We have addressed how the internet and politics affect one another in many different ways during this quarter. Though we have highlighted many areas of concern we have also discussed many methods used to improve the way government works, organizations grow and thrive, and individual citizens improve their voice within our democracy. One theme we have constantly touched on is how much has changed over time. Consider the following:
2 months ago: you started this class
4 months ago: Obama reelected
5 months ago: Facebook tops 1 billion users
2 years ago: Arab Spring spreads, Occupy movement
3 years ago FCC Open Internet Ruling
4 years ago: Green Revolution in Iran, TEA Party movement begins, Google starts personalizing searches
5 years ago: Obama elected with most innovative web based campaign in history
7 years ago: most people had never heard of Barack Obama, Twitter begins
8 years ago: YouTube and flickr
9 years ago: Howard Dean presidential campaign
10 years ago: Facebook starts (for college students only for a few years)
11 years ago friendster
12 years ago: wikipedia
13 years ago: innovative uses of campaigning online
15 years ago: MoveOn.org started, also this thing called Google
19 years ago: Clinton launches first White House website
20 years ago: Web browsers were invented ushering in the modern web
24 years ago: Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web (and HTML)
27 years ago: Internet begins to transition to commercial system
44 years ago: ARPANET established linking four universities
46 years ago: packet switching proposed by Lawrence Roberts
51 years ago: Licklider begins investigating computer networking
53 years ago: first televised debate - JFK vs. Nixon
60 years ago: television becoming commonplace across America
80 years ago: fireside chats begin
88 years ago: radios enter homes in record numbers
94 year ago: Woodrow Wilson was the first president broadcast on the radio
100 years ago: all mass media was still in print
237 years ago Common Sense was published and sold over 100,000 copies - most in American history
563 years ago: The printing press was invented
The point: much has changed, and often in a short period of time. For an ongoing look into constant news you might want to follow Techpresident.com, the best place on the web for this type of news. Looking forward what do you predict will be the most important ways that the internet and new media will impact politics (and vice versa) five, 10, or even 20 years from now? What can and should be done to help make these changes as positive as possible?
I LOVE this question! I have some crazy opinions about this:
ReplyDeleteI think at first the internet is going to become more involved in politics, as we’ve already begun to see but to a greater extent. As internet takes over radio and television and print news, it will become our main source for all that we need (this is already happening) especially with more widespread use as it becomes more accessible to more people in more places, and more mobile as well.
Then our own specific interaction with the government will change. We will go beyond the “We The People” site, emailing petitions, organizing political events, etc. The government has already begun posting current Bills online, but we’ll begin to give our opinions on them, and give politicians direct feedback on what we believe and want. We’ll have more leverage with deciding what is going on. Sooner or later we’ll even be allowed to vote on these bills online as well!
Eventually, (I hope) we will directly vote for presidential candidates online as well and the Electoral College will dissolve (I hate the Electoral College). There will be no need for Congress either, we can all submit bills, advocate for them ourselves, and directly vote on them all - entirely online! I think the only part of government we will still need is the judicial branch to make sure nothing passed infringes on anyone’s rights or challenges what’s in the constitution.
So…
5 yrs = more integration of the internet in our daily lives
10 yrs = more direct interaction with politicians and bills in congress
20 yrs = crazy revolution
Interim = increasing free internet access, time for debating
50 yrs = new form of government! completely internet based
I know it kind of seems like I’m joking, but I’m not. I don’t believe it’s unrealistic – people ultimately want to govern themselves and the internet allows us that possibility Although my timeline may have evolved too fast, I do believe this is something we could actually expect. Can’t wait to hear the rest of everyone’s ideas though!
I agree with you in the fact that the Internet will only increase in importance and relevance as it overtakes the traditional forms of media. The Internet will almost definitely play a more involved role in politics rather than just helping drive political campaigns. As the Internet becomes even more accessible and smart phone usage continues to grow, people will always be able to use the Internet no matter where they are.
