“OnQ”: Contextual Information Design

There is a countless amount of entertainment media available to a single viewer, and the internet makes that media easily accessible. However, keeping up with the rules, objectives, backstory, or culture of each one is difficult, and confusion hinders enjoyment. My thesis, “OnQ” dismantles the barrier of information in broadcast sports, viewership of which has been declining for 10-20 years. By exploring the flow of information, user interaction, user multitasking, and graphic design via on-demand explanations and statistics on top of live video, “OnQ” takes existing multitasking behavior and integrates it onto the same screen as the broadcast. Instead of dividing attention and sifting through irrelevant information by searching questions on a separate, internet-accessible device, “OnQ” aims to customize and summarize information, making learning low-effort and promoting enjoyment of the original media

El ecosistema multiplataforma de los grupos televisivos españoles: los formatos de entretenimiento

La revolución digital ha transformado de un modo decisivo la industria del entretenimiento audiovisual, especialmente la del sector televisivo. Los operadores españoles han pasado de gestionar una cadena de televisión a un grupo de canales y toda una serie de plataformas complementarias accesibles desde el móvil e Internet. Como consecuencia, toda la cadena de valor de la producción audiovisual necesita ser revisada, desde la ideación de los contenidos hasta su producción y comercialización. El presente artículo analiza la estrategia multiplataforma de los principales grupos de televisión en España así como los formatos de entretenimiento más propicios para este nuevo ecosistema. The digital revolution has deeply transformed the audiovisual entertainment industry, especially the television one. Spanish broadcasters have gone from managing a single television network to a group of channels and a range of complementary platforms accessible from the Internet and mobile devices. As a result, the entire audiovisual production value chain needs to be revised, from content ideation to production and marketing. This article analyzes the multi-platform strategy of the major Spanish television groups and evaluates the most suitable entertainment formats for this new ecosyste

Toward Universal Broadband in Rural Alaska

The TERRA-Southwest project is extending broadband service to 65 communities in the Bristol Bay, Bethel and Yukon-Kuskokwim regions. A stimulus project funded by a combination of grants and loans from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), TERRA-Southwest has installed a middle-mile network using optical fiber and terrestrial microwave. Last-mile service will be through fixed wireless or interconnection with local telephone networks. The State of Alaska, through its designee Connect Alaska, also received federal stimulus funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for tasks that include support for an Alaska Broadband Task Force “to both formalize a strategic broadband plan for the state of Alaska and coordinate broadband activities across relevant agencies and organizations.” Thus, a study of the impact of the TERRA project in southwest Alaska is both relevant and timely. This first phase provides baseline data on current access to and use of ICTs and Internet connectivity in rural Alaska, and some insights about perceived benefits and potential barriers to adoption of broadband. It is also intended to provide guidance to the State Broadband Task Force in determining how the extension of broadband throughout the state could contribute to education, social services, and economic activities that would enhance Alaska’s future. Results of the research could also be used proactively to develop strategies to encourage broadband adoption, and to identify applications and support needed by users with limited ICT skills.Connect Alaska. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration. General Communications Incorporated.Part 1: An Analysis of Internet Use in Southwest Alaska / Introduction / Previous Studies / Current Connectivity / Analytical Framework and Research Methodology / Demographics / Mobile Phones: Access and Use / Access to the Internet / Internet Useage / Considerations about Internet Service / Interest in Broadband / Sources of News / Comparison with National Data / Internet Use by Businesses and Organizations / What Difference may Broadband make in the Region? / Conclusiongs / Part 2 Literature Review / Reference

Beyond Infrastructure: Broadband for Development in Remote and Indigenous Regions

Recent telecommunications stimulus projects in the U.S. and Canada were intended to increase availability of broadband through funding infrastructure investments, largely in rural and remote regions. However, true access involves more than availability; it also includes affordability and adoption. This paper presents a framework for analyzing broadband adoption that takes into consideration geographical, economic and cultural environments in indigenous communities. It includes an overview of potential social and economic impacts of broadband in remote areas, using examples from the Alaska study and the Canadian North. It then reports on results of an evaluation of Internet use and potential adoption of broadband in remote indigenous communities of southwest Alaska. Finally, the paper provides a comparative analysis of U.S. and Canadian policies intended to achieve affordable access to broadband for rural users and sustainable business models for rural broadband providers.Ye

A New Millennium: A New Age of Behavioral Disorders?

