Internet dynamics

The term Internet Dynamics refers to the culture which has developed throughout the years with the appearance of the Internet. This invention has changed in a revolutionary way the form of the communications between people, and has created a considerable cultural impact on our generation.

Characteristics

The Internet Culture is a dynamic culture that is ever changing, as a result of the technology developments and the rise in the number of internet users world wide. Still, a number of main characteristics could be identified:

The growth of human interaction and creation of web communities

The main innovation is in the appearance of new possibilities possibilities of generating social connections with a large number of people. Those connections could take place in a continuous period only on the internet, and at times even develop to an actual meeting, part of them by means of Online dating service. The new forms of the connection are:
* E-mail: Delivery of letters by means of the Internet, as a replacement to the traditional based paper correspondence letters.
* Online chat: Establishing of one-on-one or group conversations by means of the Internet.
* Instant messaging: Software which enables real time conversations without the need of using a website (in contrast to online chats).
* Internet forums: Web Sites which serve to hold discussions in defined subjects.
* Online games: Multiplayer Computer games which is played through the Internet.

Broading of languages

Forms of the communication which are detailed above encouraged the internet users to find new ways to expression emotions and to express one's individuality (at times, during conservations while keeping one's anonymity). As a result the following appeared:
* Internet nicknames: The use of a pen name as a replacement of the official name, in order to keep one's anonymity or as a way to help project one's virtual character.
* Userbar: a small rectangular picture with which users use to in their signatures in the internet forums, which indicates about their personality or hobbies.
* Internet slang: includes amongst other things, Emoticons, which are used to enrich the written language by use of different smiles as a way to the express one's emotions.

Local and global collaborations

The possibility of implementation of projects with a large number of active participants without being dependent in their place of dwellings:
* Open source: software projects in which there are no official owners of the software, every contributor could be take a part in the development of the code and also to use the code, but is forbidden to make commercial use of the software's code.
* Flash mob: The use on the internet to organized a group activity outside of it.
* Distributed computing: A method of conducting long or complex calculations, in projects which need this kind of power, by means of a creating an online community.

Reciprocity change between the content suppliers and the viewers

Additionally the division of the roles of the content supplier and the content consumer has changed and the users themselves (instead of the commercial content suppliers) began creating content intended for the other users, in what is nowadays called Web 2.0. Examples of such sites are:
* Blog: A personal diary, which its owners writes in it in every possible subject in which he desires to talk discuss, and its content is available to all.
* Feedback comment system: A Mechanism used in web sites to post responses from the internet users, which is mostly used in the news web sites, in blogs and in the other additional sites.
* Wiki: A type of software which enables databases management and encyclopedias management.
* File sharing: A technology which enables the internet users to share files from their computers with other internet users, and in return the same internet user is capable of downloading files from the computer of other internet users. This enables the fast distribution, not always legal, of software, music, etc.
* Electronic commerce: Commerce and implementation of business deals through the internet, in which both the buyers and the sellers are not always necessarily having a firm background in the traditional business markets. For example, private people whom sell a tremendous variety of merchandises through eBay.

Online delinquency

Alongside the Internet culture a subculture has emerged which is on the scale between harassing other internet users to committing severe crime:
* Internet Trolls: A term which is used to define the users whom occasionally disturb the discussions on the internet forums, wikis, online chats, etc.
* Impersonators: Internet users whom uses their nicknames for bad goals, distribution of E-mail spam, Plagiarism, etc.
* E-mail spam: Exploitation of the E-mails platform for the intended distribution of undesirable information to a massive amount of users.
* Vandalism: Penetration to web sites without authorization (Hacking), finding breaches in software, and at times exploiting them maliciously, a distribution of Computer viruses and Computer Spyware which damages other computers, etc.
* Phishing: A Special form of deceit and identity theft through the internet.

See also

* Information Age
* Netiquette
* Internet friendship
* Internet romance
* Trolls and trolling
* Flaming
* Cybering
* Hacktivism
* Internet humor
* Internet slang
* Internet art
* PSTN