Recent worldwide convergence of telecommunication and information technologies and dynamic development of mass media lead to noticeable changes in functioning of contemporary countries and societies. Currently, modern information and telecommunication technologies (ICT) begin to play greater role and filter down to almost every field of contemporary human life becoming a very popular subject of researches. Information revolution, that is a rapid technological development, within the scope of computers, communication processes and so" ware (involving substantial decrease in the costs of processing and sharing information), is the driving force behind globalisation. As a result, many social spheres of men remain greatly influenced by modern technologies. Easy access to information (being a consequence of development of the Internet, television and mobile communications) affects millions of people in the world, and also changes rules of social life in a broader perspective. Increasingly greater social impact of telecommunication and information technologies and growing political importance of the Internet (as a form of ICT) seem to be vital arguments that substantiate the usefulness of this study. The aim was to answer question about influence of the Internet on political life, and thus its application into contemporary democracies. Answers to the above questions should be backed up with data concerning the usage of ICT (mostly the Internet) in various political processes. The further analysis include three phenomena: informing, communicating and voting. 

The article serves as a summary of one of the parts of the research carried out under the NP-2550 grant in the Department of Education and Media in Education of the Faculty of Pedagogical Sciences at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The presented analyses concern the application of modern educational tools in the process of education. The work includes a discussion of the frequency, as well as ways, of using ICT devices by early education teachers. It shows the relationship between the presence of modern computer tools in the teaching process and the constructive-cognitive character of activities undertaken in the classroom. The research referred to was carried out among 148 teachers in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province. The analyses presented to the reader are mainly based on the quantitative data obtained on the basis of: knowledge and skills tests, observation, as well as surveys. The research material was supplemented with qualitative data obtained through the conducted interviews.

The study maps cyber-aggressors in elementary and secondary schools, with regard to an analysis of cyber-bullying forms. The aim of the presented empirical research was to identify pupils in the research sample who had committed repeated aggressive behaviour towards another person via the Internet, as well as to find out significant differences in individual cyber-bullying forms by gender and attended school forms. The research sample consisted of 390 pupils of elementary schools and 541 pupils of secondary schools. Empirical data were collected with the use of the questionnaire method. 96 cyber-aggressors were identified in the research sample. They were pupils who ticked one or more statements relating to cyber-bullying forms, admitting that they had repeatedly used them. It was found out that the most frequent cyber-bullying form was insults, threats and name-calling in online communication, thus the so-called flaming

Student personal data and image protection at school – legal aspects
The personal data of students are very important, and their protection from the point of view of the good of the child and the proper functioning of the institution is important. The main legal act that regulates it is the law on the protection of personal data. Teachers’ awareness of the knowledge of the above-mentioned Act and its application and the consequences of its violations is important.

The impact of the development of Internet technology on the social life. Real space vs Cyberspace
This article touches the subject of the Internet as a medium based on contrasts and reproducting oppositions. Dualisms are shown in terms of social space, communication, interpersonal relationships and identity. The two worlds are put in contrast: the real world and the virtual one, and the issues and the relations between them are pointed out. The article also describes the impact of Internet technology on communication. It types for the traditional communication and the Internet communication and points to the fundamental aspect of differentiating between them from the way the message is communicated. The paper also highlights the issue of interpersonal relations and the transformations they have undergone after the spread of the Internet. Relationships are classified as offline and online. Both types are described, and the way they are intertwined in social life. Both positive and negative characteristics of online relationships are indicated. The last issue addressed in the article is the identity gap. It is shown from the real and virtual world perspective.

