Recapping the internet through the words of others

While I have learned a lot about the internet and its effect on the public sphere through this blog and through my communications undergrad, many people have put more eloquently what I am trying to say. Because this is potentially my last blog post before the end of the semester, or at least a few days as I need to focus on essays and such, I will leave you with some quotes that present hope of the blogosphere, as well just worth reading because…

"Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders." Ronald Reagan

"This victory is in large part due to the Internet... For the first time, a coalition of NGOs has had an influence on the security of the entire world without being a superpower." Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Winner

"A candidate who can master the Internet will not only level the playing field; he will level the opposition." RightClick Strategies' Larry Purpuro

"The Internet has become the main strategic communications tool behind the scenes in politics. It is not a medium to sway undecided voters. It is a medium to organize your supporters, feed them your message and get out your core vote. It may have an impact on new and less frequent voters some day, but that seems a long way off. No candidate that I am aware of has ever won because of the Internet." Steve Clift, Democracy Online………..This is no longer true!

"The communications revolution is changing how people interact with one another, how organizations engage their constituencies, how we access information. It also makes possible a collective I.Q. where thousands of people can be connected to focus on an issue." Morino Institute

The modern campaign headquarters...has an annex open any hour of the day or night, at an address starting with www. New York Times, 10/19/99.

Hope you enjoyed

Facebook and Privacy.....A threat to the public sphere?

Recently there has been a lot of controversy arising around facebook. While there have been many criticisms about what is posted, who can see it etc. I think the largest problem is of privacy. Whether we realize it or not, Facebook contains a lot of fairly personal information about whom we are. Aside from what we choose to tell people, which may include phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses, birthdays, friends, interests and much else, people can essentially tap into our lives through pictures, videos and conversations with others. While much of what is on facebook is accurate, I worry that what people see is a small glimpse of a person and may be mistaken for an accurate depiction. Personally I can attest to the fact that the judgments people make after looking at my facebook page are inaccurate. The idea that employers are now looking at facebook pages also scares me. I do not believe employers should legally be allowed to critique or judge someone’s behaviors outside of work, provided they are not shattering laws, if it is not effecting their ability to perform the duties of their job.
More importantly I believe that privacy online, or at least anonymity is very crucial to the political success of the internet. People should be free to say what they want without fearing undo repercussions. The ability for the blogosphere to contribute to the public sphere I strengthened based on people being equal outside of the internet. In this sense prejudice of all kinds are eliminated based on erroneous external factors. Racism, sexism and other common problems are avoided based on the fact that people only know what you let them know. Our reputations are built online, separate from the rest of our lives. This is very important and hopefully will remain part of the blogosphere.