Interactive TV Essays - New Media, Science And Technology Studies

Interactive TV The Web and the Internet are the latest technologies to be harnessed by companies trying to develop interactive television. This paper reviews the efforts of technology companies and broadcasters to combine television and the Web in their products and activities, and how users are already using them both at home. It reviews some research on the way that TV and the PC/Internet are used at home, and suggests some way that the Web could be integrated with television use. Unlike earlier interactive television projects, where the innovation was largely conducted behind closed doors and among consortia of companies, the innovation environment in which Web-based interactive television is being developed includes a huge number of existing users, technology and content suppliers who play an active role the innovation process. The concept of social learning is suggested as a area of development of tools for understand the process of technical, social and cultural change around innovation of this sort. In particular the idea of poles of attraction is introduced to understand why a huge numbers of supply side players and users are orienting towards the Internet as a possible solution to interactive television. 1. Introduction Of all the visions of the future of television (note 1), interactive television (i-TV) is perhaps the most radical and powerful. In this vision the ubiquitous television set will change from being a device to watch television shows or films into a home terminal for access to and interaction with networked interactive technology, programmes and services. The possibilities and benefits of the technology seem self-evident, if only they can be made to work effectively and at a modest price. Many times we have been told to expect interactive television any day now. (note 2) However, after millions of dollars spent, and many pilots and service closures, most of us are still no closer to having interactive television than a few hundred searchable teletext pages, and some phone-in TV shows. In the efforts to create i-TV, numerous applications and technologies have been tried, with companies attracted by the possibilities of each new generation of technology, and responding to the continuous pressure to develop new products, be they technologies, services or programmes in order to maintain their share of consumer spending. The explosion of the Internet and Web is a new pole of attraction for interactive television developers that seems to solve many of the problems and uncertainties of earlier systems: all of a sudden the technologies, content, users and uses of interactive services are there and proving very successful, all that needs to be done it integrate them into television. For the analyst of new innovations in television, three issues arise as companies are attracted to the Internet and the Web as a solution to interactive television. 1. Instead of being controlled by a small number of corporate players, the technology and service of the Web and Internet are in the public domain, and changing fast. The innovation environment is diverse, heterogeneous, and involves a multitude of companies and most importantly users in shaping the technology and services, which makes management of innovation more complex and give the market a much stronger voice. 2. There is major uncertainty over the relevance of Web-style interactivity to the use of television. Many commentators believe that content and services on the Internet or designed for the PC terminal may not be relevant for many users of the television, while others bet on the explosion of e-commerce through TV Web terminals. 3. The television is no longer the only window for interactive services to the home. The PC is an increasingly common alternative, and is a more flexible and open platform or interactive services. The cheap web set-top box may restrict innovation and fix service and uses in a way that is frustrating to end users and service providers alike. What is more, there is an emerging paradigm in the technology industry of multiple 'low profile' terminals for interactive services. This could turn investment and attention away from both the PC and the television. What links these issues is the importance of the end users as active players in the innovation-diffusion process. It was end- and intermediate-users adopting the Internet and Web that attracted interactive television developers, and it is these users who are now directly involved in the innovation process. This paper uses social learning (S?rensen 1996) as an analytic framework of socio-technical change that includes an integration of end users in the innovation and diffusion process. Social learning goes beyond the development and diffusion of technology and content to include the