Internet, media społecznościowe, atrakcyjność przekazu i udział w wyborach – zależności i prognozy na przyszłość
Coraz bardziej powszechny dostęp do internetu wpłynął na rozwój nowych form komunikowania i – jak by się mogło wydawać – doprowadził do sytuacji, w której znalezienie pożądanych informacji nie wymaga skomplikowanych zabiegów. Zgodnie z teorią gratyfikacji korzystanie z mediów daje odbiorcom korzyści. Zaspakaja potrzeby, przy czym odbiorcy nowych mediów deklarują, że jedną z takich potrzeb jest uczestniczenie w życiu społeczno-politycznym. A że trudno o bardziej konkretny przejaw owego uczestnictwa niż oddawanie głosu w wyborach, to celem opracowania jest dociekanie, czy korzystanie z internetu przekłada się w sposób dodatni na partycypację wyborczą. Czy w państwach, w których szczególnie młodzi ludzie deklarują, że internet jest dobrym miejscem do wykazywania swojej aktywności społeczno-politycznej, wyrażania poglądów i aktywizowania się, rzeczywiście widoczny jest wzrost partycypacji wyborczej? Wyniki analizy, która może się stać przyczynkiem do dalszych badań, dowodzą, że państwa europejskie generalnie przeżywają spadek zainteresowania obywateli udziałem w głosowaniu do organów przedstawicielskich, jakimi są parlamenty państw. Wartością podstawową niniejszego opracowania jest zwrócenie uwagi na fakt, że dostęp i dywersyfikowanie przekazywanych społeczeństwu komunikatów i dbanie o ich atrakcyjną formę, bo to umożliwiają nowe media, nie przekłada się na wzrost zainteresowania działaniem w sferze politycznej. Być może działania państw powinny być dwutorowe i obejmować edukowanie społeczeństwa w zakresie praw i obowiązków obywateli oraz wzbogacanie wiedzy decydentów politycznych na temat zasad komunikowania politycznego przy wykorzystaniu możliwości, jakie dają nowe media.

Audience of the media and elicitation potencial of Internet
The article discusses a problem about audience of old and new media. At the beginning of text author mentions each epoch in the history of human thought, ending its consideration of the time of post-post modernism, in which an integral part of human life is, in her opinion, the computer. Then goes on to present two different trends recognizing the public media. One associated with the hypothesis of the spiral of silence by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann and the other based on a spiral barking and clamor proposed by Stanislaw Ignacy Fiut. In the next part of the work takes the issue of ways to receive media information and identifies specific concepts of audience. A key part of the article is the section on public opinion of old and new media, in which the author shows both the differences and similarities that occur between users different media types.

Homo sapiens in information society
Abstract: This publication discusses the problem of the origin of informationbased society and the impact of its most important processes on human life. The author in her work shows how commercialization, and above all “McDonaldization” and consumerism changed the picture of modern human individual, and of society as a whole. Her discussion starts by individual epochs in human history, ending at the stage of the invention of the computer, and then the popularization of the Internet. In the first passage the publication introduces the reader to the world of information- based society by providing its origins and development. Then, it directs attention toward the processes inherent to a society based on information, focusing mainly on consumerism and commercialization and their impact on contemporary media. The author connects the concept of consumerism with the culture of digital narcissism and indicates its’ impact on today’s youth.

The domination of new technologies in the lives of children and the youth leads to its consideration in the context of threats and a potential negative influence on adolescents’ functioning. Considering various threats occurring in the virtual space, first of all it is indicated that the Internet, due to apparent anonymity, is often the space of mutual aggression, mocking and attempts to discredit other net users. The presented study refers to the analysis of behaviours being a demonstration of cyberbullying. The research was conducted in conformity with the quantity-quality paradigm. It involved a method of diagnostic survey using the technique of a questionnaire and documents analysis. As the conducted study showed, cyberbullying is a phenomenon which often occurs among contemporary teenagers. The examined persons were most often victims or witnesses of verbal aggression in the net.

