The Internet. Some say its a “series of tubes,” or the “information superhighway.” It’s how communicate with others around the world at light speeds, how we can learn from the billions of pages of information, even how we find entertainment and express ourselves creatively.
For some, its those reasons, but the increasing trend in the United States and abroad is that the Internet is simply becoming a major part, if not one of the most significant parts of your everyday life. With the rise of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, using the Internet becomes a part of the average person’s daily routine, along with other tasks such as showering and going to school/work.
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One of the issues that has recently come to the forefront of discussion is the right to freedom of speech on the Internet. Before, the fact that anyone can be anonymous on a website or forum made way for flame wars and general bashing, because the user wasn’t accountable for their words. However, recently websites are pushing more for registration, giving benefits to those who do, or restricting them from the website completely if they do not register. This allows users to be accountable for their words, and will mentally affect how they “speak” on the Internet, because their words will represent them.
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If the Internet were to be regulated by some sort of committee/board/organization, it would seriously affect free speech on the Internet. The mental effect that being accountable for your words on the Internet would force people to mediate their speech, and people would start editing their words before they posted something. It also brings up the question about the consequences that could be issued: fines, limit/cutoff Internet access, etc.
It’s a new, unknown medium of communication and information. Freedom of speech is just one of the many questions that needs to be answered in the coming years.
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