The Internet and the Film Industry

The Internet and the Film Industry

Metophorically speaking, technology is sinking sand. The more you struggle against it, and its awesome power, the more it will suck you down, to meet your untimely demise. However, if you relax and embrace the sludge, you will eventually find your self back on your feet. The revolutionary and more often than not, beneficial advancements of our new era of technology must be embraced, for those who refuse, will inevitably get left behind. "Up to this point, the attitude of the film industry toward the Net has been one of skepticism and, to an extent, envy, says Michael Comish, managing director for AtomFilms Europe, which broadcasts short films online."

(Technology How has the Internet affected the film industry 2000)

The film industry like any other is constantly evolving, spawning from an ingenious invention by Thomas Edison. The "Kinetoscope, launched in 1894, [which] became the first moving picture apparatus offered for sale, and provided the inspiration for the leading European inventors,Robert Paul and the Lumière brothers." (Christie, I) 

After that It grew rapidly, evolving through the eras of silent film, to the talkies, eventually embracing colour to wind up as 3D, full High Defenition, 7.1 Surround Sound systems with fully integrated and rendered CGI, in nearly every home. As you can see, in just a brief overview of it's history, film has always and will always utilise technology as it becomes available. So why is the internet different? 

Predominantly the internet is cause for concern as the home of thieves, with millions of people on the search for free content, it's only a matter of time before that content is a multi million dollar film, "if the free content...is a real movie, we have a problem. The production of even a half-decent film takes highly significant financial and human resources — civilians cannot even imagine just how expensive, time-consuming and labor-intensive it is to make a film of any kind. And all it takes to destroy it is an illegal Internet upload." (LAvideofilmaker, 2009)

However, it has been clearly proven that with the correct precautions and programming, the internet can be utilised as, undoubtedly, THE BIGGEST distribution channel in the WORLD. One such example is netflix, however film studios do not seem to embrace it either.

"As Netflix continues to grow in both audience and content, Hollywood film executives are feeling more and more threatened. " (Kaiser, T 2011)

"In the past year alone, the number of subscribers to Netflix has increased 66 percent. The video-rental company has even pushed competitors like Blockbuster and Movie Gallery to file for bankruptcy protection."(Kaiser, T 2011)

So why are film executives scared?

"Film executives believe Netflix is having other impacts on the movie industry ... For instance, movies on Netflix lose value more quickly than those that don't because "Netflix takes scarcity out of the equation" by offering movies to users anytime they want. In addition, film execs say Netflix discourages users from buying new releases. Disc sales are decreasing annually, and 30 to 50 percent of DVD's are still in their original shrink-wrap."(Kaiser, T 2011)

Basically put, studios that refuse to utilise this distribution channel are only looking at the negatives, for example, had they simply used netflix, what they missed out in new release sales, they would have made up for in the extremely wider channel of customers that they reached. 

In conclusion, just as technology has been embraced before, the internet is no different, and will ultimately offer more positives than negatives.

Technology How has the Internet affected the film industry 2000, viewed 01 September 2011, <http://articles.cnn.com/2000-05-15/tech/film.and.web.idg_1_cannes-film-festival-film-industry-sightsound-com?_s=PM:TECH>

Christie, I, Who's Who if Victorian Cinema, viewed 01 September 2011, <http://www.victorian-cinema.net/edison.htm>

LAvideofilmmaker 2009, The film industry and the internet do not get along, weblog,  August 18, viewed 01 september 2011, <http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/blog/2009/08/18/the-film-industry-and-the-internet-do-not-get-along/>

Kaiser, T 2011, Hollywood executives fear Netflix impact on film industry, viewed 01 September 2011, <http://www.dailytech.com/Hollywood+Executives+Fear+Netflixs+Impact+on+Film+Industry/article21075.htm>

Questions From the lecture...

Week 5; Post 2

This week we delved into the crazy world of film, and how filmmakers use its uniques methods and conventions to tell stories and convey meanings. But a question that has arisen is 'why do we like what we watch on screen?' and 'How does watching movies help us?' 

'Why do we like what we watch on screen?'

