore the experiences of young adults regarding Facebook. A transcendental phenomenological approach was used to elicit the essence of the experiences of the participants. Theoretical sampling ensured relevant participants were selected through haphazard sampling procedures. Data was collected through the use of biographical questionnaires and individual, semi-structured interviews. The data was processed according to the four phenomenological principles epoche, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation and synthesis using Tesch’s eight steps. Lincoln and Guba’s model was used to assess the trustworthiness of the data obtained. The participants described their experiences of Facebook by highlighting how they use Facebook as a communication tool which assists them in their relationship maintenance with others. Participants use self-presentation on Facebook to manage how they are perceived. The participants experience Facebook as having many privacy risks. They indicated that Facebook has addictive qualities and facilitates cyber stalking behaviour.

This thesis setss out to re-evaluate and re-think theories of communications media and theories of democracy formation under translocal, global and networked conditions. In order to do this, the thesis brings a combination of social and communications theory, political philosophy and "radical empiricism" to the study of the socio-technical dimensions of Net cultures. It examines the ways in which emergent networks of creativity, labour, organisation and intervention challenge the sovereignty of the state-corporation nexus, which functions tu restrict access and control information flows in the interests of security and profit. The thesis investigates the relationship between emergent forms of organisation and the seemingly de-nationalised realm of networks. It considers how democratic polities might be constituted in terms of material interventions within the network. The challenge of theorising and inventing new idioms of democracy within an informational paradigm underpins much of the inquiry within this thesis.

The purpose of this study was to examine romantic relationships that began through face-to-face (FtF) interaction or computer-mediated communication (CMC). Two hundred seventy-six participants who were currently in romantic relationships that began in person (196) or online (80) completed an online questionnaire. The study explored several relational variables (relationship satisfaction, intimacy, trust, communication satisfaction, physical attraction) and tested for differences in the two types of relationships; however, the data were not consistent with the hypotheses and research questions. Post-hoc tests revealed that sample characteristics (including sex, exclusivity of relationships, same/opposite sex relationships, and length of relationships) accounted for several differences when tested with the relational variables. Finally, the study sought to find which of these variables related to relationship satisfaction in relationships that began FtF and online. Trust and communication satisfaction significantly predicted relationship satisfaction in relationships that began FtF, and physical attraction and communication satisfaction significantly predicted relationship satisfaction in relationships that began online.

This ethnographic study investigated the underlying motivations behind college-aged students ' use of the popular social-networking site, MySpace. It also examined how MySpace influences online and offline relationships as well as impacts individuals' self concept. The research method included an initial unobtrusive observation of 50 random MySpace pages, participant-observation of informants' sites and 18 interviews with the study's participants. Each component of this ethnographic design helps reveal various patterns associated with relational and self motivations using MySpace. Following transcription analysis and multi-tiered triangulation among interview, participant-observation and lurking data, the information was compiled in a matrix to help break down and to evaluate data in manageable pieces. Two key findings related to concepts of self and relationships resulted from this study. The first discovery suggested that participants engage in a number of relational maintenance strategies, particularly activities associated with alleviating dialectical tensions, such as autonomy and togetherness. Secondly, the study revealed that MySpace members constantly negotiate their ideal and actual selves through computer-mediated communication, based on reflective appraisals from significant others on MySpace. Taken together, relational maintenance strategies and self-concept activities are engineered by the users' need to necessarily learn the values, norms and culture associated with life in MySpace. The study builds upon previous literature on ethnographical methods, computer-mediated communication, relational maintenance, self-concepts and socialization practices. This thesis contributes to burgeoning research in virtual ethnography as well as to emerging, yet underrepresented academic research investigating social networking sites use motivations.