DeleteWhile I do agree that the Internet can and will be used to provide feedback on certain bills and help to influence policy, I don't agree that Congress will not be needed. As we have talked about in class, the Internet suffers from security issues where different accounts can be hacked. Also, by having people directly vote on policy can only lead to corruption. Elite groups will buy votes from the people helping to maintain the status quo and keep the upper class in control. I do like the idea of voting in elections through the Internet because it would save time and the hassle of waiting at polling places and counting votes.
In 5 years, I think that more politicians will start to use social media and the Internet will be even more important to campaigns. 10 years from now, the Internet will completely dominate how people get their political news. 20 years will see the First President elected from the social media generation and possibly a shift towards Internet use in elections.
I agree with Shaza's optimism in that the internet will essentially govern our lives and that we will in short govern ourselves via the internet. However, today I experienced a true violation of my rights as a civilian spreading awareness for a cause I am truly passionate about. As I was in the Student Center engaging in a form of role play with other students, I noticed a classmate of mine filming us. Later, students told me that this is a mechanism used to deny their right to return back to their home in Palestine. This made me think of our class. These videos are used as a form of intimidation, once it is posted on the internet, governments have immediate access to such content and can use this content however their hearts desire. Thus, this instantaneous retrieval of information becomes a form of governance as many oppressive states use this content against their own citizens.
ReplyDeleteI am deeply fearful for the internet, especially for the way it is affecting and changing our political realm. While it is plausible to assume that our government will use the internet to interact directly with citizens and allow for citizens to engage in political discussion with their politicians, I think that this is sort of a cover-up. I see such freedom as a decoy to essentially conceal the government's developing control and surveillance of what is said or posted online. I don't see the US as any different than authoritarian regimes -the only difference is that the US diverts our attention from their unjust activities by promoting other attractive freedoms that most people are denied.
In short, I predict that the internet will be used more by our own government to track down "threats" to US security. Don't be surprised if you hear that I am under investigation one day, by either nation that I am a citizen of, for things that I've posted online.
I agree with Roya's point of view that essentially the government will in one way or another control our lives. Today, we experience the internet's role of providing information as useful tools as in getting news,social media, and facebook but soon will all be regulated under policies regulated by the government. Although, the internet provided a great tool for informing, organizing, and providing Presdiential elcections in the past, I feel that electorial casting of votes will not ultimately be replaced with online voting. It appears that until there are the necessary identification regulations put into place there would be a lot of misinterputed votes from those that are not US citizens.
DeleteI do believe as fast as technology is moving that mobile phones will ultimately replace home or laptop computers. I feel that because their has been a widespread usage of mobile devices worldwide, this allows for more threats of terrorism.
I can see the internet in five years having government regulations for privacy in place. In ten years having most programs replaced by cloud, and big data systems. In twenty years an increase of web based space technology with a increase in both science and engineering fields.
The major trend that I see in the Political field is decreasing the friends of other countries that allowed for revolutions in the Middle East from free use of the internet.
How the internet effect politic in the next few years I believe will rely entirely on the advancements that will be made over the next several years. It is entirely possible that in ten years or optimistically five years the internet will become obsolete as newer and more interconnected systems become widely available. In twenty years I could see technology advancing to the point that the internet or its equivalent is directly accessible by our brains, if not by implants at least head worn computers that can read and react to brain stimuli possibly interacting in turn. None of the technologies listed are all that far from practical use in high tech research labs. Numerous faster and more versatile replacements for web browsing exist today, and only lack of a universally accepted successor and logistics have prevented them from tacking off. Brain scanners have advanced to the point that in very limited ways scientists can use thought waves to influence computer programs.
ReplyDeleteFaster connections could allow for more up-to-date information to be shared and for info-mining to be stronger and more accurate than ever. But do to the speeds I also see people being less able to pick out individual points of data or in other words to pay attention to political adds when more interesting information can be accessed so faster. The one trend that I can see majorly effecting politics is the universal movement to single provider sites capable of doing and providing it all. As Netflix’s, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and others battle it out for the product wars they also battle it out for who has the most exclusive or inclusive software that can be the one stop source for all information and entertainment. If one or more seems to be dominating the market in the next five years (entirely possible since the speeds with which trends have been advancing) then politicians will have to suck up or connect with the winner to spread information.