Serwisy społecznościowe jako narzędzia promocji w społeczeństwie informacyjnym
Celem artykułu jest zapoznanie z rozwojem Internetu jako narzędzia komunikacji i promocji oraz public relations we współczesnym społeczeństwie globalnym. Udział kanałów elektronicznych w komunikacji interpersonalnej stale rośnie, stając się dominującym sposobem komunikacji medialnej na świecie. Nie oznacza to, że będzie to jedyny sposób komunikacji, ale należy zauważyć, że będzie on dominujący. W artykule podjęto próbę przybliżenia kwestii rozwoju nowych mediów pod względem statystycznym i ilościowym, ale także ze względu na demografię i lokalizację geograficzną użytkowników. Pokazano struktury i możliwości oraz potencjalne sposoby rozwoju mediów w przyszłości. Statystyki pochodzą z centrów badawczych głównie ze Stanów Zjednoczonych Ameryki. Analiza obejmuje ogólne zagadnienia mediów społecznościowych, w szczególności portale społecznościowe i ich skalę oddziaływania na społeczeństwo globalne. Należy zauważyć, że zmieniło się podejście przedsiębiorstw do społeczeństwa. Dzięki lepszym danym, bardziej szczegółowym parametrom reklamowym i rosnącej bazie użytkowników, media społeczne są jednym ze sposobów inwestowania. Adaptacja mediów społecznościowych przez osoby starsze stale rośnie, co oznacza, że więcej firm może odnieść korzyści z reklam bezpośrednio związanych z tą grupą.

Using of new media in academic education

The dynamics of social change also forces changes in education. New media play a very important role in the education process. Nowadays, didacticians are more and more willing to use didactic means served to them by the development of modern technologies. This form of conducting classes is making classes more attractive and activating students. In this article, PhD students indicate which applications and e-learning platforms use during conducting classes and describe what is important for the effectiveness of the teaching process. The article present’s research among a group of PhD students. Selected electronic aids selected by PhD students have been characterized. The author pays attention to on need to improve digital literacy among academic educators and the need to adapt academic education, which would be a response to the needs of a digital student.

Through a qualitative research carried out in South-East Italy with twelve Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC) this paper attempts to explore their relation with the Internet and digital media. Findings reveal that digital tools facilitate communication and socialization and allow UASC to maintain relationships with social networks in their countries of origin as well as expand their networks in the country of residence within the migrant community. Digital media enhance access to information and leisure activities. Even if UASC recognize some risks of being online similar to those European adolescents face, it emerges that overall the Internet and digital media contribute to their wellbeing. They have the power to boost resilience vis-à-vis the challenges UASC face in their lives: being alone, in a new country, often institutionalized and without the support of a trustworthy adult figure.

The issue of intellectual property protection on the global information network the Internet has recently become a matter of serious concern on the part of rights holders. Copyright, which arose with the invention of book printing in medieval Europe, was originally planned and understood as an institution of exclusive author’s monopoly on the production of material copies of works. In fact, it is in this context that the concept of copyright existed until the XXI century. On the eve of the new millennium, the emergence of an unprecedented phenomenon for its time - the World Wide Web, has significantly shaken traditional views on the concept of copyright and the limits of its regulation.
The effectiveness of the copyright approach to the protection of the legitimate interests of right holders was questioned as early as 1845 by the American judge in the case of Emerson V. Davies. In his opinion, the exclusive rights to the results of creative activity are inadmissible, given that these results themselves are the result of thoughts, ideas, images that were created and repeatedly used by other people.
Indeed, creativity is impossible without attracting or borrowing from the “intellectual treasury” of civilization. With the development of modern information technology, such borrowing has become available to anyone with an Internet connection. With the proliferation of computer programs that allow you to record music, create images, animation, creativity is no longer an elite activity available only to the select few.

Postępująca mediatyzacja polityki i uzależnienie działań politycznych oraz ich efektów od sposobu i zakresu relacjonowania przez media daje dziennikarzom olbrzymią władzę: co prawda to nie oni podejmują decyzję, ale to oni ustalają na jaki temat odbywa się publiczna debata. To media wprowadzają tematy do publicznego obiegu i to mogą skazać na polityczny niebyt niechciane czy niemodne tematy, a wraz z nimi polityków.

