Latest news with #WorldWideWeb
NBC News
3 hours ago
- Business
- NBC News
AOL ditching dial-up service, a relic of the internet in the '90s and early '00s
In the hazy impressions of memory, some may even recall it fondly: The AOL dial-up internet service that those of a certain age associate with the World Wide Web is coming to a close. The company, also known by its "You've got mail" greeting and the CD trial discs — so many CDs — made the announcement on its website. "AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet. This service will no longer be available in AOL plans," the web provider said. Absent the wireless signals of the modern day, dial-up connected to the internet using a conventional telephone line, emitting a distinctive, high-pitched chirping sound in the process. AOL, now part of Yahoo, said the dial-up service, along with the AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, will be discontinued on Sept. 30. America Online was famous for its free trial discs, which seemed to be everywhere in the 1990s when the internet was gaining steam in households across the United States and beyond. It changed its name to just AOL in 2006. Verizon sold AOL and Yahoo to private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $5 billion in 2021.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- General
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: When influencers mock society
NARCISSISTS craving for attention will do outrageous things. Before the advent of the World Wide Web, their reach was limited to specific segments of society. However, in time, a more insidious category has emerged: social media influencers. They are obsessed with acquiring clicks, views and likes, not only to feed their egos but also rake in as much money as possible. Social media platforms pay influencers based on their follower count and engagement rate. Most influencers earn a decent living making content about their specific areas of interest, such as cooking, tourism, and appliance and device reviews. Some create podcasts delving into socio-political issues of the day. In recent years, a new breed of influencers has evolved, borrowing elements from politicians and showbiz people to create content infused with meanness and lunacy. Is it any wonder that youngsters have become uninterested from furthering their education to become influencers? It's fast and easy money, if you can get it. Since there are too many exemples, we'll pick on this: three influencers passed on their already eaten chicken meal to a homeless man, which naturally stoked netizens' anger. However, it turned out that the so-called "mean-spirited" stunt was fake, staged to trigger the algorithms that reward "high engagement" and anger to suck in clicks, comments and shares. The stunt obviously drove web traffic, ad revenue and influence to the three, who failed to see the lunacy of their unscrupulous gimmick. As a society that leans toward generosity and cooperation, the authorities must disallow such "content", even if its intent was "fun and entertainment". The long-term effects are serious — emotional manipulation, erosion of critical thinking, leading to "outrage fatigue" that reduces empathy and activism, all terrible outcomes for a civilised society. These influencers may foster bad mental health, body image and consumer behaviour that spikes levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Governments have addressed influencers' bad behaviour by prohibiting misleading or deceptive conduct in marketing. Influencers are also mandated to disclose sponsored content while curbing "frauds", "fake" followers and problematic content. In Malaysia, the government has introduced licensing to boost accountability and reduce online misinformation and harm. The real issue, though, may be harder to combat: public gullibility, the so-called "netizenry" who seek the vicious content. What's their comeuppance?
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- General
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: New breed of influencers trades outrage for online engagement
NARCISSISTS craving for attention will do outrageous things. Before the advent of the World Wide Web, their reach was limited to specific segments of society. However, in time, a more insidious category has emerged: social media influencers. They are obsessed with acquiring clicks, views and likes, not only to feed their egos but also rake in as much money as possible. Social media platforms pay influencers based on their follower count and engagement rate. Most influencers earn a decent living making content about their specific areas of interest, such as cooking, tourism, and appliance and device reviews. Some create podcasts delving into socio-political issues of the day. In recent years, a new breed of influencers has evolved, borrowing elements from politicians and showbiz people to create content infused with meanness and lunacy. Is it any wonder that youngsters have become uninterested from furthering their education to become influencers? It's fast and easy money, if you can get it. Since there are too many exemples, we'll pick on this: three influencers passed on their already eaten chicken meal to a homeless man, which naturally stoked netizens' anger. However, it turned out that the so-called "mean-spirited" stunt was fake, staged to trigger the algorithms that reward "high engagement" and anger to suck in clicks, comments and shares. The stunt obviously drove web traffic, ad revenue and influence to the three, who failed to see the lunacy of their unscrupulous gimmick. As a society that leans toward generosity and cooperation, the authorities must disallow such "content", even if its intent was "fun and entertainment". The long-term effects are serious — emotional manipulation, erosion of critical thinking, leading to "outrage fatigue" that reduces empathy and activism, all terrible outcomes for a civilised society. These influencers may foster bad mental health, body image and consumer behaviour that spikes levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Governments have addressed influencers' bad behaviour by prohibiting misleading or deceptive conduct in marketing. Influencers are also mandated to disclose sponsored content while curbing "frauds", "fake" followers and problematic content. In Malaysia, the government has introduced licensing to boost accountability and reduce online misinformation and harm.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Perv sentenced after spying on women
A Chilean who used a tiny camera to spy on women showering has been told Australia 'doesn't want him here'. Luis Alberto Cancino Mena recorded videos for months before the device was spotted by cleaners at a home in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. Mena, 39, pleaded guilty to three separate charges of filming a person without their consent and appeared at Waverley Local Court on Wednesday where he was given a nine month intensive corrections order. Sentencing Mena, Magistrate Michael Barko said the impact of his crimes would cause anxiety for the victims for the rest of their lives. He said: 'Pornography is not illegal, but when innocent women get filmed without consent it beggars belief, it's a perversion, it has to be a perversion. 'These women for the rest of their lives are going to think, 'Are these images going to be shared on the World Wide Web?' 'The defendant at the time was here with the privilege of being allowed in this country, he's expressed the desire to return to his homeland of Chile. 'Quite frankly the Australian public doesn't want him here.' Luis Alberto Cancino Mena leaving Waverley Court on Wednesday after sentencing. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia According to court documents, Mena's behaviour went undetected for months until cleaners stumbled upon the device in early February. 'The cleaners of the premises attended the location and begun cleaning as per the agreement in place. They were cleaning the bathroom before locating a recording camera device which was in the shape of a pen on the ground of the bathroom. The cleaner pulled apart the device and observed it to be recording,' court documents said. 'The storage device was accessed by the cleaners and they observed recording files of the victim with no clothes on taking a shower.' Police say one recording 'clearly shows the accused setting the camera up in the bathroom'. After arresting Mena, police seized the man's laptop where they found folders marked under the names of the victims. Footage taken from the hidden camera had been catalogued based on who it was recording, and was then placed into the folder allocated to that person. Luis Mena was sentenced to a nine month intensive corrections order. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia In coming to his decision, Magistrate Barko noted the considerable effort Mena went to in buying the pen with a camera in it, getting the SIM card and downloading the footage, saying 'it's not as though you're picking up a box of chocolates from Woolworths'. He also queried the mindset of Mena, when pornography was easily accessible online. 'With all that's accessible on the internet, all that's accessible on social media, all that's accessible with the push of a button, why someone has to acquire a camera, to film the private parts … of three completely innocent victims,' he said. Mena must adhere to strict bail conditions including submitting to supervision by a Community Corrections Officer, or risk jail time. Magistrate Barko also handed Mena an AVO order prohibiting him from contacting the victims for two years.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
How an unlikely photo kick-started the social web
In 1992, a little-known band of CERN employees called 'Les Horribles Cernettes' were about to mark the World Wide Web's change from a platform just for serious scientists on to the chaotic road that would ultimately lead to the ubiquitous memes and gifs we recognise today. This is the story of the internet's first social image, first band photo and the first known Photoshopped web image.