This thesis looks at how older people integrate computers and the Internet into their everyday lives and make these technologies their own as part of their broader experience of ageing. The thesis starts by considering the limits of current ‘deficit-driven' models of accessible design used in relation to older people and highlights a need to develop new approaches which can accommodate the adaptive and ‘positive' capacities that emerge with advanced age. The approach subsequently developed provides a consideration of older people's situated and subjective experiences in relation to computer and Internet engagement as part of their adaptations to ageing. Qualitative and ethnographic data in the form of participant observations, contextual interviews and video-based observations are all used to examine the ways in which older users identify computers and the Internet as relevant and construct meaningful uses for them over time. Four case studies are used to explore the contextual and subjective determinants of these emerging psycho-socio-technical relationships over time and in different contexts. Through grounded analysis patterns are established in the data which outline persistent qualities of these emerging relationships in relation to ageing. A psycho-socio-technical process known as ‘appropriation' is used to frame these adaptive relationships as they develop over time. In contrast to existing models of accessibility this analysis shows computer and Internet appropriation to be driven primarily by positive adaptations to ageing rather than its deficits. Six ‘core themes of relevance' are identified across the studies (social contact; acquiring knowledge; supporting independence; intergenerational connection; reminiscence and life review and creativity) which represent age-relevant motivations that can be used as the basis for accessible designs promoting appropriation. In addition appropriation is outlined as a cumulative developmental process with distinct phases over time. This provides a structure for supporting older people's appropriation of computers and the Internet whilst maintaining an emphasis on well-being. Finally this thesis contributes to understandings of contemporary ageing, offering insights into the potential for computers and the Internet to change the ageing experience in developed societies.

This study examines the differences between interaction in Internet chat rooms and face to face communication and the effect those differences have on the development of social capital. Much has been written recently regarding the decline of social capital as evidenced by decreasing membership in small organizations. However, relatively little has been written about the potential for social capital to be_ developed through other forms of interaction. Results of this study indicate that though there are differences in the two experimental groups, there are no statistically significant differences between them.
Department of Political Science

This thesis investigates how two Christian communities — differentiated primarily by their medium of communication — characterize and cast Christian community. The method of fantasy theme analysis was used to explore this thesis's central research question; namely, are content differences present in the ways in which face-to-face and digital communication systems characterize and cast the Christian sense of community? After an analysis of St. Pixels Church of the Internet (digital communication) and St. Luke's United Methodist Church (face-to-face communication) it was found that the online community demonstrated a rhetorical vision of koinonia, while the face-to-face community demonstrated a rhetorical vision of ekklesia.
Department of Telecommunications

Cette dissertation doctorale entend contribuer au renouveau des sciences de l’information et de la communication (SIC) et plus particulièrement de la construction du « public » dans un contexte caractérisé par une remise en question des savoirs théoriques et méthodologiques associée à l’émergence d’internet.

Cette problématique est développée en trois temps. Dans un premier temps, nous effectuons une synthèse des constructions du public dans la recherche sur les médias classiques. Les multiples « publics » repérés dans la littérature scientifique en information et communication (infocom) sont organisés à deux niveaux. D’une part, nous distinguons les constructions du public comme « acteur collectif » et comme « acteur assistant ». D’autre part, à un niveau plus fin d’analyse, les concepts de public comme « groupe » et comme « collectivité » permettent de distinguer deux types de public comme « acteur collectif » tandis que les concepts de public comme « récepteur » et comme « coproducteur » renvoient à deux catégories différentes de public comme « acteur assistant ».

Dans un deuxième temps, nous examinons plusieurs ajustements des constructions du public apportés (ou à apporter) par la recherche en infocom à propos d’internet. En ce qui concerne la construction du public comme « groupe », celle-ci recouvre désormais une grande variété de groupes dont les processus de communication interne deviennent un objet d’étude à part entière. De plus, la construction comme « public exposé » (une catégorie de public comme « récepteur ») s’articule à la problématique de l’accès aux informations. Enfin, la construction du public comme « coproducteur » voit son champ d’application considérablement élargi.

Dans un troisième et dernier temps, nous réalisons une méta-analyse de la construction du public d’internet. Le corpus est composé de 186 articles issus de six revues scientifiques en infocom. Les variables examinées sont :l’origine culturelle des auteurs, l’orientation éditoriale des revues, les thématiques de recherche, les constructions du public, les constructions d’internet et les méthodes de recherche. Les résultats révèlent notamment que les ajustements nécessaires des constructions du public sont peu représentés dans le corpus. Si la construction comme « groupe » est plus fréquente que la construction comme « collectivité », la première est toutefois concentrée dans deux revues et semble peu diversifiée. De plus, le public comme « coproducteur » est rarement étudié alors qu’internet facilite la participation à la production des messages et favorise l’appropriation des contenus.

