From War-net to Net-war: The Internet and Resistance Identities in Indonesia

For decades following independence, informational media in Indonesia developed parallel with the interests of the state that made use of the media as a means to legitimize and maintain its identity as a progressive ‘‘developmental state’’. The Internet, which came to Indonesia during the early phase of the political crisis in the 1990s, economically and politically has risen to become an alternative media that is no longer under state control, thus bolstering civil society in its resistance to state and corporate domination. Based on Indonesia's experience, this paper describes how the Internet provides means for popular resistance to the dominant paradigm.     

Investing in knowledge? Information asymmetry and Indonesian schooling

This paper reports from a survey of media exposure and level of knowledge among senior high school students at various locations in Indonesia. Government budgets for education have recently been dramatically reduced in Indonesia and increasing financial burdens are put on the households, like in many other poor countries. There is a tendency to increasing differences in quality of schooling among social layers and geographical areas. Main conclusions in this research are that information asymmetry exists as a problem in society and that type of school and location matter more than media exposure for students’ knowledge level. Students in public schools generally score significantly higher than those in private institutions. Also, students’ level of knowledge tends to fall with decreasing level of geographical centrality. Our policy recommendations include increased public investment in quality schooling for all.     

A scale-independent analysis of the performance of the Chinese innovation system

In this paper we use scale-independent indicators to explore the performance of the Chinese innovation system from an economic and from a science and technology point of view, and compare it with 21 other nations. Some important developments in the Chinese innovation system, hidden by rankings by conventional performance indicators, were revealed. We find that gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) & gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP & POP (population) all exhibit strong ‘Matthew effects’, measured by their scaling factors. This means that the Chinese R&D intensity (GERD/GDP) and national wealth (GDP per capita) are growing significantly with the increase of the GDP. Also pairs such as citations & papers, papers & GDP, citations & GDP, and paper & GERD exhibit these ‘Matthew effects’. This observation points to the fact that in China scientific outputs and impacts are growing faster than economic growth and research investment. However, according to another scale-independent indicator, namely the adjusted relative citation impact (ARCI), China ranks on the bottom of the list, but the growth rate of the ARCI is the highest among these countries (comparing the periods 1995–1999 and 2001–2005). To sum up, we interpret these findings to mean that the scientific outputs and impacts of China show a real tendency of catching up with its economic growth. It is expected that with an increase of its GDP and R&D intensity China will show a sustained increase in indicators related to science and technology. Similarly, there are very strong ‘Matthew effects’ between the outputs of technology (patents) and economic growth and research investment. This means that the outputs of technology are expected to increase considerably with an increase of GDP and R&D expenditure. Furthermore, in the Chinese innovation system the government intramural expenditure on R&D (GOVERD) has a stronger non-linear impact on patent productivity than business enterprise expenditure on R&D (BERD). This shows that in China research institutions financed by the government play a more important role than enterprises.     

‘My music,my freedom(?): the troubled pursuit of musical and intellectual independence on the Internet in Indonesia’

In Indonesia, the Internet has reshaped music industry praxis, particularly artist marketing and promotion. It is also a primary resource for artistic inspiration, providing musicians and producers with unprecedented access to recording artists worldwide. Finally, for the nation's top musicians, the Internet can lead to national and even international recognition, by means independent of – and even superior to – the production, distribution, or promotional support Indonesia's major record labels can provide. Answering Lysloff's call that examinations of digital media should consider how and why they are meaningful,this qualitative analysis examines the Internet practices consultants believe have radically reshaped Indonesia's national music industry and advanced its global impact. Particularly among the nation's self-described non-mainstream or independent music professionals, the Internet has revolutionized professional and social communication. Furthermore, through online intellectual critique, individual contributors also debate artistic ideals, as well as broader social and political problems. The Internet, thus, circumscribes a network of musically and socially likeminded individuals who engage in thoughtful debate about the arts and society in a presumably safe and egalitarian environment. There are limits to the Internet's equanimity and its users’ abilities to secure artistic and intellectual independence; however, spatial proximity to the music industry's epicenter in Jakarta, rhetorical dexterity in Internet correspondence, and Internet legislation all pose particular challenges to the democratization of Indonesia's independent music industry network and the professional and social relationships that happen through its channels.     

Harnessing the online resources: A case study of ScienceDirect in India

E-mail-alerting system of online databases is a new trend catching up fast with researchers. Results of auto-run set queries are informed through e-mails as ‘alerts’ to the registered user. Even though e-mail-alerting systems are quite popular amongst Internet users, their inherent advantages remain unexplored in the Indian scenario. An effort to explore all such features available in the ScienceDirect online database has been made in this paper. The process of registration for activating e-mail alerts, customizing a home page, selecting favorite journals, search alerts, journal issue alerts, citation alerts and search history are briefed with screen shot examples. The study emphasizes the fact that librarians and information Science professionals should take lead roles in unveiling all such possible features available in various online databases. They should also make efforts at informing the user community of the utility of such features in a bid to enhance the research output.     

