face-to-face vs online communication:

Face-to-face communication puts one's physical appearance, ethnic heritage, gender, and geographic location on display. These factors have a big impact on how people communicate. When people communicate online, they exchange information and knowledge with people they may never meet in person. People who would not (or could not) ordinarily converse face-to-face can openly express and share their expertise and views online. These individuals are free to communicate without fear of being judged. Untrustworthy individuals can impersonate trusted individuals in order to obtain personal information such as credit cards or banking information. Most people believe that their email messages are private; however, network administrators and others with appropriate access permissions can examine and monitor emails, which can be exploited. We have complete freedom to interact and trade on a global scale. Individual governments have limited authority over international trade, and enforcing international rules in cyberspace is both costly and ineffectual.

An example is, Spam (bulk electronic junk mail) is unlawful in Australia, however, Australian law has no jurisdiction over spam transmitted from other countries.

privacy and confidentiality

Individuals' right to privacy refers to their ability to keep information confidential. This right has come under a lot of scrutiny as a result of modern communication technology. Every time you use an EFTPOS machine you leave an electronic copy of your expenditures. Marketing firms purchase and sell that record. Every phone call you make is logged by your phone company's computers, including the date, time, number phoned, length, and cost. Medical, health fund, and government health service computers all have access to the information of every visit you make to a doctor or health service. When you view pages on a web server, many of them send you 'cookies,' which are small data files that are saved on your hard drive. These cookies can be accessed by other websites in order to obtain information about your online surfing behaviour. Your email address can be copied if you post a message to an internet newsgroup, subscribe to a mailing list, or just visit a website. As a result, you'll likely receive more junk mail or 'spam' in your inbox, such as unsolicited advertising, chain letters, virus hoaxes, and other such material. Sending an email can easily go via a dozen or more computers before reaching its intended recipient. Each computer will save and review your confidential message before passing it on to the next. You have no say in who has access to your electronic life records, personal connections, purchasing habits, private messages, and so on. One of the costs of the benefits of the cashless connected society is the loss of privacy and anonymity.

globalisation and virtual communities

Globalisation offers numerous advantages in cyberspace. Virtual communities can be formed regardless of where they are located. There are, however, legal ramifications in terms of criminal behaviour as well as taxes legislation. It's tough to tell what an internet business is and where it's located. A single person can create a website that looks like it belongs to a major corporation. Such businesses can be swiftly formed and disbanded. Many other countries do not have the legal safeguards that Australia does. Virtual organisations and communities are formed to pursue common interests, work on a project, or build relationships. Although the majority of those who participate in such organisations are honest and genuine, ethical behaviour cannot always be enforced. Work from home: Also known as telework or telecommuting, working from home allows employees to complete many of their tasks from the comfort of their own home. A phone connection and modem, as well as a computer, are all that is required. For individuals in this position, the lack of socialisation, as well as the potential for diminished productivity due to the interruptions that typically occur in a typical home atmosphere, is a source of concern. Despite the removal of physical barriers, this severely limits our ability to comprehend and empathise with other cultures.

work and employment

Numerous people now have the ability to work from home or from nearly any other location, with flexible work hours and the ability to be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is undoubtedly beneficial to both businesses and clients, but it has all too often led to the expectation that employees be available at all times. Workgroups can be formed in which members never or seldom meet in person, instead of relying on email, forums, teleconferencing, and other forms of electronic contact. The majority of traditional employment is dependent on the number of hours performed. When employees work from home, they may work odd hours in between other home and personal responsibilities. Employers who seek assurance that work is done face difficulties as a result of this. It also causes issues for employees who must strike a balance between their job and personal lives. According to most studies, those who work from home work longer hours and are more productive than those who go to a specific work location. Some of the efficiency is due to the reduced commute time, but the majority is due to employees having more control and responsibility over their job. Online retailers are putting a lot of pressure on traditional retailers. Customers frequently look at products in a physical store before negotiating a better bargain with an online retailer. The operating costs of online merchants are much lower.

interpersonal relationships

Many people's relationships have transformed as a result of electronic communication technology. When compared to face-to-face communication, ideas transmitted electronically can appear less strong and caring. We constantly receive and transmit nonverbal input during face-to-face communication to confirm understanding and create relationships. Chat, teleconferencing, and other real-time communication platforms try to address this problem, but non-verbal cues are missing, making it difficult to develop meaningful personal relationships. People that use online dating sites believe they have a lot in common, such as a similar background, culture, work, and so on. Face-to-face contacts, on the other hand, frequently reveal that there is little or no genuine attraction. Ideas and opinions from ordinary people can appear to be as credible as those from specialists and well-known organisations. Uninformed people can make their opinions appear as powerful and influential as experts on the internet. Because text-based messages conveyed by email or chat lack the body language, tone of voice, and facial emotions present while communicating in person, they are readily misconstrued.

e-crime

Fraud is a criminal offence in almost every country, yet when it comes to the internet, convictions are rare. Fraud is defined as any type of dishonesty, including making false statements with the objective of causing harm to another person. Unfortunately, the most widespread form of e-crime is fraudulent behavior on the internet.

Some spam communications attempt to persuade users to purchase things at reduced prices. The users' banking or credit card information is subsequently entered, which is later utilised to make fraudulent withdrawals or purchases. Identity theft is a type of fraud in which someone takes on the identity of another person. Criminals collect numerous personal facts about a person in order to persuade organisations that they are that person, allowing them to obtain loans, buy things, and withdraw money from the person's bank accounts.

Phishing is a type of spam in which an email contains a message that appears to be from a reliable source. One frequent phishing scam involves sending out mass emails that appear to be from a specific company and encourage recipients to update their information by clicking on a website. The link directs users to a site that imitates the real company's login page. The fake screen takes the user name and password before redirecting the user to the legitimate site. Because the thieves do not use the log in details for a long time, users are often unaware they are a victim of a scam.

legal

The internet's success is owed in great part to the fact that it is not owned or controlled by a single person or organisation. Some media and software companies have attempted to create commercial networks to compete with the internet, but these efforts have either failed or been consumed by it. Censorship is a huge issue when it comes to internet governance. Is it possible to censor its content (web pages, newsgroups, email, and chat rooms)? If that's the case, who should be held accountable: the user, the content source, or the ISP?

China and Saudi Arabia, for example, have attempted to regulate the flow of internet data across their borders. Saudi Arabia for religious and cultural reasons, China for political reasons. Both counties waited until the late 1990s to provide internet connectivity to its residents. Saudi Arabia has built up a supercomputer to monitor all incoming internet traffic and ban any information it deems offensive. For internet service providers, the Chinese government follows rigors standards. These measures' effectiveness has yet to be determined.

The Australian Broadcasting Authority has been tasked by the Australian Government with monitoring the internet (ABA). The Australian Internet Industry has been instructed by the ABA to draught a voluntary Code of Practice for internet access and content.

Under this guideline, Australian ISPs are expected to:

• Offer their clients internet filtering software for their PCs and give access to current lists of prohibited sites compatible with the programme. It is therefore up to the clients to decide whether or not to employ the filters.

• Take steps to ensure that internet access accounts are not given to minors under the age of 18 without the permission of a parent, teacher, or other responsible adult.