COM 487

Internet and Society

Section: 001

Course Description

Social uses and historic overview of the internet as a social network. History of the internet from the ARPANET to the mobile web. The development of interfaces that changed how we access the internet, such as personal computers, the graphic user interface (GUI), mobile phones, and Internet of Things. MUDs and synchronous communication environments as the origins of social media. The development of the www and web 2.0. and the transformation of users into "produsers". Social issues related to the internet, such as net neutrality, privacy, surveillance, big data, artificial intelligence, and the digital divide.