As the Clapperboard states, we as a human audience not only looks for what is said and done, rather what isn't said or done. This concept in effect has caused the birth of a great genre known as drama. With our keen eyes we are able to identify the subtext within a film, and in doing so we keep entertained seeing tension, romance and an array of other emotions swell, through viewing shots that are blatantly showing us what we need to see, as opposed to reality where it may be missed simply by blinking. "Subtext is the meaning behind the words, the emotions within the speech. As the prefix suggests the subtext is hidden below the text."(Subtext: The Meaning Behind The Words, 2011) In seeing this hidden text, we are able to mentally establish the characters point of view, of which in turn allows us to see the significance of the changes they are experiencing. “Such character developments are used to express a central concept or a theme” (Exploring the meaning of Movies). This leads me to my second question,

‘How does watching movies help us?'

Through the clever manipulation of subtext, the audience can establish what is happening to the character, this in turn reveals the moral or message to the story. “...a popular theme has been characters building up the courage to overcome their own self-doubt in order to achieve” (Exploring the meaning of Movies).Through the appropriate use of characters personalities and events, we, as the audience, are ushered into relating to the characters and their predicament. Once this connection has been achieved it is more than likely that any message or theme of the story will have an emotional effect on the audience, often feeling empathy toward the character and their achievements. It is this inspiration that helps viewers in their daily escapades. 

Tutorial Tasks

Week 5; Post 1
Tutorial Questions; Scavenger Hunt
Where was the first University established and in which year?

The answer to this question is determined by how one defines the term university. If, by university, one means an institute that issues certificates of education then you would be looking within the era of the 1100's. However instates that were simply established to teach, without the pressures of certification, date as far back as 300BC. "the oldest universities are headed up by the University of Nanjing, in China, founded around 258 BCE. It was only formally termed a “university” in 1888, but it has offered education to Chinese without the issuance of formal degrees for centuries." (Smith, S 2011) However In an academic article, found through the griffith university library, I discovered that medieval, no specific date, europe was the first to operate an institution, fitting of the term 'University'. To answer this question I used the library search engine and the ask search engine.
Smith, S 2011, What are the oldest universities in the world, viewed 23 August 2011, <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-oldest-universities-in-the-world.htm>
Altbach, P & Forest, J 2006, 'History of Universities', International Handbook of Higher Education, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 159.

What is Stephen Stockwell's band called and what does he play?  Can you name a couple of their songs?
Ask.com - Stephen Stockwell band
I found this information by initially searching in the engine ASK. After that i was linked to the page "http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/blackas.htm", of which then provided the link to the official page of the band "http://www.blackassassins.net/Lyrics.html"
Stephen Stockwell played the keyboards and did the vocals in the punk band called the Black Assassins. 
The list of Songs are as follows:

ASIO*

Drugs*

Beggin' The Bullet

Death Comes To Townsville*

Death Take Me Now*

Fear & Loathing In Toowomba

FMFMD*

Going To The Wedding

Hanging Toads

Iranian Massacre

Multinational Corporate Lifestyle*

Pain Barrier*

Painters &Dockers Blues

Planet X*

Raspberry Cordial Blues

Screaming From The Watchhouse

Run Ronie Run*

Stompetition

Summary Offenses Act

SWAPO*

This State Must Pass

White Lies

Azaria*

Barricades

What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine? How much did it cost to build?

The worlds largest machine is the Large Hadron Collider. "It is big and it is clever. Woven from enough wire to stretch to Saturn, the Large Hadron Collider is the world's biggest scientific instrument, and perhaps the most complex engineering project ever attempted." (Battersby, S 2011)
"The Large Hadron Collider is nearly 30 years in the making - and costs the member countries of CERN and other participating countries an estimated €4.6 billion (about US$ 6.4 billion)." (10 things about the large hadron collider you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask, 2008)
I found this information through the ask search engine, and was ultimately directed to the first website, that then provided a link to the second website containing the cost information of the machine. The sites are reputable science information sources, so I trust that it is unbiased and real.
Battersby, S 2011, The Worlds Biggest Machine, viewed 23 August 2011, <http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20159-the-worlds-biggest-machine.html>
10 things about the large hadron collider you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask, 2008, viewed 23 August 2011, <http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/12/10-things-about-the-large-hadron-collider-you-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask/>

Who is Justin Bieber's lawyer, and what is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact the lawyer?

