Life in the Network

We are the Internet. Just as the Time Magazine cover proclaimed that we were the person of the year, we the contributors of content to the Internet are the Internet. Granted, prior to this course I had not contributed anything to the Internet and I don’t know if I will contribute again. However, I would like to know that if I do choose to contribute to the Internet again in the future that there will still be a neutral Internet upon which I may express my freedom of speech and share my opinions with others and that they may freely share their opinions with me.

In my opinion, if the Internet were tolled and no longer neutral (Moby) it would be a terrific loss to humanity and to human communication. An Internet governed by big business would be as bad as an Internet governed by any government itself. Censorship in any form, from the direct censorship by a government to the by-product censorship of individuals that will no longer be able to afford to broadcast on the Internet because of high user fees would still be censorship.

I personally didn’t like a lot of the Internet we were exposed to through this course. Prior to this course I hadn’t thought much about the Internet. I have learned a lot about cyberliteracy and I think I am more Internet aware. After all of these years I have finally thought critically about the Internet and Internet communications. But I am glad it’s there. From all of awful videos on YouTube to the Burger King Chicken. I will not think about the Internet the same way I did prior to this course again.

I think that Internet neutrality needs to be preserved. The freedom of expression that everyone enjoys on the Internet is very precious. We may not all like or agree with a lot of what we discover on the Internet. But I think it is as precious as freedom of speech itself.