I also see regulation being far harder on any more advanced hardware because the speed of development and ease with which such systems would allow for people to bypass loopholes. Several statements in class have discussed how the government could begin regulating the internet like it does T.V., I disagree with this assumption. The government can easily regulate big payers, such as T.V. stations located in one area that produces information that is easily traceable. The internet may allow for new and amazing forms of info tracing but the sheer amount of user posts make utilizing any method to identify any but the biggest violators of regulation almost impossible. We see examples of this today with illegal music sharing were the government makes examples of a few violators but has been unable to stop the massive streams of illegal downloads. The one aspect of government regulations that matters is with the internet providers and although that could be a real threat to the freedom of the internet it is pretty unpredictable with most senators completely oblivious to the subtleties of the internet and unwilling to put any force behind any position.
Over the weekend I stumbled across an internet relic, the rare website that had been unchanged since its inception over 15 years ago. That website? http://www2.warnerbros.com/spacejam/movie/jam.htm, or, in short, the promotional website from the Warner Brothers Classic "Space Jam." The little trip down memory lane is a good reminder of how far the internet has come in such a short time. With advances in not only web based hardware but with constant upgrades in programming techniques today's internet has almost no resemblance to the internet era that the "Space Jam" site is from. Since the internet has come so far and become such an omnipresent part of our lives I am fascinated to see where it is going, so I love the discussion posed by this question. At the rate it is going I think the internet is going to become an even more important part of our lives as it not only gives such great democratizing power, but it also can be used as an educational tool to balance the scales of inequality that exists today. As long as the internet remains open it is a great tool for learning and expression, the likes of which have never been seen before.
ReplyDeleteI think that Facebook will play a much more vital role in politics than It's already playing. With Mark Zuckerberg's Ideas and continuous transformation on Facebook, I think this website will only get better and separate itself from the competition (Twitter, Instagram etc), making Facebook the political hot spot. 20 years from now I believe that there will be no news paper and all political information will be via internet. The internet is a great tool that covers many aspects of everyday life. I agree with Roya's comments how the Government will use the internet in their advantage to track down possible threats and security issues involving America, so It will be very interesting to see how the Internet transforms over the next couple of decades.
ReplyDeleteI loved when we had discussed in class our early experiences with the internet. I remember the first computer at my parents' house growing up. As the youngest of six, there was a line waiting to get on the computer next. Thinking back on this cracks me up today when we are together and every single one of us is using the internet on our phones while my mom yells at us for our lack of communication.
ReplyDeleteThere are other ways the internet has changed though, for good and bad, that effect politics and not just our personal lives. My mom uses the internet for articles, an intelligent woman who is politically active she likes to keep up on current events and policies. My oldest sister on the other hand, uses the internet exclusively for online shopping and communication. Both of these uses, are more advanced then they were previously. In 5-10-15 years there is no telling how much more the internet can advance. There is telling one thing - it will not effect politics nearly as much as a first reaction to this question might create. Politics is still in the hands of those who choose to participate and how much they choose to participate is up to their actions and activity. Unfortunately, I do not believe these actions will be provoked by advanced technologies.
One thing I think we all can agree on is the unpredictable advancement of the Internet. Like mentioned earlier, there is no saying what the Internet is capable of or even if it has a limit. Politically, I do believe that the Internet ill find ways to connect politicians and citizens a lot more, as well as, provide a more direct approach to try to listen to the citizens voices'. Then again I believe that when it comes to politics, the Internet and technology should not be as involved as many predict because it creates like a whole new vague little sphere which gives room for even more complications. The future or governing of our country should be guided by the Internet but not fully governed by it because it leaves room for weakness and loop holes. As we have been talking all quarter, the transparency factor and trust relationship with the Internet, at least right now, is not amongst the best therefore, why would we even try to consider leaving our country to such vague hands?
