A Look Through the Webcam

The appearance of webcams on the internet is rapidly increasing as the technology grows and becomes more widely available; and as availability increases, the prices come down as well. Financially speaking, webcam technology is within the grasp of a larger group of people than ever before. As webcams become more common, the applications of this technology become more varied. With applications in news, education, weather, multi-media and entertainment, and networked communications, webcams seem to be 'opening eyes' all over the world wide web.

According to Innis' theories, the internet is a space-biased medium. That is, it extends our senses physically so we can communicate with others virtually, all over the world, without actually travelling the distance. So it would seem that webcams, functioning through the medium of the internet would also be space-biased. It is possible to send an image from a webcam literally to any networked computer in the world, opening up a vast number of visual possibilities on the internet with various effects.

The benefits of video-conferencing to the business community are indeed worthy of discussion. Business meetings can be held at great distances with the help of a few cameras and computers. In fact, none of the participants need be in the same location at all. Also, it is possible for businesses to do video presentations, and advertisements over the internet. The nature of internet video-conferencing lends itself to the business community in that it allows immediate feedback unlike regular, asynchronous e-mail. In addition, it tends to be more personal and interactive than e-mail.

Like business, education stands to gain from the webcam technologies. The internet as a research tool offers much in the way of visual aid already. It is filled with graphics and images and the addition of webcams makes it possible to see either many frames of an object, or the actual movement of the object itself. Online courses benefit from the use of webcams in the same way that they benefit from regular pictures, but perhaps to a greater extent. Imagine an online art course with actual video footage of the Louvre. There is a closer presence involved in video than in regular still images.

The Dentalcam demonstrates webcams used for an educational purpose. The idea is that seeing the dental office in practice will alleviate fear of the dentist for small children, (and maybe not so small children as well.) It is meant to inform and break past commonly held beliefs and fears of the dentist's chair.

Another site that helps the viewer to better understand the universe in general is Eclipse Site. Here, one can see the beauty of the sun, stars, and other celestial bodies, updated fairly regularly. Perhaps someday there will actually be live sunsets, meteor showers, etc. (the content isn't always the same here.)

Entertainment is also a function of webcams that should not be overlooked. For example, last fall there was an episode of the Drew Carey show that showed footage through a webcam that was not shown on TV. This is an example where television and the internet worked together to generate an audience.

In general, webcams have many positive impacts. They help to illuminate the world as it really is and to extend our eyes, and sometimes ears, across great distances. In the case of video-conferencing, it can be a quick and easy, synchronous method of communication. Also it is relatively inexpensive in comparison to talking on the phone. It may cost quite a bit to purchase the necessary equipment; however, once you have access, it can save money on long distance.

Like any other medium, webcams also have a certain number of drawbacks. One of particular interest to me is the issue of privacy. The possibility of this technology to interfere with an individual's private life is enormous. Some sites on the internet brag of having, for example, "changeroom footage." In these circumstances, a cam is usually hidden in a changeroom or bathroom to tape unsuspecting people. This footage then gets put on the internet for anyone to see. It makes a person wonder how many times he or she has been silently 'watched.'

Aside from making one paranoid and extra-sensitive about this issue, another drawback of this technology is the fact that in order to video-conference, all participants must have access to the technology. For now at least, only a small percentage of people actually have webcams, although they are more common than before.

In addition, webcams are often used to feed into the production of pornography that can be viewed on the internet. For some, this issue is not a problem, but it is a concern of many and so it is worth mentioning.

Finally, as we move closer to true virtual reality, the danger of "virtuality" looms near. According to Umberto Eco and Jean Baudrillard, extensive amounts of exposure to a simulated reality poses a threat to one's psyche as one begins to mistake the simulation for reality. Webcams, although they are not truly a virtual reality, do bring us one step closer to the "hyperreality" that Eco, and Baudrillard discuss.

In general, the webcam makes the internet experience richer and more exciting; however, one cannot mistake this sort of communication as reality, for in actual fact the webcam only serves to mediate one's reality to a further extent. Although this technology brings us one step closer to total 'virtual' communication, this is all it does. It would do very little for one who truly craved genuine human interaction.

For other interesting links to webcams:

• The Webcam Search Page: See webcams all over the world used for different purposes.
• camscape.com Lot's of webcams