Par ailleurs, la construction du public d’internet est culturellement marquée :les chercheurs européens le construisent plutôt comme « acteur collectif » tandis que les chercheurs américains privilégient la construction comme « acteur assistant ». De plus, les constructions du public ne sont pas associées aux mêmes constructions d’internet :le public comme « acteur collectif » est associé à une construction d’internet comme « medium » tandis que le public comme « acteur assistant » est associé à une construction d’internet comme « support », « média » ou « contenu ». Enfin, les constructions du public d’internet donnent lieu à des méthodes de recherche distinctes, le public comme « acteur collectif » étant articulé aux méthodes qualitatives et le public comme « acteur assistant » aux méthodes quantitatives. /

This doctoral thesis aims to contribute to the revival of the information and communication sciences (ICS) whose theoretical and methodological tools are being called into question by the emergence of information and communication technologies. This study focuses on the construction of the “audience” in the age of internet and develops this issue through three chapters.

The first chapter synthesizes the constructions of the audience in the research on traditional media. The numerous “audiences” identified in scientific literature from ICS are organized at two levels. On the one hand, we distinguish the audience as “collective actor” from the audience as “attending actor”. On the other hand, and more precisely, the “group” and the “collectivity” are considered two different kinds of audience as “collective actor” while the construction of the audience as “attending actor” is broken up into two constructions: the “receiver” and the “co-producer”.

The second chapter discusses (some of) the alterations to the constructions of the audience that ICS have made (or should make) because of the properties of the internet. With regard to the audience as “group”, it covers henceforth a wide range of groups whose internal communication processes become an object of study. Moreover, the construction of the audience as “exposed audience” (a category of audience as “receiver”) is linked up with the issue of information access and the construction of audience as “co-producer” sees its sphere of validity considerably enlarged.

The third and last chapter develops a meta-analysis of the construction of the internet audience. The corpus is composed of 186 articles published in six scientific journals from ICS. The variables examined are: the cultural origin of the authors, the editorial influence of the journals, the research subjects, the constructions of the audience, the constructions of internet and the research methods. Among other results, it appears that the “new” constructions of the audience are not much studied in the corpus. The construction as “group” is more frequently encountered than the construction as “collectivity” but is restricted to two journals and is little diversified. Moreover, the audience as “co-producer” is rarely constructed whereas internet facilitates the participation in message production and the appropriation of contents. Furthermore, the construction of the internet audience is a culturally defined process: European researchers rather construct the internet audience as “collective actor” while American researchers tend towards a construction of the internet audience as “attending actor”. Those constructions are associated with different constructions of internet: the audience as “collective actor” is linked up with the construction of internet as “medium” while the audience as “attending actor” is associated with the constructions of internet as “device”, “channel” or “content”. Finally, the constructions of the internet audience are methodologically different: the audience as “collective actor” is studied through qualitative methods while the audience as “attending actor” tends towards quantitative methods.