Intro to Human Services Essays

Intro to Human Services Essays Intro to Human Services Paper Intro to Human Services Paper Describe human services from the early 1900s to the present day. 2 Throughout History Human Services made a big impact and a difference in our society as we know it today. Through the sociological era in the 1900s many were faced with challenges such as financial support for the poor and no support or guidance for the children, developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. Human Services make positive and lasting differences in peoples lives, and they help improve the world. The early 1900s, sometimes called the sociological era, continued the period of social reform. During this time there were two significant events that affected the history of helping and human services. The first was the development of a new profession known as social workers. During this time social diagnosis and casework evolved. The development of social work profession was significant and represented the beginning of human services. Clifford Beers, a victim of mental illness was confined for three years in public and private mental institutions. Beers wrote about his treatment in A Mind That Found Itself (1945). In 1908, Beers founded the Connecticut Society for Mental Hygiene. This was considered to be the beginning to the mental health movement in America. In 1909 Beers proposed a national society, the National Committee for Mental Hygiene. By the end of World War II the profession of clinical psychology was created. This was due to the number of Veterans in the hospital for psychiatric evaluations reached more than 40,000. The great depression was marked by vast unemployment, failing business ventures and the collapse of banks. During this time President D. Roosevelt introduced New Deal legislation that changed the federal governments role in providing human services. President D. Roosevelt focused on two goals, one to provide short term aid to those who were unemployed and focus on the enactment of Social Security Act of 1935. 3 During the 1900s it was the first time the federal that government became involved in the provision of public welfare. This resulted in the Social Security Act of 1935. The philosophy of welfare during the 1900s was welfare provides a way for mothers to stay home and raise their children. It is okay if that process takes many years. During this time there were many unemployed and receiving services. However there were many changes to the welfare reform. The National Mental Health Act of 1946 was created to address preventative measures. In early 1960 s President Kennedy renewed governments commitment to serving the needy. President Lyndon Johnson declared War on Poverty after Michael Harrington and others discovered The Other America,specific groups of people who had not benefited from the general post war prosperity. War on Poverty resulted in a number of programs that are still important today;Community Action, Head Start, Employment and training programs, Medicare/Medicaid, and Food Stamps. President Kennedy and Johnson chose to focus on the problems of mental health and mental retardation. The Community Mental Health Centers act of 1963 was established to provide services to the population, including inpatient and outpatient care, emergency services, assistance to courts and services for the mental health of children and the elderly. (History of Helping: Content Guide. H. ) The Republican Shift). With the Mental Health Centers arising there became more of need for these individuals to get the treatment they needed. In 1966, the first human services program was established at Purdue University. Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam, T. pg. 47). In the 1950s the Deinstitutionalization movement began. During this time many were transferred from institutions to the community. Prior to Deinstitutionalization children, and developmental disabled were left in institutions with no goal or anything established for these individuals. There was no interaction with these individuals which f ostered there abilitities in what we take for granted such activities of daily living. By the 1970s, a major segment of mental health treatment had shifted from isolation of the institution to the complex 4 nvironment of the community for outpatient care. (Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam,T. pg. 47). During the 1970s the number of clients served by the mental health system increased dramatically. Human service providers could then provide some guidance to these individuals that needed it. During this same period there were two organizations that were also established that was the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) and the Council for Standards in the Human Service Education (CSHSE), these organizations are still around today. In 1978 Jimmy Carter established the Department of Health and Human Services. The economy collapsed in the 1980s with a rapid decline in industrial employment, a whole new class of working poor was created. In 1990, Vice President George Bush, Sr passed one of the most significant Acts, this was the Americans with Disabilities Act. (ADA) This enabled people with disabilities to enter the workforce without discrimination. President Clinton expressed a desire to develop a welfare system that would encourage people to work and that would be a temporary solution instead of a way of life. The following principles guided the changes made under his administration. Strengths of welfare reform is that it does decrease dependency and can build self-respect by encouraging the individual to take responsibility. However, welfare reform seems to have created a whole new category of working poor who are barely able to survive. Many people seem to be falling through the cracks and depending on private resources such as food banks and soup kitchens. (History of Helping: Content Guide. H. ) The Republican Shift). In 1996 The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act(PRWORA) replaced aid to families with dependent children, this was to provide aid to eligible mothers with children. The support then became based on the income of the family to receive services. The AFDC then became what is now the TANF. Human Services workers then pushed the welfare to work law. However there were challenges faced with this program there was the focus of moving clients off 5 welfare and into meaningful work that would allow them to provide stability for their families. There is still debate on whether or not this reform has actually worked as there are still more women and children below the poverty line. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003(MMA) was passed to provide outpatient prescription drug benefits for individuals on medicare, part D. ( Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam, T. pg. 54). This plan replaced Medicaid as a source of drug coverage. To help Americans in need, President George Bush initiated an effort to bring faith-based agencies and organizations into partnership with the federal overnment by creating the White House Office of Faith and Community Initiatives (Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam, T. pg. 55). With the lasting impact throughout history, Human Services has overcome many challenges for financial support for the poor and no support or guidance for children, the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. However Society had to overcome the horrific events in the past it has lead to a better establ ishment for the poor, children, developmentally disabled and the mentally ill, this all due to the history of human services and its workers. Human Services are making a positive, lasting difference in peoples lives and are changing the world for the better. 6 References A Comparison of Prior Welfare Law with Welfare Reform:Content Guide. Philosophy.. History of Helping: Content Guide. E. )The Great Depression. History of Helping: Content Guide. G. ) 1960s Civil Rights and The War on Poverty. History of Helping: Content Guide. H. ) The Republican Shift Nixon, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush with the Carter/Clinton Interludes. Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam, T. (2009). An Introduction To Human Services. Belmont: CA. Brooks/Cole