17 of the Digital Society glossary’s terms, each with the part of the syllabus where you first meet it.
A glass tube from which air has been removed, used in early electronic computers as a switch or amplifier; tubes were large, used a lot of power, gave off heat and often failed.
An approach to designing technology, developed by Batya Friedman and colleagues, that identifies the human values at stake and the direct and indirect stakeholders from the start, and builds support for those values into the system through conceptual, empirical and technical investigations.
Beliefs held by a person or group about what is important, desirable or worth protecting, such as privacy, safety, equality or freedom, which guide their choices and judgements. Values can be personal, shared by a group, collective across a society, or professional.
A named storage place in an algorithm or program for a value that can change while it runs, such as a running total or the highest score so far.
The many types and formats of data in big data, structured and unstructured, drawn from many different sources.
The speed at which big data is generated and must be processed, often in real time.
The degree to which big data is accurate, complete and trustworthy; because it comes from many uncontrolled sources, its veracity is often uncertain.
A software agent, such as Siri or Alexa, that interprets voice or text commands and performs tasks or services for a user, often controlling other connected devices.
An exhibition of artworks, objects or documents presented through a digital system, such as a website, 360-degree tour or virtual reality space, which visitors can explore remotely.
A service that creates an encrypted connection between a device and a remote server across the internet, so that traffic is hidden from the local network and the user's IP address is hidden from the sites visited.
Technology that replaces the user's view of the real world with a fully computer-generated environment, usually seen through a headset that tracks head movement.
A space generated by digital systems in which people can interact, communicate or act, such as a platform, an online game or a virtual reality environment.
An ethical framework, going back to Aristotle, that focuses on the character of the person acting, holding that the right action is what a person of good character, with virtues such as honesty and compassion, would do.
A video blog: a series of videos, usually on a platform such as YouTube, in which a creator speaks to the camera about their life, opinions or interests.
A podcast published as a series of video episodes, which viewers can stream or download and subscribe to, rather than audio alone.
Technology that carries voice calls as data packets over the internet rather than through the traditional telephone network.
The very large amount of data in big data, measured in terabytes, petabytes or more.