Election silence is a legally determined period that typically begins directly before Election Day and lasts until the voting comes to an end. During the election silence, it is forbidden to conduct “any form of electoral agitation aimed at promoting a particular candidate, list of candidates or electoral committees participating in the election among voters”. Due to the rapid development of new media, particularly the Internet, many experts argue that in the age of digital media it is no longer enforceable. Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to answer the question of whether or not it is justified to retain the current regulations on election silence. These considerations are supported by quantitative surveys conducted by the author, as well as the survey realized by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS).

Wulgaryzmy, nazywane w języku polskiego prawa słowami nieprzyzwoitymi, występują w procesie komunikowania politycznego. Polega ono na dwustronnym przepływie komunikatów politycznych pomiędzy nadawcami i odbiorcami z udziałem mediów. Wulgaryzmy są jednostkami leksykalnymi, które w przestrzeni publicznej mogą zaistnieć dzięki mediom, ale to Internet jest tym podmiotem, który je utrwala. Zweryfi kowanie tej hipotezy jest celem artykułu. Wulgaryzmy pełnią liczne funkcje w procesie komunikowania politycznego. Najważniejsze z nich to: dyskredytacyjna, eskapistyczna, katharsis, deskrypcyjna, rozrywkowa, prowokacyjna, a także – w znaczeniu symbolicznym – reprezentacji, integracyjna, delimitacyjna, mobilizująca.

The present article concerns the issue of transferring practices typical for the Internet hypertext onto the ground of TV media. Evolution of TV transfer is characterized by increasing tendency to “downlink” other places in the info-sphere, placing references to numerous previews, pointing out other sources. All this contributes to the fact that TV may be perceived as next - apart from the Internet - medium of network nature. A substantial part in this process is played by the celebrities, who constitute a kind of core, around which all remaining elements of medial network are arranged. However, the process of “networking” TV is far more than purely marketing strategy of creating the most attractive message possible. It constitutes the reflection of the way human brain works, which prefers the analysis of cut and separated, out-of-context messages to longer and more subtle ones.

Information and communication technologies impact many aspects of the contemporary political life. A consequence of the use of ICT in politics is undoubtedly the evolution of democratic institutions and procedures. Modern technologies find their application as tools for exercising democratic power. This is why their importance is constantly increasing. The changes that follow application of ICT and their consequences are especially interesting subject to study and research. This article aims at answering the question how modern technologies (mainly the Internet) affect the processes of contemporary democracy and what might be the consequences of such changes. The deliberations shall concern the context of political market, where three processes between three main actors (politicians/political institutions, electorate, and the media) occur: informing, communicating, and voting. ICT influence these processes by quickening supplementing, and facilitating three various types of activities: sharing information, involvement in the political debate, and participation in the political decisionmaking processes. In the article, the author also pays attention to election silence as a phenomena functioning in the background of elections (which are a very significant element of the political market). Examples provided in the article come mainly from the practises and experiences of the Polish political life.

Social capital is considered from at least several viewpoints – as trust, institutions acting as mediators between the state and the individual, and a network of the individual’s relationships. In the third approach, it can be also called the individual social capital. In the discussed research, it was measured using the resource generator based on the concept of T.Snijders. The research carried out among 369 respondents aged 18 – 34, who were also Internet users and had at least secondary education, allowed to diagnose the level of their individual social capital and identify diversifying factors. Primarily, the analysis revealed that greater Internet experience and its more intensive use are linked with a higher level of individual social capital. These factors had more importance than sociodemographic characteristics – age, sex or the level of education.

Digital crowd – characteristics of the phenomenon

The purpose of this article is to describe the phenomenon of the digital crowd, which is a phenomenon specific to the functioning of political debate on the Internet (with particular emphasis on social media). Referring to the concept of Le Bon and Girard, it presents the behavior of the digital crowd and its importance for the development of public debate in the area of mass communication such as the Internet.