ReplyDeleteIn order to provide more political power over to the internet, security should be the top priority. We would, also, have to keep in mind the risks we are taking since transparency could be an issue for many. In terms of politicians and social networking, that would be a personal decision for them.
It is astonishing to see how much has changed over time in terms of the internet; however, I believe that we have not reached our full potential yet. As mentioned in the timeline above, Obama was elected with the most innovative web based campaign in history five years ago. While this was a groundbreaking moment in history, there are more moments to look forward to with politics and the internet. My prediction is that the internet will continue impacting American politics and politicians by forcing them to utilize the internet in order to win elections and stay relevant in our technologically dependent society. I expect that five years from now, more politicians will be using Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube on a weekly basis, not just to campaign, but also to keep the citizens involved and informed on bills being passed and the discussions on the Hill. I predict that ten years from now, politicians will hold online conferences and webcasts with their constituents to discuss their stance on certain issues. This will be the norm as opposed to attending meetings because it will be a convenient way to reach a large audience at a convenient time and place. Twenty years from now, I think that our presidential campaigns will change in terms of the presidential debates. Currently, there are three debates between the two presidential candidates. I predict that the fourth debate will be a webcast debate online where the candidates will be in separate rooms and they will debate each other over their screens. This would be an interesting format because it would be geared towards the internet only. The internet impacts politics because it forces politicians, lobbyists, and interest groups to have a website and stay involved through social networks in order to gain publicity and remain relevant. Politics also impact the internet by increasing traffic to government sites. In order to make these changes as positive as possible, politicians need to get involved by utilizing the resources online. Also, the internet needs to remain free so the people have access to this information. I am looking forward to see how politics change in the future in regards to the internet.
ReplyDeleteOne of the important things for the internet moving forward is to make sure it is not censored or limited in anyway from both private and public interests. I think the worst thing that could happen is when both private and government are in collusion with each other for the state of cybersecurity. I think the more the media makes a big deal out of cybersecurity, and rightfully so because it is a big deal, the more we will see our access to the internet become more and more limited. I remember in one of the chapters in Rebecca MacKinnon's book, she talked about a bill that was introduced that would allow the President to shut down the internet at a time of war. Things like that is what seems to be the Internet's biggest problems moving forward. The ways in which opponents try to censor or limit the flow of information.
ReplyDeleteThe Internet is the place most Americans obtain information on a candidate, politician and legislation. I think this trend is going to continue. Americans are going to become more inform and involve in politics and legislation using the Internet. Ideally, media literacy will become an even bigger trend; therefore, it'll prevent people from getting misinformed by the Internet.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the Arab Spring, I believe the Internet will be a greater tool for social change. The digital divide is closing and the Internet is being used by more people. The Internet will make it easier for people to organize online and take action offline.
In 5 years, I hope Facebook is less relevant and Twitter is used ore frequently and efficiently. I think most legislators will have to be on social media to stay relevant. Ideally, Facebook will be used more productively to organize but the current trend indicates otherwise. In 5 years and hopefully in 10, the Internet will remain "free". I love the unlimited use of Internet. I would hate it if time limits or restrictions were imposed on certain websites due to costs. The Internet will become more regulated but I doubt it'll ever be as strict as print and broadcast media.
Change has happened so quickly. The only certainty I have is that in 20 years things will be very different. Outside forces like other nations are having a greater impct on the U.S and its policies. Cyber attacks are becoming more common. Unfortunately, I do see some sort of "war" occurring in the next 20 years that will greatly impact the Internet.
The internet is going to be a very interesting technology tool to keep a close eye on over the next few years. The most important development that needs to be considered is the constant drive to regulate internet activity/traffic and the potential for increased competition in the ISPs marketplace. This increased competition will likely lead to faster, more reliable internet speeds, which will hopefully spur greater innovation. A perfect example of this market pressure can be seen in Kansas City where Google Fiber has forced Time Warner to increase speeds and drop prices to compete with their new fiber internet technology. It is important for us, as citizens, to pressure congress to allow for greater competition in the ISP market because it will only benefit us in the long run.
