Many of us already know- and may be currently using- this internet browser called Mozilla Firefox. It’s very popular and it allows the user much freedom in customization. Examples as such, include tools and add-ons which gives the user many different options and flexibility when surfing the web, making Firefox such a widespread free internet browser.
Of course, the internet has become one of the largest factors in the advancement of today’s communicative abilities, and Firefox- among other browsers- has opened up the gateway for the transfer of intellectual thoughts via electronic wavelengths. Thus, the importance of a browser such as Mozilla is essential to mention when it comes to computer mediated communication because it has helped greatly in the playing field. But the perks about using Firefox are the functions of add-ons. Ranging from being able to download videos off of YouTube to blocking ads and banners, add-ons have become very useful tools. In terms of computer mediated communication, the difference between this tool within Firefox and many others is that normal tools allow communication between people, whereas the add-ons help to improve the efficiency of those communicative properties. The add-ons serve not as a tool to connect to people, but to enhance the ability to do so already. “VideoSurf Videos at a Glance” is an example of an application that gives the user the capabilities of getting visual summaries of videos before clicking on the actual video link. This works with popular sites such as YouTube, Google, Twitter, and more so it is quite compatible. The purpose of this add-on allows people to decide more clearly- and instead of wasting time- on which video to watch. Then we have “Adblock Plus” which, as the name intends, gets rid of those pesky ads and banners which slow down page loading times. Once again, the add-on’s job is to make things run quicker and smoother, and more concise.
As a tool within Firefox, we can, technically, call the add-ons web 1.0, 2.0, and/or 3.0 depending on the tool it is working with. For example, a simple webpage categorized as a 1.0 can work with “adblock plus” by eliminating ads on the side column, and YouTube, being a web 3.0, can use “VideoSurf Videos at a Glance” to preview each video clip uploaded. The versatility of these add-ons are seemingly endless. And because this tool is very specific, since it is only applicable to Firefox, the tool is less user-friendly in a sense. This seems like a contradictory point since the main ideas for the add-ons are security, easier access, and efficiency, but using such a tool requires a deeper knowledge about computers. The add-ons do offer basic applications for the general public of course like the pop-up blocker, weather widgets, background changes, and, other various things, but then there are other “extensions”, as they also call it, which require more experience in computers to use such as technical programs that allow users to edit, and not limited to html, SSR, scripts, and advanced proxy managements.
The affordances of add-ons are really unlimited. There are a vast amount of things to download to help make Firefox a more pleasurable, resourceful experience, while augmenting the communication levels of the internet.
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