中国网吧形成中的大众网络接入点外文翻译.docx
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中国网吧形成中的大众网络接入点外文翻译.docx
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中国网吧形成中的大众网络接入点外文翻译
外文翻译
InternetcafesinChina:
shapinge-accessinapublicspace
MaterialSource:
EBSCOAuthor:
Unknown
Apublicspacewithdistinctivesociality
ComputeraccessinpublicspacesisnotlimitedtoInternetcafes;librariesaswellascomputerbusinesscentersalsoprovideavailableaccesstothepublic,eventhoughsuchaccessinChinaisverylimited."Acommonfeatureofsuchaccessisthattheyaretargetedtowork-relatedor'useful'tasks,ratherthanleisureactivities"(Lagran&Stewart,2003,p.358).Incontrasttothis,theInternetcafeprovidesnotonlytechnology,butalsoanatmosphereconducivetorecreationandentertainment.
IntheWest,therewasatraditionforpeopleinlocalcommunitiestomeettoeat,drink,talkandplaygamesinplacessuchastaverns,pubsandcafes.Cafesinthe18thcenturywerecentersofcommunityforinformaldiscussionofpolitics,localaffairsandculture,andwerefrequentedbycertainsocialgroups."Perhapsmorethantraditionaldrinkingestablishments,informationwascentraltoearlycoffeeshops"(Lagran&Stewart,2003,p.358).InChina,althoughtherehasneverbeenarealpubculture,teahouseshadareputationofsuchinformalexchangeofinformation,andlocalaswellasnational,economicaswellaspoliticalissueswerediscussedinsuchestablishments.However,suchteahouseshavelongdiedout.ThemoderncoffeeshopsandteahousesinurbancentersinChinaarecomparativelynewandexpensivebusinessestablishmentswhoseclientelearemostlyurbanelite.Incontrast,theInternetcafehasshownanunprecedentedappealtomillionsofpeopleinavarietyofcommunitieswithitsfundamentalroleofinformation,communicationandentertainment.Tomanyregulars,theInternetcafehasbecomeathirdplacetothem,nexttoworksandhome.
Theroleofcafeasa"thirdplace"hasbeentheorizedandwrittenaboutpassionatelybyOldenburg(1999).Oldenburg(1999)contendsthatcafesareimportantplacesofcommunity,distinctfromhomeandwork.Heclassifiescafeswithinabroadercategoryofsocialsite,whichhedubsas"thirdplaces".Thesethirdplacesshareimportantcharacteristicswhichcreateadistinctiveformofsociality:
[They]existonneutralgroundandservetoleveltheirgueststoaconditionofsocialequality.Withintheseplaces,conversationistheprimaryactivity...[Thirdplaces]aretakenforgrantedandmosthavealowprofile.Thecharacterofathirdplaceisdeterminedmostofallbyitsclienteleandismarkedbyaplayfulmood...Thougharadicallydifferentkindofsettingfromthehome,thethirdplaceisremarkablysimilartoagoodhomeinthepsychologicalcomfortandsupportitextends(Oldenburg,1999,p.42).
Therearesomesignificantcharacteristicsassociatedwitha"thirdplace"thatflowoutofthisdefinition.AccordingtoOldenburg(1999),thesecharacteristicscanbefoundincafes,coffeeshops,bookstores,bars,hairsalonsandotherhangoutsattheheartofacommunity.Itispossibleforpublicplacesthatdonotcallthemselvesacafetodisplaysuch"thirdplace"characteristicsandachievethebenefitsthatflowfromoutofthem.Whatfundamentallydefinesa"thirdplace"isadistinctivetypeofsociality,ratherthanthekindofbeverageservedintheestablishment.Thekeyiswhetherapublicplaceworkslikea"thirdplace"ratherthanwhatitiscalled.
Asaplaceofcommunity,thedistinctivetypeofsocialitydisplayedbya"thirdplace"hasrelativelystrongties(intermsofnetworkdensity,trustandreciprocity),butitisalsofairlyheterogeneousinitsmembershipandinterests.Theheterogeneity,accordingtoLiffandSteward(2003),"comesaboutatleastinpartfromtherelativelylowbarrierstoentry-thatis,throughitsopennesstotheoccasionalornewcustomerattractedthroughweakties(suchasbeingafriendofanexistingregularorjustapasser-byattractedbytheambience)"(p.320).Incontrasttoathirdplacesuchasacafe,thesitesofhomeorworkhavehomogeneousnetworkanddominanceofstrongties,whileinsitessuchasmovietheatersandshoppingcenters,thereisaheterogeneousnetworkandpredominanceofweakties.Thus,"theformofsocialityofthethirdplacesiteisadistinctiveconfigurationofbothweakandstrongties"(Liff&Steward,2003,p.320).