Collections and systems: a new organizational paradigm for collection development

Collection development and the management of access to electronic resources in large academic libraries increasingly requires close cooperation between collection development librarians, public service librarians, and systems librarians and staff. Many libraries, both public and academic, have created new positions or converted existing ones with titles such as ‘electronic resources librarian’ or ‘electronic information coordinator.’ Two years ago, the Washington State University (WSU) Libraries decided to take a different approach to managing these two vital library functions by creating the new position of Assistant Director for Collections and Systems. This paper explores the convergence of collection development and systems in a research library. It sets forth the philosophical underpinnings of that convergence, and it discusses issues encountered in the integration of the two services in the WSU Libraries. Finally, it explores strategic issues for future collection development and management from the perspective of this new organizational paradigm. [1]     

Managing WWW in public administration: Uses and misuses

The Internet has emerged as one of the most prevalent forms of communication media in and among public organizations. The construction and management of the World Wide Web (Web) sites are becoming essential elements of modern public administration. This study is intended to provide an in-depth evaluation on the Web sites of Taiwan’s central government based on the Web performance indicators provided by Nielsen (2000). Based on the Nielsen’s indicators, the authors carefully studied and coded each individual Web site of Taiwan central governmental agencies. The coding results indicate that the government Web sites in general have made many of the mistakes as predicted by Nielsen. Most of the agencies need to improve the coordination between Web designers and the line mangers of the agencies. In light of these research findings, this article provides a number of strategies to improve the Web design practices of Taiwanese public organizations that may also apply to public organizations in general.     

After the spillover effect: news flows and power relations in Chinese mainstream media

Through a case study on the news flow of an online protest in China, this study explores how the power relations among the mainstream media affect, and are affected by, the spillover effect of news. Even though the Internet does serve as a catalyst to initiate alternative voices that otherwise wouldn't be heard in the established media, the results reveal that the power structure inherent in the mainstream media (particularly within their online versions) such as bureaucratic ranks and institutional ties with party organs, plays a significant role in shaping the trajectory of news flow and media framing strategies. The Internet compensates for the disadvantage of the lower-level media that are short of political resources, while the higher-level media tend to rely on the political capital to exercise their influence. At the same time, the media with more political resources have become increasingly intrepid in challenging the state. Such a dynamic takes place in the context of the changing state-media relations that have seen the authoritarian state shift its information control from a totalitarian mode to a practical one, even though the latter may open up a space for flow of information that can sometimes undermine state power.     

Presence of taiwan on the world wide web in south korea: dynamics of digital and geographical presence on cyberspace

This paper examines the way in which Taiwan is connected to on the World Wide Web in South Korea. The Web may represent a new channel for the communication among a global society's members and a reflection of international relations. Thus, it is necessary to explore the distribution of relations formed and maintained on the Web and the contents of those relations as well. This paper traced South Korean Web pages hyperlinking pages hosted in Taiwan, using a search engine. The context in which Taiwan appears in South Korean pages was also examined. Specifically, the structure of hyperlink connectivity from South Korea and Taiwan was analyzed. It was found that the hyperlink network was very sparsely connected in terms of the number of South Korean Web pages hyperlinking to the pages of the other country. The contents of hyperlink-connected information were categorized and analyzed. The most often occurring content category was ‘Computers & Internet’ in Taiwan. This suggests that South Korean Web users including organizations are more interested in computer-related products in Taiwan than any other things. The implication of this paper is to examine the state and form of international information flow from South Korea to Taiwan based on the patterns of hyperlink relations inscribed on South Korean Web pages and the type and content of information.     

Measuring the performances of politicians on social media and the correlation with major Latin American election results

Contemporary social media (SM) has strongly impacted democratic practices. The success of presidential campaigns is frequently attributed to being highly correlated with the candidates' social media performance, but there is no well-established method to measure this performance. Thus, this study aims to improve the understanding of a politician's performance on SM and its correlation with electoral results. Applying a new, recently-defined set of metrics, based on Zajonc's exposition theory and considering the interactions of users on politicians' profiles in multiple SM platforms, this research identifies statistical correlations between SM performance and the votes received in multiple elections. As case studies, this paper focuses on the most recent presidential elections in the four most populous countries in Latin America: Argentina (2019), Brazil (2018), Colombia (2018), and Mexico (2018). Data from more than 65,000 posts were collected from the SM profiles of the main candidates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, starting from 300 days before the election days, and correlations with electoral results were calculated. The results demonstrated strong correlations between the defined metrics and the votes received, particularly the engagement per post, although there were differences among countries. On the other hand, we observed that there is zero or negative correlation between the number of posts and the electoral results.     