Although it may sound to simple, with this question is simply typed into the Ask search engine 'Justin Beiber lawyer' and the top hit was for the Scooter Braun website. Out of curiosity I clicked the link, only to discover that it actually was the right lawyer. Scooter Braun was the firm that represented Beiber from the beginning, they were responsible for connecting Beiber and Usher.
http://scooterbraun.com/


What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?

If booked well in advance a flight wold cost approximately $85 at the lowest possible class. If one was to drive, at the current fuel prices of 131.9, travelling approx 1718.8 km's on an average fuel consumption of 0.093 litres per kilometre, it would cost $223.78 in fuel to drive. To take the train would cost $141.22 in the economy class of two separate trains, after firstly being transported to the train station via bus. So I thinks the answer is obvious, the cheapest way to travel would be to ride a bike. But if thats not your strong point then flying is the cheapest way.
Flight costs- Jetabroad
http://www.jetabroad.com.au/Flights/OOL-MEL-25-Aug-11/1Adult
Fuel costs- Motor Mouth
http://motormouth.com.au/pricesearch.aspx?Region=Gold%20Coast
Distance calculator - bing maps
http://www.bing.com/maps/
car fuel consumption specs- Cars guide
http://www.carsguide.com.au/search/specs-search/
train timetable & information - Country Link
http://www.countrylink.info/



Who is Hatsune Miku? What company does she belong to? What is her birthday?

Miku Hatsune (初音ミク)

Age: 16
Birthday: 31st August
Zodiac: Virgo
Height: 158 cm (5'2")
Weight: 42 kg (92.4 lbs)
(Fanmade) Character Item: Welsh/Spring Onion
She belongs to Crypton Future Media. 

I got this information through these sites found with the ask search engine. 
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Hatsune_Miku
http://myanimelist.net/character/7156/Miku_Hatsune


Find a live webcam in Belarus. 
I found a live webcam on a site called Webcam Galore. It had a live webcam in Minsk - Belarus.


Find a place to stay in Antarctica.

I was unable to find anywhere that offers hotel accommodation, however this site - Antarctica Dream offers camping expeditions to multiple antarctica locations. They are in the mid $6000 to high $9000 range, Spanning from a week to two weeks.


What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1991?

unfortunately, I was unable to locate the charts for this week exactly in 1991, however I was able to find, via  the aria charts website the charts for that year. The top song was 'Everything I Do, I Do It For You' by Bryan Adams. 
http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1991.htm


What type of car is used to make ‘Google Street View’?
After searching the web for a while it became apparent that google doesn't use any one kind of car, it uses all different vehicles, including sedans, wagons and 4WD's. 


Translate these questions into Spanish and then translate them back into English.

Spanish

¿Dónde estaba la Universidad estableció por primera vez y en qué año?
¿Qué es la banda de Stephen Stockwell se llama y qué hace el juego?¿Puede usted nombrar un par de sus canciones?
¿Cuál es el peso de la máquina más grande del mundo? ¿Cuánto cuesta construir?
¿Quién es el abogado de Justin Bieber, y lo que es la mejor manera (más rápido, más fiable) ponerse en contacto con el abogado?
¿Cuál es la forma más barata de viajar desde la Costa de Oro a Melbourne?
¿Quién es Hatsune Miku? ¿Qué compañía no pertenecen a ella? ¿Cuál es su cumpleaños?
Encontrar una webcam en vivo en Bielorrusia. Encontrar un lugar para quedarse en la Antártida.
¿Qué canción fue la parte superior de las listas de pop de Australia esta semana en el año 1991?
¿Qué tipo de vehículo se utiliza para hacer 'Google Street View'?
Traducir estas preguntas en español y luego traducir de nuevo en Inglés.

Back to English

Where was the first established University and in what year?

What is the band Stephen Stockwell called and what makes the game? Can you name a couple of their songs?
What is the weight of the world's largest machine? What does it cost to build?
Who is Justin Bieber's attorney, and what is the best way (faster, more reliable) to contact the lawyer?
What is the cheapest way to travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?
Who is Hatsune Miku? What company does not belong to it? What is yourbirthday?
Find a live webcam in Belarus. Find a place to stay in Antarctica.
What song was top of the pop charts in Australia this week in 1991?
What kind of vehicle is used to 'Google Street View'?
Translate these questions in Spanish and then translated back into English.