ReplyDeleteWhile the internet has had a great deal of influence on political campaigning over the last decade, I don’t see it changing the way that our country conducts itself in a political manner. The internet has brought about greater transparency and accountability to the political process which is great, but with so many ways to hack or manipulate the internet I can’t imagine that the government would rely on it too much for governing. The area that I see the greatest growth is in the education sector. Online learning has become a growing trend in the United States because it allows students a way to receive both a convenient and quality education. Colleges are also expected to move towards the online model because they would be able to cut costs when it comes to upkeep of buildings and campus properties. One might find it hard to imagine a world with no physical university campuses, but with enough internet innovation this futuristic idea could soon become a reality.
As technology continues to advance I can see how most things will soon be done strictly through media. I think in 20 years from now voting will be done online. I believe this because convenience is a huge deal for Americans especially and some people don’t vote because they don’t have time to physically do so. I think that it would be a secure website that makes you enter your social security number to determine who you are and then just a fill in the blank type of voting. This would make tallying voting so much easier and faster and there would be no long lines or inconveniences.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that technology such as skype will advance in many ways too. You could probably schedule a meeting with your alderman, board members, and basically just anyone in politics and discuss issues and plan things. It seems so much more convenient than having to find a perfect time for everyone’s schedule and seems faster and shaves off travel time.
Basically the motto for most Americans is “there aren't enough hours in the day,” and by making politics more internet based and progressing in that direction it saves time and opens it up to more people. Convenience is key to make things work and by promoting convenience in politics seems like it would be a great idea.
I also like this question because I’m always curious about the future expressly in technology. I am the type of person that likes to spend hours online researching about new ways to do this and also new technology devices. One example I recently heard about is this www.leapmotion.com, 3d controller for your mac or pc that will drastically change the way we interact with our computers and most importantly the Internet in general. Think about the next presidential election down the road I predict that some forms of media might disappear like newspapers and some magazines because their subscribes will decrease as a result to more online news website offering the same content for free. I also predict that politics and the web are going to be intertwined closely together. There might be less of a need for a candidate to visit different states if we could just have some type of 3d web conference. I believe that all of these changes are going to be for the best of this country but people are going to be hesitant to change like always, which is way over the next few years we have to slowly upgrade our media forms.
ReplyDeleteI think looking forward the internet is going to become even more prominent in today's society. The convenience along with the speed and ability to get the information one is specifically looking for i think is going to make it our primary way of getting all information. I agree with Lindsey that eventually voting will take place online. The convenience, along with how many more people you could get to participate in voting i believe, will push it to go online. I think in 10 years Facebook will be the new email, and some other, more advanced form of social media will take its place. I think twitter is going to become even more prominent in the coming years especially amongst politicians. Essentially i believe the internet is going to take over all other forms of media. Newspapers are going online, television, movies, speeches, debates, you can even call people through the internet with things like Skype. I also think that because of this we will eventually be charged by the amount of data we use like through a phone rather than getting one major package, and i think it will start to become more harshly regulated. The internet is an amazing tool and will continue to help us but it might also hurt us as well.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to tell what the internet will bring in the next 20 years. Just looking back 20 years ago no one knew that the internet would have such an impact on individuals lives. Today we can pay bills online, manage finances, go shopping, get ours news and even Politically campaign online. The future is hard to predict. Technology is evolving so fast. A brand new top of the line computer you buy today in two months will be not as pristine, due to how fast technology is moving.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in the next 5-20 years whole cities will be wifi hotspots. The city of Chicago already has plans to make all public places and parks wifi hotspots. I think this will open up the internet to even more people. With this more people will use the internet. I also believe that the internet will kill the physical print industry. Not many people buy or subscribe to newspapers because they can get all this information online for free. Also the synchronization of television and the internet will happen, it already is. The smart TV technology will go further. Instead of a computer all you will need is a TV.
Looking at the current advancement the internet has made I agree with my fellow class mates that stated they see the internet becoming more prevalent in politics and especially with political campaigns. As Tricia points out the speed is quite an attractive factor and the ability to reach out to the masses. Ideally as Shaza says I would like to see more voting and campaigning done online, but I wouldn't want Americans to lose site in the ability to be active in their roles. I much rather see political candidates getting out into the mix of things than only using Twitter to spread their messages.