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres, Orientation information
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Social commerce (s-commerce) relies on social media to support the buying and selling activities between customers and sellers. S-commerce sites have nowadays enabled their sellers to form their individual community, constitutes invited members of other shoppers, serving as trusted agents or targets and share shopping information and experience with their new customers. This study termed this new facet of communities as social commerce individual vendor community (SCIVC). A recent business paradigm of s-commerce sites indicates that customers spend a little time with s-commerce sellers and/or members in SCIVC, and thus swift trust, a quickly formed trust in a new relationship, deems be more appropriate representing as a basis of their trust building formulated. From the perspective of trust transfer theory, this thesis firstly develops the swift-based trust transfer process model and then examines how both swift trusts factors of individual sellers and members in SCIVC would affect customer trust in s-commerce sites. Secondly, this thesis verifies how the social support affects the model constructs of the swift-based trust transfer process, and subsequently how they further affect relationship outcomes on s-commerce sites. In this thesis, we quantified social support based on functional customer orientation construct and relational customer orientation construct; whereas respective swift guanxi and swift credibility constructs used to measure factors of swift trust factor between a customer with their seller and between a customer with their members of SCVIC. Lastly, we measured relationship outcomes by the following factors: repurchase intention, social shopping intention (i.e. measured by WOM adoption), and social sharing intention (i.e. measured by WOM intention). Based on a survey of 287 s-commerce shoppers from a s-commerce site - WeChat, our results revealed that the customer trust in s-commerce sites can be transferred from both respective swift trusts. This implies that their trust can be influenced by s-commerce parties, that are individual sellers and members of SCVIC. Our results also showed that the proposed social support factors, namely functional and relational customer orientation, both have mainly a positive relationship on respective swift guanxi, swift credibility, and customer trust factors, and subsequently influenced the three proposed factors of relationship outcomes. Exceptional insignificant cases included the relationship between relationship customer orientation and customer trust, the relationship between swift guanxi and WOM adoption and the relationship between swift credibility and WOM intention. In conclusion, this thesis makes three main contributions. First, it confirms consumer trust in s-commerce sites can be transferred from their sellers via guanxi trust and members in SCVIC via credibility trust. Second, it confirms functional and relational customer orientation have a profound total effect on both the proposed relationship mediator of trust and relationship outcomes. Lastly, it confirms the proposed customer orientation constructs and relationship mediator of trust promote not only s-commerce shopping behavior through collaborative sharing and social shopping but also individual-based repeat buying decisions.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of billions of devices, people and services to Interconnect and exchange information and useful data. The IoT applications are highly affirming to increase the level of comfort, efficiency and automations for the user. The high level of security and privacy, authentication and recovery from the attacks is required to implement IoT automated world. In this thesis I am presenting an overview of IoT layer architecture and attacks regarding security from the layer’s perspective. In addition, this thesis will provide an overview to solve the security and privacy threats. Furthermore, this paper discusses the current state of research on IoT security requirements and future research directions with respect to IoT security and privacy, a detailed review of the security challenges and sources of threat in the IoT applications is presented. Finally, this thesis presents the security issues, various emerging and existing technologies focused on achieving a high degree of trust in the IoT applications.