CloselyrelatedtotheconceptualizationoftheInternetcafeasathirdplaceisthetheorizingoftheInternetcafeasasiteofnetworks,orwhatFoucault(1986)callsaheterotopia."CentraltoFoucault's(1986)spatialparadigmisthepervasivesignificanceofamultiplicityofdifferenthuman'sites',eachofwhichmaybeinvestigatedasaparticular'networkofrelations'"(Liff&Steward,2003,p.318).Theheterotopiaisasitethatoffersa"mixed,jointexperience"throughtheabilityto"simultaneouslyrepresent,contestandinvert"allothersiteswithinaculture.Foucault's(1986)heterotopiastakequitevariedforms,whosecommoncharacteristicsarethattheyalljuxtaposeseveralincompatiblespacesinarealplace.Foucault'sexamplesofheterotopiasrangefromthecemeterytothecinema.Inadditiontothespatialconcept,heterotopiasalsobreakwith"traditionaltime"byopeningontoother"slicesoftime"(p.25).AccordingtoLiffandSteward(2003),theInternetcafejuxtaposesthevirtualworldof"cyber"spaceandtherealsocialplaceofthe"cafe",enablingtheextensionofthe"networkreach"ofitsusersbeyondtheirexistingsocialrelationships(Castells,1996),suggestingthatheterotopiamightbeanappropriateconceptforthedesignationoftheInternetcafeasadistinctivetypeofsocialsite.
ConfiguringtheInternetcafe
"TheInternetasameaningfulphenomenononlyexistsinparticularplaces"(Miller&Slater,2000,p.1).HowtheInternettakesmeaninginanInternetcafeinLondonmaybedifferentfromhowittakesmeaninginanInternetcafeinBeijingorSeoul.ThetranslatingofthemeaningoftheInternetintopracticeinChinaisaprocessofconfiguringthenewtechnologyinparticulartechnosocialspaces.
ThedevelopmentoftheInternettechnologydoesnotstopwithitsemergenceintouse.Thetechnologicalendproductsembodyconceptsofdesigninexplicitorimplicitideas-aprocesswidelydescribedas"configuringtheuser"(Woolgar,1991).However,theconfiguringprocessalsoincludeshowtheusersconfigurethetechnologythrough,forexample,adoptingorrejectingparticularmodels,usingornotusingparticularfeatures,orevenusingtheminwaysunanticipatedbythosewhodesignedandproducedthem.
"Configurationliberallyreferstothearrangementorshapeofmaterialartifacts,to'configure'beingdefinedas'tosetupforoperationespeciallyinaparticularway"(Lagran&Stewart,2003.p.360).Theconceptismorecommonlyusedtodescribethewayinwhichcomputersaresetupfortheneedsofaparticularuser.Infact,theconfiguringprocessthatcanbeobservedinInternetcafesinChinaisquiteinteractive.Theusersareconfiguredbybothcomputersandotherhardware,whileusersthemselvesasactorsandaspartoftheInternetcafe,alsoconfigurethelayoutandmaterialactants.
Forexample,thehardwareincludingcomputers,webcams,andmicrophones,togetherwithgamesoftwareandcensoringsoftware,determinewhatgamescanbeplayed,whatactivitiesmaybeperformed(e.g.,instantmessagingwithvideo),whatwebsitesmaybebrowsed(e.g.,nopornographicwebsiteisallowed),andwhatwordsmaybesearched(e.g.,constraintsonpoliticallysensitiveterms).Fromanotherperspective,thecomputersaresetupinthiswaytomeettheneedsoftheusersoftheInternetcafe.ThelayoutoftheInternetcafealsoreflectssuchinteractiveconfiguration.Forexample,inthethreeInternetcafessurveyedforthisstudy,recentreconstructioninthelargestcafehasaddedVIProomswheregroupsoffriendscancomeinandplaygamesintheirownprivacy.
Users,uses,ambienceandlocation
ThepreviousdiscussionoftheInternetcafeinChinaasaforcetopromotee-accessmightgivepeopleanimpressionthatthosewhoaccesstheInternetthroughtheInternetcafearethosewhodonothaveInternetaccessathome.Thisisonlypartlytrueinthat,accordingtoSurveyofChinaInternetCaféIndustrybytheMinistryofCulture(Su,2005),70%ofInternetcafeusersdidnothavehomeaccessorwere"ontheirway"tohomeaccess.Inthecurrentsampleof60Internetusers,64%didnothavehomeaccess.Inotherwords,abigproportion(atleastmorethanonethird)oftheuserssurveyedinthisstudywerehabitualInternetuserswhoweretemporarilyawayformtheirusualaccess,mostoftenthehomeorworkplace.ThemajorityofthepublicInternetuserswerenotnovices.Infact,58%ofthemhadusedtheInternetformorethantwoyears.Publicaccessisactuallybothanalternativeaswellascomplementarytohomeaccess.AsXiaoZhang,a24-year-oldyoungmanputit,"Whyplaygamesathome,bymyself,whenIcanhangoutwithmybuddies-awayfrommymother'scomplaining?
"
Inthissampleof60users,72%wereyoungpeoplefrom18to35,and71%ofthemweremales.AlthoughtheInternetcafeclienteletiltedheavilytowardsyoungmalestudentsandwhitecollarprofessionals,asignificantnumberofwomenandmiddle-agedprofessionals,aswellasmanualworkers,couldbefound.Ofthe60peoplesurveyed,40%wereplayinggames,35%werechatting,15%werecheckingorwritingemail,andtherestwerelisteningtomusic,watchingmovies,readingnews,ordoingstudy/workrelatedtasks.Whenaskedtolisttheironlineactivitiesfrommostfrequenttoleastfrequent,theactivitieslistedwerechatting,gaming,browsingnews,participatinginBBSforum,anddoingwork/studyrel
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