Tutorial 2 - Part 2

1.) How long have you been using these communication technologies?

In 1996 I went to New Zealand with a friend who wanted to start an Internet business. So that was when first I started using Internet technologies. These days I only really use email (and telephones) to communicate with family and friends.

2.) What influenced you to start using these particular technologies? How did you find out about them?

I was really introduced to these technologies from my friend who had been into computers for years, so it was his influence that started me using these particular technologies.

3.) Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies? What do you think of companies like Facebook and Google who collect information about their users? (How do you deal with issues around privacy?)

Yes, privacy is an issue for me when using these technologies. I think it is appalling that companies like Facebook and Google collect information about their users, and then on sell our information to others. I do understand that we agree when we click accept, without having read the terms and conditions, but hiding underhanded tactics behind a bunch of legal jargon still doesn’t make it ‘morally’ right.

The main way I deal with issues of privacy, is through the use of two email accounts, one account is for ‘proper’ communication, and the other is for junk. If I visit a website that requires an email address (which often ends up on spam lists) I will use the junk email address so my normal email account doesn’t get clogged with spam. Whilst I have bought stuff over the net, I do try to keep this to a minimum, due to the credit card fraud you hear about all the time. To be honest I don’t really know if it is safe or not.

4.) Do you have friends whom you know only from the internet and have never met in person? Is this different to people that you know in person? Describe the difference.

I don’t have any friends that I only know from the Internet, because I am not really into using social networking sites such as FaceBook. When I first started using the net I did use chat rooms a bit, but soon tired of asking and answering the same questions all the time. So I stopped and have never really picked up the social networking buzz again.