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Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq
Activism in cyberspace, also called cyberactivism, a transnational practice that puts us before invisible demands for techno excluded, and largely ignored by the political field, is presented as a solution to political problems, such as the collaborative public dialogue promotion and as online mobilization. In Brazil, the political struggles variations of recent years raise the following questions: what are the fundamental characteristics of activism in cyberspace and in the Brazilian political field? According to their characteristics, for what reasons do the demands and actions proposed by cyberactivists have little repercussion and support in the Brazilian political field and in society, often leading to temporary disappearance or at random? In response to these questions, we propose five hypotheses, namely: [1] political activism in cyberspace is part of an "activist protocampo"; [2] the hackeractivist has the potential to influence the political field through its actions of resistance; cyberactivists can simulate public opinion; The clickactivist or "like" activist is the maneuvering mass of the cyberactivist actions; [3] ciberactivism favors a much more alterity with the medium of communication and its connection links; [4] the political field is based on the blackmail game, characterized as its main conventional method of action / articulation; and [5] this form of activism provoked a political field reaction, which instrumented means capable of neutralizing actions in cyberspace and capitalizing on the results in favor of the image itself. The critical reflection on the Brazilian political and cybercultural reality aims at organizing a theoretical-methodological framework based on the deductive reasoning method, which is supported by two related symbolic models: [a] the political field as an autonomous microcosm, a socially structure based on a control and dispute system; and [b] activism in cyberspace, an emerging form of action with enormous political potential. Pierre Bourdieu's methodological view of relationally thinking about the object represented a fundamental part of our thesis. Likewise, the theoretical-epistemological framework formed in Brazil about activism in cyberspace contributed to the existing terms classification in the existing literature. Especially based on the concepts of Eugenio Trivinho, Jean Baudrillard, Fábio Malini, Henrique Antoun and Norberto Bobbio, we propose the concept of glocal activism, considering the global life organization modes added to the technomiditic local civilization arrangements resulted in a third social and political dimension, no longer local or global, but - just - glocal. This way, we conclude that, behind the political field visible power, there is an invisible power that acts through the blackmail game. In this dispute, hackeractivism has great potential to decrypt the existing game and eventually subvert the structures of power. This same action, however, makes us vulnerable to advanced digital technology, historically reinforcing the glocal phenomenon as an inexorable existential condition
O ativismo no ciberespaço, também denominado ciberativismo, prática transnacional que nos coloca diante de demandas invisíveis para tecnoexcluídos e, em grande parte, ignoradas pelo campo político, apresenta-se como solução para problemas políticos, como promoção de diálogo público colaborativo e como mobilização online. No Brasil, as vicissitudes das lutas políticas dos últimos anos fazem emergir as seguintes questões: quais as características fundamentais do ativismo no ciberespaço e do campo político brasileiro?; em que pesem suas características, por quais razões as demandas e ações propostas pelos ciberativistas têm pouca repercussão e sustentação no campo político brasileiro e na sociedade, muitas vezes chegando ao desaparecimento temporário ou ao ocaso? Como resposta a essas questões, propomos cinco hipóteses, a saber: [1] o ativismo político no ciberespaço faz parte de um “protocampo ativista”; [2] o hackerativista tem o potencial de influenciar o campo político por meio de suas ações de resistência; os ciberativistas podem criar simulacros de opinião pública; o clickativista ou ativista like é massa de manobra das ações ciberativistas; [3] O ciberativismo favorece muito mais uma alteridade com o meio de comunicação e seus links de conexão; [4] o campo político sustenta-se a partir do jogo de chantagens, caracterizado como o seu principal método convencional de ação/articulação; e [5] essa forma de ativismo provocou uma reação por parte do campo político, que instrumentalizou meios capazes de neutralizar ações no ciberespaço e capitalizar os resultados em favor da própria imagem. A reflexão crítica sobre essa realidade política e cibercultural brasileira visa organizar um arcabouço teórico-metodológico a partir do método de raciocínio dedutivo, baseada em dois modelos simbólicos conexos: [a] o campo político como microcosmo autônomo, estrutura socialmente estruturada sobre um sistema de controle e disputa; e [b] o ativismo no ciberespaço, forma emergente de ação com enorme potencial político. A visão metodológica de Pierre Bourdieu, de pensar relacionalmente o objeto, representou parte fundamental de nossa Tese. Igualmente, o arcabouço teórico-epistemólogico formado no Brasil sobre ativismo no ciberespaço contribuiu para a classificação dos termos apresentados na literatura existente. Especialmente com base nos conceitos de Eugênio Trivinho, Jean Baudrillard, Fábio Malini, Henrique Antoun e Norberto Bobbio, propomos o conceito de ativismo glocal, considerando que os modos de organização global da vida, somados aos arranjos locais na civilização tecnomidiática, resultaram em uma terceira dimensão social e política, já nem local nem global, mas – justamente – glocal. Diante disso, concluímos que, por trás do poder visível do campo político, existe um poder invisível que atua por meio do jogo de chantagens. Nessa disputa, o hackerativismo tem grande potencial para descriptografar o jogo existente e, eventualmente, subverter as estruturas de poder. Essa mesma ação, contudo, nos entrega ao domínio da tecnologia digital avançada, reforçando historicamente o fenômeno glocal como condição existencial inexorável

The impact of computer-mediated communication (CMC) on relational behavior is a topic of increasing interest to communication scholars (McQuillen, 2003; Tidwell & Walther, 2002). One of the most interesting issues that CMC raises concerns the impact of CMC on relational maintenance and development. Using dialectical theory, social exchange theory, social information processing theory, and the hyperpersonal perspective as theoretical frameworks, this study used quantitative and qualitative analyses to identity potential effects of CMC on relationships. Study 1 (n=317) examined the effects of CMC on relational closeness, satisfaction, and social support. Study 2 (n=196) explored the reasons individuals provide for privileging computer-mediated forms of communication, and the perceived effects of using CMC in relational communication. Results indicated that quality of CMC predicted increased perceptions of social support and relationship satisfaction. Results further suggested that CMC enabled participants to manage more effectively relational tensions of autonomy-connection and openness-closedness. Specifically, individuals used CMC to retain higher levels of conversational control, and to maintain greater numbers of relationships with decreased levels of investment. This paper concludes with a discussion of implications and directions for future research.

