Communication via the Internet

The development of the Internet and its extensive use in everyday life have formulated new types of communication and expression, influencing a wider spectrum of contemporary humans’ activities. The World Wide Web, as a form of realisation of the semantic conception of the hyper-text, constitutes a place of dynamic and multilevel developments, the study of which requires an interdisciplinary approach, as it is proved by the rapid expansion of the emerging Web Science. Issues such as free access to content, new forms of inequality, the boundaries between public and private sphere, economy knowledge, Information Society, and, to a greater extend, the Internet effects on traditional mass media, together with the production and diffusion of content, constitute the interdisciplinary subject of Internet Communication. The central drift in approaching this phenomenon is a combined study of the Medium prevalent technological characteristics and the impact of its use on social relationships, the economy, interpersonal communication and mass media.

Objectives

After completing the course, students should be able to deal in theory, discuss and argue in relation to the basic effects of the advent of the Internet in modern society. In particular, they should be familiar with the communicative effects on key areas of social activities such as the economy, distance education, legislation and social networking. Finally, additional knowledge in the broad field of communication mediated by computer surround the central objective of the course, such as knowledge of the history of the Internet and emerging future technological trends .

Prerequisites

Non required

Syllabus

The development of the Internet and its extensive use in everyday life have formulated new types of communication and expression, influencing a wider spectrum of contemporary humans’ activities. The World Wide Web, as a form of realisation of the semantic conception of the hyper-text, constitutes a place of dynamic and multilevel developments, the study of which requires an interdisciplinary approach, as it is proved by the rapid expansion of the emerging Web Science. Issues such as free access to content, new forms of inequality, the boundaries between public and private sphere, economy knowledge, Information Society, and, to a greater extend, the Internet effects on traditional mass media, together with the production and diffusion of content, constitute the interdisciplinary subject of Internet Communication. The central drift in approaching this phenomenon is a combined study of the Medium prevalent technological characteristics and the impact of its use on social relationships, the economy, interpersonal communication and mass media.