Facebook, Rules and Restrictions

Week 4; Post 2

The general terms of Facebook basically provide a list of rules and restriction designed to best protect the safety of users, their information, the wellbeing of their computer and experience on Facebook. The terms cover such items as

• You are not allowed to share, publish, sell or marginalize content or information of any other user
• You are not allowed to sell the content of your account (for advertising purposes)
• You must be of certain age, give correct personal information and you must not be a convicted sex offender.
• You may not use Facebook as a means to carry a malicious virus or trojan virus, harass other users and post advertising or obscene material.

Although the list goes on, unless the user posts a virus, or link to a virus, or obscene material online, there is a very slim chance that the admin team of Facebook would actually find your wrong doing. For example lying when providing your personal information; there is no way Facebook can dispute the identity you have given unless it has been trademarked. 

Facebook has the right to collect your personal information, including your activity on the site and minor details about your computer, such as the IP address, however they may not give that information to anyone. The information you provide on you account ‘wall’ is available for everyone to see, unless you have opted for a higher privacy setting.

The predominant privacy setting on the Facebook site are controllable by the user. That means that they can choose whether their ‘friends’, ‘friends of friends’ or anyone can see the content that they post. For information that has no privacy settings, such as the display picture, Facebook had provided guidelines of what they may do in the case that they do not wish to share such information. 

Overall Facebook merely uses the information that you provide to show more relevant advertising, make the post from friends that you see more relevant, make the overall experience of Facebook faster and smoother and provide relevant links to other areas of Facebook.

Video Games...

Week 4; Post 1
What sort of computer games do you find most engaging? Why? 
Espionage and Stealth, why, because it is more than mindless killing then. I will admit that when I play and cannot find a way to do it inconspicuously I do an all out kill run, but thats not the point. When you are attempting to find a way other than killing the enemy its suddenly opens up a whole new world of suspense and thrill, the enemy could find you at any moment!! Also, with stealth It's different, it's not just running around, seeing how fast you can get from A to B, it how well you can do it without getting caught, "Perhaps that's why "stealth" games have become so popular in recent years. These action titles force players to rely on guile and smarts rather than constant killing, and they've created something remarkable: a new style of play—and possibly even a different moral vision." (Thompson, 2004)

What does it say about you?
I believe that preferring NOT to kill in video games not only displays unaggressive tendencies but demonstrates patience. In research by the American Psychological Association it has been determined that personality traits effect how people react and perceive video games.


Why does computer game violence, mostly, not affect the players? Is there a level at which it does effect changes in people?
"Playing violent video games can make some adolescents more hostile, particularly those who are less agreeable, less conscientious and easily angered. But for others, it may offer opportunities to learn new skills and improve social networking."(American Psychology Association 2010) 
Not only does video games have positives for the average 'everyday people' but they are more frequently being used for disables people to "improve visual/spatial skills" and "as a health aid to help manage diabetes or pain and as a tool to complement psychotherapy"(American Psychology Association 2010). However, like previously stated this is not the case for everyone. It is proven that being subjected to extreme violence within some adolescents is a direct factor in the cause of aggression. Patrick Markey, PhD, has determined that certain personality traits can indicate who will be effected by violence in games more than others. “Previous research has shown us that personality traits like psychoticism and aggressiveness intensify the negative effects of violent video games and we wanted to find out why” said Markey 2010. Although this research is incomplete and not completely viable it is a good example. 

Thompson, C 2004. Hide and Go Sneak, viewed 18 August 2011,  <http://www.slate.com/id/2103628/>


Violence in Video Games My Increase Aggression in Some But Not Others, Says New Research, 2010, viewed 18 August 2011,
<http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/06/violent-video-games.aspx>


Markey, M & Markey, N 2010, 'Vulnerability to violent Video Games: A Review And Integration of Personality Research', Review Of General Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 82-91

Tutorial Tasks Week 3

Week 3; Post 2

What was Stephen Stockwell's first article in an academic journal? What year?  

The Brisbane Model: Considering A Unique Experiment, 1995

Provide a full citation.