The Internet news medium has immense potential to restructure the existing media regime in Egypt. Online news sites offer new patterns for the production and consumption of media content and function as communication spaces in realms which lie beyond existing social and political constraints. This dissertation begins with an analysis of the social construction of the Internet in Egypt. It endeavours to show how certain political, economic and cultural interests and the agendas of key social actors are shaping the development of the Internet in Egypt. It also describes how institutional arrangements, the regulatory system and the communications culture are mediating the implementation and uses of the Internet. Following this analysis, the dissertation explores the nature of the Internet news medium, its communication architecture and its unique capabilities. Case studies of two Egyptian news organizations and their online news production processes are presented in order to develop an understanding of journalists' conceptions of the new medium, their work practices and the online gate-keeping processes. These case studies highlight different methods for constructing online audiences and different ways to approach the online news medium. Online news text and its structural and stylistic features are then analysed. Finally, the impact of the Internet on the mass media regime is assessed, paying particular attention to issues of access and participation, censorship and freedom of expression. The dissertation closes by considering the implications of the online medium for the emerging civil society in Egypt. The online medium permits new actors to participate freely in public debate, and could thus present a serious challenge to the dominance of the state in the public domain.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The most commonly searched for topic on the internet revolve around sexuality. These searches, known as online sexual pursuits, may be influenced by one’s personality traits, such as sexual sensation seeking (Kalichman et al., 1994), which has been associated with various sexual risk behaviours and could increase one’s chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and infections. It is therefore vital for researchers to examine the association between sexual sensation seeking and the internet. This study collected data from 336 participants who responded to instruments on an online survey which consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale (Kalichman et al., 1994), the Sexual Compulsivity Scale (Kalichman & Rompa, 1995), the Big Five Inventory (John, Naumann, & Soto, 2008), the Real Me Questionnaire (Amichai-Humburger, Wainapel, & Fox, 2002), Klein’s Sexual Orientation Grid (Klein, 1993), and items associated with sexual risk behaviour (Mashegoane, Moalusi, Ngoepe, & Peltzer, 2002), online deception (Capri & Gorski, 2006; Stieger , Eichinger, & Honeder, 2009), and internet use. Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, sexual compulsivity, sexual risk behaviour, and online self-disclosure were statistically significant (p < .05) predictors of sexual sensation seeking. The study used product-term regression analysis to examine the influence that time spent on the internet has on sexual sensation seeking and its relationship with the statistical predictors thereof. Three distinct third variables were used, namely, hours spent on the internet for work purpose (work hours), hours spent on the internet associated with online sexual pursuits (sexual hours), and hours spent on the internet for personal purposes (personal hours). Through the use of product-term regression analyses I was able to show that work hours as a third variable moderated the relationship between extraversion and sexual sensation seeking; work hours indirectly influenced sexual sensation seeking through sexual compulsivity; and that work hours as a third variable moderated the relationship between online self-disclosure and sexual sensation seeking. Furthermore, sexual hours as a third variable moderated the relationship between sexual compulsivity and sexual sensation seeking. Finally, I have shown that, within the sample, personal hours as a third variable moderated the relationship between sexual compulsivity and sexual sensation seeking; personal hours indirectly influenced sexual sensation seeking through sexual risk behaviour; and personal hours indirectly influenced sexual sensation seeking through online self-disclosure. It thus seems that time spent online influences sexual sensation seeking. It is advised that internet use policies be put in place to establish and maintain a professional culture within the workplace, and