Tifani Wiyanto
29 October 2004
Student number: 4846567
Email to: t.wiyanto@student.qut.edu.au
The fact that vast amount of information exist on the World Wide Web has brought many advantages for people due to easy and fast access to any information they want. However, with innumerable websites available, some agencies which own the “pipelines� to most of the web-addresses (URLs) have had a significant control over the cultural content that being exchanged on cyberspace (Rifkin, 2001, p. 11). These agencies therefore can be called as the gatekeeper between Internet users and the virtual world of the Internet.
The term ‘gatekeeper’ appears to be already well-known in the context of mass media. According to Hartley (2001, p. 11) gatekeeper refers to “key personnel involved in the decision making process of news production.� Generally, in the media, gatekeepers are the media editors or the owners of the media channel (ibid). Such a definition can therefore be applied in the Internet context as follows:
===Search Engines===
“Search engines can be understood as digital gatekeepers. Performing the role of deciding what information is relevant to [people’s] queries� (ibid, p.12). Here, search engines work as the pinpoint or the first portal that people normally visit in order to search for particular information [See how search engines work]. By entering keywords, this tool will match them with the words on the websites which may be relevant to the users. Therefore, search engines work as the institutions who determine what are accessible and what are being shut out from the “network based society� (Rifkin, 2001, p. 178).
Search engines are important in determining the Internet gatekeepers’ success and credibility because these engines’ ability decides which websites are able to be found (Bruemmer, 2000). Nevertheless, some people argue that information retrieval through search engines as not always relevant because search engines may not cover what is truly available in cyberspace. Lamb (2004) agrees by explaining that with the rise of the internet gatekeepers, people’s access into the internet is being controlled by a handful of major gatekeepers of Western countries. However, for others, well-known search engines, Google, Yahoo, or MSN now appear to move toward local providers (such as Yahoo Japan or Google Australia) (Krol, 2004). With this localisation [See Global/Local Dialectic], it is possible for search engines to cater for more (local) information and relevant websites which perhaps have not been covered before.
=== Government ===
The free retrieval of information fast and easily through search engines has perpetuated into another form of internet gatekeepers. As Rifkin (2001, p. 178) argued previously, the internet gatekeepers determine the condition of “who gains access and who is shut out of ‘network based society’.� Therefore, government is also often associated with the internet gatekeepers in terms of control and regulation. In Australia, the Federal Government’s role as the Internet gatekeeper is demonstrated through various content law and policies around the usage of the Internet [See Australian Internet regulations]. This particularly includes regulation over business activities, pornography , or education. Through this censorship, the Australian government attempts to protect all individuals or organisations to “securely conduct business across the Internet� (Verisign, 2004). Countries such as the United States also show their disagreement of unregulated frontiers of cyberspace (Hirsen, no year). Others, such as China, have formed a special firewall to ban and control websites, particularly which contain undesirable content [See the Internet Gatekeepers – China].
== References ==
Bruemmer, P. (2000) "Search Engine Models of the Future," retrieved October 11, 2004, from www.clickz.com
Hartley, J. (2001) Communication, Cultural and Media Studies: the Key Concepts, London: Routledge. 0-415-26889-3
Hirsen, J (no year) "Government Gatekeepers Come after the Internet," retrieved October 26, 2004, [from http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/Hirsen-internet8-99.html/ www.crossroad.to]
Krol, C. (2004) "Is Local Search Really the 'Next Big Thing'?," B to B, vol. 89, no. 4, retrieved October 16, 2004, from Proquest Online Database
Lamb, G (2004) "The New Gatekeepers," retrieved October 11, 2004, from www.keywordranking.com
Rifkin, J. (2001) The Age of Access: How the Shift from Ownership to Access is Transforming Modern Life, The United States of America: Penguin Books. 0-14-029547-X
Verisign (2004) "Gatekeeper: Customs Digital Certificates," retrieved October 26, 2004, from www.verisign.com.au
== Other topics on Cultural Imperialism and the Internet ==
The Internet Gatekeepers - China
Cultural Globalisation
American Domination on the Internet
Online Advertising
== Related Links ==
Tifani Wiyanto 09:46, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
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