Empowering Development Through E-Governance: Creating Smart Communities In Small Island States

An attempt is made in this paper to gain an understanding of the current and potential impact of the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the Small Island Sates of the Caribbean, in particular those populations living in rural communities. The introduction briefly examines the impact of ICTs on society and calls for alternative channels for government to serve rural communities through the use of Multi-Community Access Centres (MCACs) or information kiosks available at libraries, police stations, tourist information centres and post offices, as an e-governance initiative in the creation of “smart communities” and as a grassroots effort. No analysis of ICTs on government's functions would be complete if we did not address the growing debate on the digital divide. In this paper a section is devoted to this and it summarily addresses the growing divide between the developed and the developing world and the potential of these islands to leap–frog barriers to information flows and access. The heart of the paper examines the impact of the Internet on small island economies and the growing use of the Internet in key sectors of each economy. Since this paper is about governments’ use of ICTs to transfer business transactions onto the Internet to service their populace, some discussion is undertaken and considers ways in which innovation has impacted on governments’ services and the early attempts by some Caribbean administrations to implement e-governance. E-Voices illustrates how certain government measures affect some vulnerable groups in society and ways in which they can broker power to participate in the process. Some key policy directions are proposed for Caribbean states and other developing countries to pursue.     

Placing the Internet in information source horizons. A study of information seeking by Internet users in the context of self-development

The ways in which people perceive the relative value of the Internet when seeking information for self-development purposes were investigated. The concept of information source horizon was introduced, and it is a construct that enables one to put various information sources and channels in an order of preference to meet the requirements of information seeking. The horizon is based on one's conceptions of the characteristics of information sources, particularly their accessibility and quality. The study draws on interviews with eighteen Internet users who positioned various information sources in three zones of relevance. In their information source horizons, human sources such as friends and colleagues were preferred, followed by print media such as newspapers and books: networked sources were ranked third among six source types. Networked sources were favored for easy accessibility and opportunities to save time. The issue of “facilitating everyday life” was emphasized in this context. Also currency, broad repertoire of networked information, and the potential of the Internet to complement other services were valued highly. Critical stands on the Internet were mainly affected by the negative experiences of encountering low quality material.     

Hispanics' use of Internet health information: an exploratory study

Purpose: The research examined use of the Internet to seek health information among Hispanics in the United States.Methods: A secondary analysis used the Impact of the Internet and Advertising on Patients and Physicians, 2000–2001, survey data. Pearson''s χ² test, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and independent samples t tests were conducted to test for relationships and differences between facets of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white online health information seeking.Results: Findings indicated lower Internet health information seeking among Hispanics (28.9%, n=72) than non-Hispanic whites (35.6%, n=883). On a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree), Hispanics were likely to agree that Internet health information improves understanding of medical conditions and treatments (M=1.65), gives patients confidence to talk to doctors about health concerns (M=1.67), and helps patients get treatment they would not otherwise receive (M=2.23). Hispanics viewed their skills in assessing Internet health information as good. Overall ratings were also positive for items related to sharing Internet health information with a doctor. Conflicting with these findings, Hispanics (M=3.33) and non-Hispanic whites (M=3.46) reported that physician-patient relationships worsened as a result of bringing online health information to a visit (scale 1=a lot better to 5=a lot worse).Conclusion: This study provides further evidence of differences in Internet health information seeking among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. Cultural discordance may be a possible explanation for Hispanics'' view that the Internet negatively impacts physician-patient relationships. Strategies to increase Hispanics'' access to Internet health information will likely help them become empowered and educated consumers, potentially having a favorable impact on health outcomes.

Highlights

• Consistent with prior studies, a lower proportion of Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic whites reported using the Internet to seek health information.
• Overall, Hispanics tended to agree that the Internet is a helpful resource for health information.
• Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites reported that bringing Internet health information to doctors'' visits worsened the physician-patient relationship.
• Consistent with prior literature, the odds of seeking Internet health information were decreased for Hispanics with low (<$25,000) and middle ($25,000– $49,000) household incomes.

Implications

• More studies are needed to provide evidence to develop culturally appropriate interventions to examine differences in Internet use and potential digital disparities among Hispanics.
• Concurrent with increasing Hispanics'' use of Internet health information, efforts to address the Internet''s impact on physician-patient relationship are warranted.