to ensure that job performance is consistently met. Internet software packages may be used to identify and report unauthorized online activity, and monitor hours spent online in order to identify individuals who may require treatment with regards to problematic internet use, sexual compulsivity, and inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace. Furthermore, the results of this study highlight the internet’s influence on the relationship between sexual compulsivity and sexual sensation seeking, and as such, may be of interest to sex therapists and counsellors in the field of hypersexuality. Finally, corporations, university officials, and youth and sexual health organisations may want to create awareness and provide educational resources with regards to the health risks associated with exploring sexuality via the internet.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Temas wat rondom seksualiteit gefokus is, is die mees algemeenste onderwerp wat op die internet nagevors word. Hierdie internet soeke, naamlik aanlyn seksuele strewe, word deels beïnvloed deur persoonlikheids-eienskappe, soos seksuele sensasiesoeke. Verder, seksuele sensasiesoeke is geassosieer met ‘n wye reeks riskante seksuele gedrag en kan die kanse tot seksueel oordraagbare siektes en infeksies verhoog. Hieruit volg dus die noodsaaklikheid dat navorsers die assosiasie moet ondersoek tussen seksuele sensasiesoeke en die internet. In ‘n aanlyn-opname is data van 336 respondente versamel deur die gebruik van instrumente soos 'n demografiese vraelys, Seksuele Sensasiesoekende Skaal (Kalichman et al., 1994), Seksuele Kompulsiwiteit Skaal (Kalichman & Rompa, 1995), Groot-Vyf Inventaris (John, Naumann, & Soto, 2008), Ware Ek Vraelys (Amichai-Humburger, Wainapel, & Fox, 2002), Klein se Seksuele Oriëntasie Rooster (Klein, 1993), en items wat verband hou met riskante seksuele gedrag (Mashegoane, Moalusi, Ngoepe, & Peltzer, 2002), aanlynmisleiding (Capri & Gorski, 2006; Stieger , Eichinger, & Honeder, 2009), en internetgebruik. Resultate van 'n meervoudige regressie-analise het aangedui dat ekstraversie, pligsgetrouheid, welgevalligheid, neurotisisme, seksuele kompulsiwiteit, riskante seksuele gedrag, en aanlyn self bekendmaking statisties beduidende (p < .05) voorspellers van seksuele sensasiesoeke is. Hierdie studie het produk-term regressie-analise (toets vir interaksie met behulp van meervoudige regressie) gebruik om die derde veranderlik van tyd wat op die internet gespandeer word te analiseer met betrekking tot die verhouding tussen seksuele sensasiesoeke en die statistiese voorspellers van seksuele sensasiesoek. Die derde veranderlike bestaan uit drie verskillende kategorieë naamlik, ure wat aanlyn gespandeer is vir werksdoeleindes (werksure), ure wat op die internet gespandeer is wat verband hou met aanlyn seksuele strewe (seksuele ure), en ure wat aanlyn vir persoonlike doeleindes gespandeer is (persoonlike ure). Resultate dui daarop neer dat werksure die verhouding tussen ekstraversie en seksuele sensasiesoeke gemodereer het, werksure het seksuele sensasiesoeke indirek gebeïnvloed deur seksuele kompulsiwiteit, en dat werksure die verhouding tussen aanlyn selfbekendmaking en seksuele sensasiesoeke gemodereer het. Verder het seksuele ure die verhouding tussen seksuele kompulsiwiteit en seksuele sensasiesoeke gemodereer. Persoonlike ure het die verhouding tussen seksuele kompulsiwiteit en seksuele sensasiesoeke gemodereer, persoonlike ure het seksuele sensasiesoeke indirek gebeïnvloed deur riskante seksuele gedrag, en persoonlike ure het seksuele sensasiesoeke indirek beïnvloed deur aanlyn selfbekendmaking. Dit blyk derhalwe dat die tyd wat op die internet gespandeer word het 'n invloed op seksuele sensasiesoeke. Daar word voorgestel dat beperkende beleidsriglyne binne internetgeledere ingestel word ten einde ‘n professionele kultuur binne die werkplek te verseker. Internet-programme kan gebruik word om ongemagtigde internet-aktiwiteit te identifiseer en aan te meld, aanlyntyd te kontroleer en persone te identifiseer vir moontlike behandeling vir internetverwante probleme, seksuele kompulsiwiteit en ontoepaslike seksuele gedrag binne die werkplek. Voorts fokus hierdie studie op die invloed van die internet met betrekking tot die verhouding tussen seksuele kompulsiwiteit en seksuele sensasiesoeke, en kan van beduidende belang wees vir seksterapeute en beraders wat spesialiseer in die veld van hiperseksualiteit. Ten slotte skep hierdie studie ‘n platform vir organisasies, universiteite, jeug- en seksuele gesondheidsorganisasies om bewustheid en programme te bevorder wat die gesondheids-risiko’s aanspreek wat verband hou met seksuele strewe op die internet.