The internet has become one of the most widely accessible media and is a significant part of everyday life in adolescence, offering opportunities for social networking and communication, education and entertainment. However, over the past decade a specific behavioral pattern has been researched in respect to Internet use, leading to isolation and neglect of everyday activities, social life –even personal health in general. The phenomenon has received increasing attention from the scientific community, describing it in various terms such as “excessive”, “problematic”, “pathological”, “addictive” use among others. European research on Internet addictive behavior have been conducted in the past years giving various results, however tools that have been used are not validated, ages that have been studied vary a lot and cultural factors have not been taken under full consideration. The EU Kids Online project notes several key gaps in the evidence base of research on Internet safety issues for children and young people. Internet addictive behavior is one of the risks identified as little researched in Europe. According to the latest EU Kids Online report, further research on teenagers is needed as they continue to take the lead in the depth and breadth of Internet use. Specifically, additional indicators are needed by which to identify particularly “vulnerable” or “at risk” children

Let the Games Begin

Presents findings from surveys conducted in 2002 among students from 27 colleges and universities. Looks at college students' use of video, computer, and online games, and the impact of that use on their everyday life

Gamblization: The Rise of Sports Gambling and the Need to Repeal PASPA

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission, in its final report to Congress, estimated American’s bet as much as $380 billion per year on sports, making it by far the largest form of illegal wagering, and that report was released in 1999. With the growth of the Internet and technology, there is no doubt that these staggering figures are far larger today. Based on the current structure, 99% of sports gambling continue to operate untaxed and unregulated in defiance of state and federal law. The time has come for the United States to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (“PASPA”) and develop modern laws to regulate the sports gambling industry and cash in on the billions of dollars it generates in revenue

Paying for access or content? Blurred understandings of mobile internet data in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda

The paper addresses the blurred understandings of what developing country mobile internet users feel they are paying for. The move towards increasing online news and music consumption around the world has resulted in low growth in paid content consumption and a digital advertising market that is not highly favourable for news or entertainment providers. From a major study conducted on mobile phone based internet behaviours in ghana, kenya and uganda in 2015, we find consumption in these countries reflects the trends observed in more mature markets where the decline in news purchase revenues and advertising rates raises fundamental questions about the business models of independent media. While users enjoy the personalized content benefits of the mobile web, they feel that paying for data (i.e. Mobile connection and data bytes) is sufficient and conflate it with paying for content (i.e. Content in an online newspaper or online music). We argue that deconstructing misunderstandings of paying for mobile internet access and paying for content (including ascertaining whether they are genuine misunderstandings) is important for understanding how to achieve a free and fair internet, where content is accessible but generates enough profit to be sustainable

The Industry and Policy Context for Digital Games for Empowerment and Inclusion:Market Analysis, Future Prospects and Key Challenges in Videogames, Serious Games and Gamification

The effective use of digital games for empowerment and social inclusion (DGEI) of people and communities at risk of exclusion will be shaped by, and may influence the development of a range of sectors that supply products, services, technology and research. The principal industries that would appear to be implicated are the 'videogames' industry, and an emerging 'serious games' industry. The videogames industry is an ecosystem of developers, publishers and other service providers drawn from the interactive media, software and broader ICT industry that services the mainstream leisure market in games, The 'serious games' industry is a rather fragmented and growing network of firms, users, research and policy makers from a variety of sectors. This emerging industry is are trying to develop knowledge, products, services and a market for the use of digital games, and products inspired by digital games, for a range of non-leisure applications. This report provides a summary of the state of play of these industries, their trajectories and the challenges they face. It also analyses the contribution they could make to exploiting digital games for empowerment and social inclusion. Finally, it explores existing policy towards activities in these industries and markets, and draws conclusions as to the future policy relevance of engaging with them to support innovation and uptake of effective digital game-based approaches to empowerment and social inclusion.JRC.J.3-Information Societ