fun with kiosks

Kiosks offer a world of services and information, but this could become problematic because laws concerning kiosk censorship have yet to be established. There is no governing body that previews the content available in interactive kiosks and because of this, it is up to the individual companies to decide what material is and isn't acceptable to include in their kiosk. For the most part, kiosks seem tasteful and to provide only helpful or necessary information, but, as is true with most new technologies, there are always people who will find a way to abuse the medium by publishing corrupt or offensive material. Television programs, movies, and even websites, warn us if the content is violent, offensive, or inappropriate for children so that we can make an informed decision as to whether we want to proceed, despite the cautionary message. This is a very regulated process and we trust the censors' ratings, but if kiosks are out in the open, we could happen to stumble upon some disturbing graphics or information without being warned ahead of time. This is even more troubling if a child is exposed to indecent material in a kiosk. Maybe a censorship committee for kiosks will be formed as the technology becomes more prolific. At this point, it seems like something that will only be created once it is necessary. For example, once a kiosk content manager posts inappropriate material and the public is outraged and subsequently demand that kiosk censorship become a serious concern for the provincial or federal government. Until that reactionary demand, however, it doesn't seem like there is a need to invest (both time and money) into censoring material that has, to date, been appropriate for audiences/users of all ages, etc.

A failed attempt at a segue from kiosks to software tools...

Flash was extremely complicated and difficult to use. The instructions were lengthy and unclear. It is overwhelming for new users to find pages upon pages of instructions when they want to try new software tools. We live in an age of immediacy, in which we want to acquire things (including knowledge) instantaneously because we have become so dependent on rapid results (i.e. fast Internet connections, game shows that provide "wealth without work" since players can become instant millionaires without really earning that money. The tutorial for flash is old-fashioned, if you will, since it takes so long to complete. Perhaps as more people become more accustomed to this type of software (maybe lots of people already are and I'm somewhat of an anomaly) instructions will be shorter and more condensed because the behaviour is practically automatic. Confusing functions, wordy instructions, and lengthy manuals are not conducive to our fast-paced, technological society. Technology is only useful and productive if it is accessible to many people. As we have learned in this class, users should not be excluded from certain forms of technology for any reason, including a less-than-savvy understanding of computers.