Skype: Advantages and Disadvantages

• Introduction-

Technology is constantly changing and improving the every day lives of many individuals. Discoveries and inventions make daily life easier in many aspects, such as at home, at the workplace, and in social settings. A new development to information technology that has many benefits is the webcam, particularly Skype. According to Steinberg (2008), a webcam is “a real time camera whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or PC video calling applications” (p 218). A webcam is a small camera, usually a video camera. It is made out of a lens, image sensor, and other support electronics. Most cameras have built in microphones for video conferencing opportunities (History Webcams).

The webcam has many realistic uses to simply life for many individuals, and is used in professional settings and social situations. One major use is for video conferencing; group discussion including video. Socially, webcams connect family and friends all over the world. Skype is one of the most popular online inventions helping with the communication of businesses, family, and friends. (Steinberg, 2008, p. 218).

• Background-

The webcam was first introduced in 2001 at Cambridge University. The CoffeeCam (the original name) pointed at the coffee maker in the Trojan Room of the computer science department of the college. The idea behind this camera was to save employees’ time and energy when eager for coffee. Instead of having to walk all the way to the break room to see if the coffee was ready, the camera displayed the picture of how full the pot was on all the employees’ computer screens (Coffee Cam).

Skype was first introduced in 2003 in Luxemburg to connect distant friends and family members. Before this invention, people in long distance relationships or employees in different locations could communicate via the phone by calling or texting, or by email, or sending letters. These methods were fine as far as keeping in touch, however they were not as effective as personal, face-to-face communication. Skype was able to bring communication to another level through the use of webcams. This program is constantly being used all around the world, and at peak times there are 30 million users online (About Skype).  In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for 8.5 billion dollars, making Skype a division of Microsoft. With the joining of these two powerful companies, Microsoft believes that Skype will ultimately be the choice of communication for billions of people daily (Skype).

• Potential Benefits-

            There are many benefits that stem from the development of Skype. First of all, there are many social benefits. Family members and friends often live far from each other, whether it’s a child away at college or friends who live in different cities. Often people are forced to go many months without seeing their loved ones, and Skype changes this. Parents can skype with their children while at college, and really get a feel for the atmosphere in which they live. Young adults can easily show off their residences to their friends by use of this application. Living far from family members can be difficult, but making a video call to a loved one and seeing their face live, can relieve the stress.

            Businesses also thrive from the use of Skype. It allows people to work from the home, but still communicate with their co-workers. Skype has many helpful features including group video calling. This saves a lot of travel time and money for companies, yet still allows people to communicate in a face-to-face setting. This is especially useful when dealing with international customers, costly flights and long travel times. Another advantage to communication over the webcam versus the phone is that it allows employers to get a visual feel for body language and expressions that could not be picked up otherwise.  In 2010, Skype’s international air traffic increased by 39 billion minutes (Business Phone Systems). Skype makes it much easier for family and friends to reconnect, customers and businesses to hold meetings and conferences, and saves an enormous amount of money and time.

• Legal Issues-

            There area few legal issues dealing with Skype, and one has to do with the new purchase of Skype by Microsoft. Microsoft has recently developed Legal Intercept, which they intend to get patented in order to let them record and observe Skype sessions. Microsoft claims that they submitted this patent long before the purchase of Skype, but many people are uneasy with this. Users feel that Microsoft having recordings of their sessions is an invasion of privacy, and people are unsure of what Microsoft will do with this information (Microsoft Patents).

• Security Concerns-

            There are some additional concerns surrounding the security of Skype. First, Skype uses full names as user names, which could potentially make it easy for someone to impersonate a user. Also, the Skype website where one downloads the application does not utilize virus protection to prevent unapproved stealing of private downloads. This could lead to an individual trying to download the application, but instead getting a version of Skype infected with viruses (Privacy).

• Social Problems-

            Skype could have similar social problems that occur from comparable means of communication, such as texting or instant messaging. Although there is a video calling feature, there is also the option to chat through instant messaging. People may send a message in that textbox that they would not normally say to any individuals’ face. Not speaking face to face with a person allows users to send harmful messages that they might otherwise think twice about. Thankfully, the video calling aspect of this program should limit this behavior (Privacy).

• Conclusion-

            The technological development of Skype has changed the daily lives of everyday folks in many great ways. Originally invented to help with the laziness of business workers, webcams were invented years ago and continue to improve for the better. Skype allows loved ones to connect in long distant situations, and helps companies communicate in group conferences from different places. This application also saves businesses a lot of travel time and money. There are a few legal and security concerns, all of which are controversial but should be addressed by the new owner, Microsoft. In conclusion, the continually growing technological world and creation of Skype has affected millions of peoples’ lives in many positive ways.

CITATIONS

About Skype: What is Skype? (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://about.skype.com/

This website is a valid source of information because it is the official website for Skype and explains all the features and characteristics of this development.  This source gave me background information and helped me learn the basics of this technology.

Business Phone Systems - Skype for Business - Skype. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/business/

This is a valid source of information because it was collected from the official Skype website. It explains the  many great benefits that Skype has with businesses, creating convenience and saving many for all companies.

Coffee Cam - Technology Review. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.technologyreview.com/web/12451/

             This website is a valid source of information because it was accessed from a Technology Review, published by MIT. It explains how the webcam was originally used, and came to its use today.

History Webcam. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.blogwebcam.com/history-webcam-2/

The history webcam website is a valid source of information that also describes the original use for the webcam. It also describes how the webcam is composed and how it’s parts work together to produce it’s features, such as video calling.

Microsoft Patents “Legal Intercept” Technology, Will Skype Have A Backdoor? — TheTelecomBlog.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.thetelecomblog.com/2011/06/29/microsoft-patents-legal-intercept-technology-will-skype-have-a-backdoor/

This blog is a valid source of information because author Gaurav Kheterpa explains the potential legal issues surrounding the new maintenance of Skype by Microsoft. The article explains what could possibly happen, and how users may react in negative ways.

Privacy group raises concerns over Skype - SC Magazine. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.scmagazine.com/privacy-group-raises-concerns-over-skype/article/198572/

This magazine article was retrieved from the SC magazine website and is useful because author Angela Moscaritolo gives the readers an inside to potential security concerns revolving around Skype. It shows the potential harm of this device, that users may not consider at first.

Skype - The Big Blog - Tony Bates Weighs in on Microsoft’s Acquisition of Skype. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://blogs.skype.com/en/2011/10/acquisitionclose.html

         This website is a valid source of information because it is also retrieved from the official Skype website. It was useful explaining the acquisition of Skype by Microsoft, and the direction this technology is heading in.

Steinberg, Geoffrey. Introduction To Computer Information Systems. Kendall Hunt Pub, 2008. Print.

                          This is a valid source of information because it is the IT class textbook. It provides readers with information about the multiple uses of webcams, from social to professional settings. It explains the versatility of this new technology.