Internet Studies - Topics of Study

Topics of Study

Topics within Internet studies include:

• Internet architecture: including the fundamental programming and architecture of the Internet, such as TCP/IP, HTML, CSS, CGI, CFML, DOM, JS, PHP, XML.

• Internet security: such as the structure and propagation of viruses, malware, and software exploits, as well as methods of protection, including antivirus programs and firewalls.

• Online communities: including Internet forums, blogs, and MMORGs.

• Internet culture: including the emergence of Internet slang and Cyberculture.

• Sociology of the Internet: including the social implications of the Internet, new social networks, online societies (virtual communities) and social interaction on the Internet.

• Computer-mediated communication: such as the role of e-mail, online chat, blog, and text messaging in modern communications.

• Digital rights: including privacy, free speech, intellectual property, and digital rights management.

• Open source software: focusing on the ability of Internet users to collaborate to modify, develop, and improve pieces of software which are freely available to the public without charge.