Stockwell, S 1995, 'The Brisbane Model: Considering A Unique Experiment', 

Urban Policy and Research, Vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 89-96, viewed 9th August 2011, via Taylor and Francis online.

What database did you use?

Taylor and Francis Online

In which comic did Governor Slugwell appear?

Flaming Carrot Comics

Which Issues? 

7, 10, 11

Give their full citation for the earliest. 

Burden, B 1985, "When the Shoes Aren't Worth the Shine", Flaming Carrot Comics, Vol. 7, pp. 3-31, viewed 9th August 2011, via Underground and Independent Comics.

Where did you find this information? What database did you use?

I found this information in the 'Underground and Independent Comics' database, under the characters section, listed by name in alphabetical order.

What is the latest medical thinking on the dangers of mobile phones? 

"A close examination of the protocols and results from all case-control and cohort studies, pooled- and meta-analyses on head tumour risk for mobile phone users was carried out, and for each study the elements necessary for evaluating its reliability were identified....Results: Blind protocols, free from errors, bias, and financial conditioning factors, give positive results that reveal a cause-effect relationship between long-term mobile phone use or latency and statistically significant increase of ipsilateral head tumour risk, with biological plausibility." (Levis, A et al., 2011)

Provide a full citation.

Levis, A., Minicuci, N., Ricci, P., Gennaro, V., & Garbisa, S. (2011). Mobile phones and head tumours. The discrepancies in cause-effect relationships in the epidemiological studies - how do they arise?. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 1059. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

In Bladerunner, what is Leon's reaction when Holden asks him about his mother? Quote the 1982 draft script and provide a full reference.

"HOLDEN

Describe in single words. Only the good things that come into your mind. About your mother.

LEON

My...

Leon looks shocked, surprised. But the needles in the computer barely move. Holden goes for the inside of his coat. But big Leon is faster. His laser burns a hole the size of a nickel through Holden's stomach. Unlike a bullet, a laser causes no impact. It goes through Holden's shoulder and comes out of his back, clean as a whistle. Like a rag doll he falls back into the seat. Big slow Leon is already walking away, but he stops, turns, and with a little smile of satisfaction fires through the back of the seat.
As Leon walks out of the room the Voight-Kampff begins to blink, faint but steady."

Blade Runner (1982): Draft script. Screenplay by: Fancher, Hampton, 1938-; Peoples, David Webb, 1940-; Kibbee, Roland, 1914-1984.Electronic Edition by Alexander Street Press, L.L. C., 2009.Copyright © 1982.

What does Paul Soukup say Walter Ong saw as the main paradox in 20th century communication? 

"Its science and ways of knowing rest on “the use of diagrams and . . . the maneuvering of objects in space,” but it has developed communication forms that “specialize not in sight but in sound”"

Cite your source.

Soukup, A (2005). Looking Is Not Enough: Reflections on Walter J. Ong and Media Ecology, Proceedings of the Media Ecology Association, Vol. 6, p. 6, viewed 9th August 2011

The rise and fall of myspace

Week 3; Post 1

"It once promised to redefine music, politics, dating, and pop culture. Rupert Murdoch fell in love with it. Then everything fell apart" (Gillette, 2011)

MySpace was one of the world’s largest social networks, with about 125 million users.

Myspace was once the place to be on the internet, where millions of people connected every day. Artists and celebrity figures relied on its popularity to support their rise to fame. Artists such as 'My Chemical Romance' and Lilly Allen used it's vast network of connections and fans to grow a name in the music industry.

At it's peak, In december 2008, myspace attracted 75.9 million uniques users a month.

Myspace was originally inspired by, it's predecessor of sorts, 'freindster'. It provided users with the flexibility to customise and personalise their page and share their activities with the rest of the world.

However ultimately myspace's main and only source of revenue would be it's undoing, advertising. At it's peak the site brought in an average of $470 million soley from advertising.

Towards the end of myspace's rein, users could barely stand the sight of the pathetic and parasitic adverts that had found their way onto the site. With this major flaw in the network, owners News Corp made a desperate attempt to sell the site for a measly $100 million, meaning a $480 million loss from their initial purchase price. Ultimately, mismanagement, flawed mergers, hunger for money and poor strategies and implementation caused the accelerated collapse of the once great, popular and highly priced network. 

