Propaganda 23 ch05

      +P------------------------+
      |PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.|
      +-------------------------+






                  +--------------------+
                  |A SERIES OF ARTICLES|
                  |  BY JACK DANIELS.  |
                  +--------------------+




     +---------------------------+
     |     EVERYONE TRIES TO     |
     |    CONVICE US THAT THE    |
     | NET WILL BE OUR FUTURE... |
     +---------------------------+


P
Past, present and future meet in the
Internet, where else? Times have chang-
ed, people in the world are getting clo-
ser, mails are getting cheaper and data-
transfer speeded up. The Internet makes
it possible. You can hardly find a news-
paper, magazine or TV-show not featuring
a report on the Internet or a related
topic. Everyone tries to convince us
that the net will be our future, and

without it, we won't have a fututre. Is
this really the entire truth or is this
just something made by the associated
press in order to make us believe we
have to jump on that train?

Until now, it doesn't work out the way
most companies want it to be. What is
the intention of the companies and org-
anizations presently online? Taking a
closer look on the matter, there are
two main reasons. The first one is to
present their project, wares or services
to the huge public, actually the hugest
possible worldwide. You are not really
up-to-date when you don't own your page
in the World Wide Web. It indicates that
a company is onnovative and progressive
when they have a URL and E-mail-address-
es in their TV- and newspaper-adverts.

But honestly, this is not the main rea-
son for all the efforts and costs.


   +--------------------------------+
   |    YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE     |
   |  YOUR HOUSE TO GO SHOPPING...  |
   +--------------------------------+


Basically, companies pop up in the In-
ternet to gain new customers - us, the
surfing posse - in order to sell or pro-
vide their wares and services. The Int-
ernet allows them to skip the middlemen
in business, like stores, shops and
agencies. This guarantees more profit
for the companies, they do not have to
pay any commission to intermediate age-
ncies and they can also decrease the

amount of employees when they do their
sales online.

You won't have difficulties to find
places in the net where you can buy al-
most everything from flowers, clothes,
bookes insurances up to apartments right
there online. That's how our future
shall look like - you order everything
via the net, so that you don't have to
leave your house in order to go shopp-
ing. You can phone and send faxes, and
in that way do not need a normal fax
or a normal phone.

However, the present situation looks
quite different. Society has not reached
that far yet. Older people still have
prejudices towards computers and the
Internet. Also younger people who are

experienced computer-users and who surf
around a lot do not really like shopping
online. It's still a big difference in
comparsion to "real" shopping and you
have to get used to it. Also the offers
have to be expanded. Also, there are
those who resist on the other side of
the counter as well. These companies
have realized that you can't replace the
service of a human being with a machine.
I mean, would you sign a contract on an
insurance eg. in the net without any
advise or support? Or buy an apartment
afer only seeing it in virtual reality?

Another thing to think about is the way
of paying in the Internet. Most online-
shops only accept credit-cards and as
long as you don't know who you are deal-
ing with, you cannot be totally sure

what will happen to your card. Most net-
browsers feature a new safety-function
but it doesn't protect you from what
might happen to your card at the other
end of the line. And people who have
been in the scene for a while, know what
can happen to it. Internet-money is pla-
nned but until only now very few places
accept it. We will have to wait and see
how it will devlop in the near future.

   +--------------------------------+
   |   THIS GIVES SOME PEOPLE THE   |
   | CHANCE TO USE THE INTERNET FOR |
   |     CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES..      |
   +--------------------------------+

The anonymity in the net is an advantage
and disadvantage at the same time. Stra-
nge isn't it? On one hand, nobody knows

exactly who is hiding behind a certain
handle and what he is doing in the net
(even though it can be backtracked).
This gives some people the chance to use
the Internet for criminal activities.
Hooligans, political extremists and ot-
hers use the net as their platform. You
might have heard of the big hooligan-
fight in the Netherlands some weeks ago,
where one of the AJAX Hooligan-leaders
was killed. Guess where they made their
arrangement? In the Internet. Okay, you
might say, they would have met anyway.
If not via the net, over the phone.
Worst thing of it all is the distribut-
ion of child-pornography through the
net. Police should be more aware of that
considering that most cops don't even
know what exactly a computer is. This
sick abuse of children should be elim-

inated wherever possible and I can only
advise everyone to report deeds like
that to the specific providers imme-
diately!

This all might sound quite negative,
but don't get me wrong. I really like
the Internet with all its' features and
possibilities. This article was just
meant to point out some things and to
make you thing about it. We have to be
careful with the development of the
virtual reality and shall not forget
the real life with all its' social
aspects. In the next issue of PROPAGANDA
you will find the next part in my ser-
ies - one about the presencse of the
C64 in the Internet.




If you have'any suggestions or comments
feel free to contact me.

                         Regards,
                      +------------+
                      |Jack Daniels|
                    +-+------------+-+
                    |JDofF4CG@AOL.COM|
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