     

Internet Economics: An Annotated Bibliography

This is an annotated bibliography of recent works (papers, articles, and book chapters) in the burgeoning field of Internet economics. Publications on Internet economics were sought through traditional research means and by searching the World Wide Web. An introduction to the bibliography explains how the references were sought and identifies key themes that emerge from the research, particularly as they relate to media scholarship. Entries are listed in alphabetical order. Each citation is accompanied by an annotation of at least a few sentences that summarize the cited work's key points as they relate to Internet economics.     

The Evolution and Fragmentation of Olympic Media Consumption and Its Impact on the Entertainment Value of the 2018 Winter Olympics

This fragmentation of Olympic media is a fascinating trend to explore on an international level to examine if there are similarities in how citizens of different countries consume Winter Olympic media. Another curiosity is the amount of entertainment value different media platforms add to the experience of the Winter Olympics. Using an international sample of 2,245 participants across six countries, a survey was conducted to explore the differences in media consumption during the 2018 Winter Olympics among citizens in six countries, as well as what media consumption habits predict one’s perception of the entertainment value of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Results showed that while participants are adopting more digitally based means to consume Olympic media, television and print media were the strongest predictors of entertainment value.     

Coverage and citation impact of oncological journals in the Web of Science and Scopus

This paper reviews a number of studies comparing Thomson Scientific’s Web of Science (WoS) and Elsevier’s Scopus. It collates their journal coverage in an important medical subfield: oncology. It is found that all WoS-covered oncological journals (n = 126) are indexed in Scopus, but that Scopus covers many more journals (an additional n = 106). However, the latter group tends to have much lower impact factors than WoS covered journals. Among the top 25% of sources with the highest impact factors in Scopus, 94% is indexed in the WoS, and for the bottom 25% only 6%. In short, in oncology the WoS is a genuine subset of Scopus, and tends to cover the best journals from it in terms of citation impact per paper. Although Scopus covers 90% more oncological journals compared to WoS, the average Scopus-based impact factor for journals indexed by both databases is only 2.6% higher than that based on WoS data. Results reflect fundamental differences in coverage policies: the WoS based on Eugene Garfield’s concepts of covering a selective set of most frequently used (cited) journals; Scopus with broad coverage, more similar to large disciplinary literature databases. The paper also found that ‘classical’, WoS-based impact factors strongly correlate with a new, Scopus-based metric, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), one of a series of new indicators founded on earlier work by Pinski and Narin [Pinski, G., & Narin F. (1976). Citation influence for journal aggregates of scientific publications: Theory, with application to the literature of physics. Information Processing and Management, 12, 297–312] that weight citations according to the prestige of the citing journal (Spearman’s rho = 0.93). Four lines of future research are proposed.     

Searching Information and Evaluation of Internet: A Chinese Academic User Survey

This study examines the use of Internet resources and the evaluation of their usefulness from the perspectives of Chinese students and academics. The questionnaires were distributed at Peking University, ISTIC, and at the Information Institute of Science and Technology of Zhe Jiang Province, where 706 valid samples were collected. The data was analyzed according to: The background of the Internet users; the standard of Internet resources; Internet information-seeking behaviour; users’ evaluations of Internet resources and their perceived expectations about future Internet services. The study found that users with higher educational degrees tend to spend more time on the Internet and find Internet resources more useful than less-educated users. Although Internet search engines are the preferred information retrieval tool, other traditional or informal retrieval methods are also used. Many respondents agree that the Internet is helpful for narrowing the knowledge gap between developed and developing countries. Besides its richness and high speed, accuracy and authority are the most important factors when users judge the quality of the Internet; but, more specialized information filtering and navigation services are required. Further studies should focus on the information-seeking behaviour of different target groups, and with specific comparisons of Chinese academic users from economically developed areas, versus users from China's comparatively undeveloped Northwest provinces.     

The library's role in countering infodemics

Internet and communication technologies enable the creation of tremendous amounts of textual, graphic, and pictorial information. User-generated content published through personal web pages, blogs, and social media platforms has not only increased the amount of information available, but also expanded its reach. However, this ubiquity of information and empowerment of its creators leads to potentially controversial, futile, and inaccurate content circulating throughout the world. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, this can create false hope, fear, anxiety, harm, and confusion amongst information stakeholders. The World Health Organization recently applied the term “infodemic” to the COVID-19 pandemic. This commentary briefly discusses the current infodemic, its potential consequences, and the role of libraries—specifically health sciences, biomedical, and medical libraries—to help counter the COVID-19 infodemic. The discussion also has relevance for infodemics relating to other health and non-health affairs.