Finally myspace was basically forgotten, it's remnants scattered throughout cyberspace as memories and discontinued accounts, shadowed by the current giant of the social internet, Facebook. Now the question remains, what will Facebook do to screw-up?

Gillette, F 2011. The Rise and Inglorious Fall of Myspace, viewed 9th August 2011, <http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_27/b4235053917570.htm>

MySpace, viewed 9th August 2011, <http://www.crunchbase.com/company/myspace>

Innovative Web Help App

Again but slower...
http://againbutslower.com/

This is a really good website to help spread out the information that wikipedia generally gives to you in a block of information. It takes away all the unnecessary information and links and pretty much just turns a couple of paragraphs into an easy to read set of dot points. although the website doesn't look all that good and the simplified text that they produce is not very appealing it does the job and gives you what you want without the use of proper English.

Although it is great I think that it is a bit risky, generally because it could leave out some information that is vital to the topic.
Additionally, because they are leaving out certain bits of text it is not as coherent as the actual website. however to combat this they have provided two windows, one of the actual wikipedia page and another of the simplified version, so that people can make sure that they are being fed the correct information.

Overall this is a really good website that helps heaps at gathering information that would otherwise be hard to find amongst all of wikipedia's thick text.

VIDEO OF COMMUNICATION!

The Macbook Wheel...

This is the revolutionary mock of the apple brand, and some of the mistakes they have made in the past. It mainly focuses on the difficulty some people have adjusting to the different ways that apple functions.

Lecture Summary Week 2

Week 2; Post 2
The origins of communication....
Over time communication has evolved into a more efficient and streamlined avenue for the transmission of information. It has progressed from oral, to written to printed after a matter of centuries. Finally communication reached a cornerstone, electricity.
From there it has progressed rapidly, advancing to telegraph, telephone, Phonograph, SMS, MMS, then to sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Other forms of communication cannot be forgotten also, with cinema and television being extremely powerful sources of influence through the correct rate of exploitation of particular information.
Cinema, over the years has formed it's own language consisting of shot sized, sound effects and video effects to transmit a message (story).
Over the years, with the increase in levels of alternative methods of communications, certain theories have been expressed as to the function of technology in society.
For example in the 1970's a range of theories we released showing that the media had the power to influence the public opinion greatly on crime and certain events by talking about it less or more, or the way they talked about it.
Over the years, theories on the nature of culture has emerged also, with most perceptions resting largely on culture as a product of art and communication technologies.

Communication in Use...

Week 2; Post 1
Tutorial Task; Part 1
When communicating, to friends, family or people within my professional life I use a range of platforms that I feel is most appropriate to each situation. Facebook; wall posts, messages, live chat., Twitter, SMS, MMS, e-mail, forums, Blogger, telephone. I use all of these technologies at some point to ensure that the message that I transmit is perceived correctly by the recipient. 
How long have you been using these communication technologies?
I have been using communication technologies since the day I could talk, the telephone. Mainly it was to family, however as the years progressed and my social life became more active It was necessary to adopt other forms of communication, such as SMS and MMS. Then, once old enough and I was exposed to the World Wide Web, I took facebook, twitter and forums on board to keep in touch with people that, under older circumstances, I would have lost touch with.

What influenced you to start using these particular technologies?  How did you find out about them?  I started using communication technologies since I could talk mainly because it was a requirement. Because my family lived away from other members of the family (granny and cousins), talking on the phone was the only way of communication, unless we made the commute to visit. I was introduced to the telephone it was a part of everyday life, everyone used it, therefore I did.

Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies?  What do you think of companies like Facebook and Google who collect information about their users?   (How do you deal with issues around privacy?) I think that there are certain levels of privacy that we need to be concerned about when sharing information. Obviously we are all aware that giving out our bank details to dodgy websites is a big no no. I am only concerned about levels of privacy when websites and applications require more information that I think is necessary without the correct level of justification. 

Do you have friends whom you know only from the Internet and have never met in person?   Is this different to people that you know in person?  Describe the difference.
I have friends online that I have never met in person, mainly friends of friends or long lost family. its only different in that I don't really speak to them, only have them as friends.