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Technology
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Digital Cameras
What
is a Digital Camera?
A
digital camera behaves like a typical camera except that
it captures images using an electronic imaging sensor instead
of film. The image is then stored in memory, or on some
type of media like a memory chip or media card. Because
the image is stored in the same way as computer data, in
ones and zeros, it has tremendous flexibility in distribution
and reproduction. Digital images can be viewed on a computer
screen, a PDA screen, a cell phone display or printed out
on paper. Some special types of papers allow the image to
be transferred, after printing, on to other objects such
as tee shirts. Digital images can be manipulated and altered
with common software. Images can be distributed in all of
the ways that data is distributed: email, floppy disks,
USB Flash Drives (memory sticks), CD's, DVD's, and file
sharing.
Digital
camera capabilities are also found in cell phones and PDA's
using a camera attachment. Web cams (cameras) are connected
directly to the computer and can generate streaming video.
Digital
imaging has sped up the sharing of images. No longer is
it necessary to capture an image on film and then have it
processed in order to view the image.
Dangers:
The
easy generation, distribution and alteration of images makes
it easy for some individuals to participate in cyberbullying.
One tactic in cyberbullying is to take unflattering images
of someone, and post them online for others to comment on
in order to embarrass or humiliate the person. Often the
image is altered, or morphed, to make it more embarrassing
or humiliating. Image morphing uses special software to
take parts of two different images and merge them into one
image, i.e. putting the head of a horse on a dog's body.
The
relative ease in distribution of images makes it very easy
for inappropriate images (sexually explicit, violent and
hateful) to be shared. Predators often use graphic images
with their victims, gradually escalating the degree of sexual
explicitness. Web cams are quite popular in the pornography
world.
