How closely do we want to have virtual worlds mirror the real world?
That's the driving question behind Siva Vaidhyanathan's book.
Vaidhyanathan offers many examples in our lives where the battle between total control of information and total freedom of information exist. Some of those examples are probably quite familiar to you, like downloading music or videos. Others probably are not, but should be equally important issues in your future.
Now that you've read Vaidhyanathan's book (and I hope you did because topics from the book should show up in your next paper...), pick three examples he presents in the book and discuss whether those examples should be regulated (controlled) more closely or left to total freedom...and explain why you think your position is the correct one.
The cross talk was nice on the last post. Let's keep that up...and perhaps include more of you.
Vaidhyanathan offers many examples in our lives where the battle between total control of information and total freedom of information exist. Some of those examples are probably quite familiar to you, like downloading music or videos. Others probably are not, but should be equally important issues in your future.
Now that you've read Vaidhyanathan's book (and I hope you did because topics from the book should show up in your next paper...), pick three examples he presents in the book and discuss whether those examples should be regulated (controlled) more closely or left to total freedom...and explain why you think your position is the correct one.
The cross talk was nice on the last post. Let's keep that up...and perhaps include more of you.
posted by Diane Penrod at 3/27/2005
2 Comments:
Vaidhyanathan offers some brilliant insight to the real world and the virtual world. Personally I think there should be more government control of where the internet is used and what it is used for. In truth, what do we really need the internet for? Trillions of people survived without it year before our time, so I am of the mindset that we do not deserve such brilliant technology, therefore we must treat it respectivly. In my opinion, the internet should be used for only three things. 1. Research, as in for school, work, etc. 2. Email, faster communication with friends and family. 3. Shopping, for those who cannot get out as often, so people can shop at places that are beyond their driving range. Those three angles cover a great deal of territory.
Personally, I never cared much about people downloading music illegally. I think that if I was a musician it might bug me, but really those musicians should have no complaints because they already are making billions of dollars off of the stupid "job" they have.
I really think that things that are to be done with libraries, science and movie industries really are just going to happen because of either greater increase of technology (everyone wants the newer better thing) or because of abuse of technology. This is another reason why I think the government needs to have a little bit more of a handle upon technology that they introduce. People either use it so much that they have let the technology control them rather then controlling the technology, or people abuse the technology they have by doing wrong things with it.
Kelly Batten said...
I personally download music all the time. I feel that CDs are extremely expensive and I know a lot of people in bands that tell their fans to download music. Through touring and selling merch they are still able to make money. I am able to hear so much more this way because if I hear of a new band I can check them out without wasting my money incase I don't like them.
I feel that copyright laws are very important but there are many people out there that are taking advantage and not getting penalized for it like they should be.
The fact that there is so much information on the internet can be very dangerous. You can learn how to do anything (like make a bomb) and that information is open freely to anyone who want to read it. There are ways to track who is looking at the information, but it doesn't mean that person can't go into an internet cafe and look it up there without being tracked. I feel that we should have rights to our privacy but in this day of age (especially after 9/11) there are many risks to giving that right to all people.
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