ReplyDeleteRoya makes a good point with the internet being a double edge sword. I commend citizens like her for being active in politics and exercising their rights but like many other great tools in the wrong hands can cause harm.
I personally before this class never realized the available resources there are regarding legislature and political advancements so in addition to become more prominent being more user friendly would also be appealing.
It is always great to look ahead and see how politics will evolve along with the Internet. Already we can see changes as there is less transparency of government activity online. Many public policy issues are being addressed by officials online because of the amount of interest that the public is showing. I think this is only the beginning stages of how Internet is bringing government closer to people because of the amount of interactivity that is present. I can see the government fine tuning the amount of data and they receive and sorting through it to gain a better understanding of what is going on in the country and what needs to be addressed. Also I think the Internet will continue to move forward and achieve its democratizing aspect by allowing people to have a voice in matters. The main thing I can see the Internet doing in the future is well informing American citizens about politics and increase civic participation.
ReplyDeleteThe internet can be just as dangerous as it is good. Citizens have become lazy and disengaged as a whole, while some citizens are engaged many are more passively engaged when it comes to issues. While the past two elections have increases in voters it has also disenfranchised some. It will be interesting to see what will happen over the next four years. If the public believes that Obama has not done a good job governing or America continues to be polarized like it currently is, who knows what will come in the future. On the other hand if Obama is able to bring together Congress and is able to pass bills that he has campaigned on I think the interaction of the internet and politics will continued to be solidified.
ReplyDeleteThe other issue is the impending fight for net neutrality, the majority of the population is extremely uneducated in regards to this issue. In the coming years we will see a fight over who is allowed to control what is said on the internet. There are big corporations with lots of money that have strong interests in it. Tim Wu is right corporations may try to control the internet and the publics access to the internet. The public needs to wake up and get involved in this issue, otherwise there will not be this so called internet revolution. The ability of the public to able to interact online will be greatly limited and controlled by these corporations. The information people will receive will be controlled and the information they can post may be censored by these corporations. These corporations want to be able to keep their power. So I guess the question is will the public finally start to take an interest in their future?
I think the internet will have an even bigger impact on poltics in the future. Social media will continue to grow and politicians will continue to find new ways to use it too get elected. I think that one of the biggest impacts the internet will have is that it will allow people that are new to politics to reach a larger number of people. The internet and social media greatly helped president Obama win the 08 election and I think we will see more candidates that are new to the scene win elections. A great example of this would be Bruce Rauner. He is a Chicago businessman with no political experience who has recently announced that he is considering running for governor of Illinois. Based on what I have read about him on the internet and on his Facebook page, I will probably vote for him if he runs. If not for the internet and social media, I would no little or nothing about his political views. It is people like that that the internet and social media will help the most in the future. The internet and social media are only going to get bigger and people with no political experience are going to be able to get their names and ideas out there much more effectively than in the past. I believe this will result in greater competition for political offices and more qualified candidates winning elections.
ReplyDeleteAccessing and being able to get internet will definitely change. I feel like as advances in technology continue, being able to get internet will be easier also. For instance, “smart accessories,” like the google glasses, will make it easier to get political news and information. As mentioned before, people are uneducated about the internet and net neutrality. I mentioned to one of my coworkers about people in Australia being charged by the amount of data their internet uses, and she had no idea other people in the world are charged for their internet that way. People need to understand and learn about the ways we could potentially loose our internet freedom.
ReplyDeleteThe internet will not cause huge waves of political involvement, but that does not mean it cant help or facilitate it. Social media will give people their news instantly, with the possibility of joining a group or cause with one or two clicks away. The government will monitor users and see what is trending. By monitoring trends, the government will be able to understand the issues easier and quicker. That can also work against the people, potentially having the government shut down any activity they do not approve of. The internet does good as it also does bad. One can share their information and opinions with like minded people, but people who disagree with them are also able to see it. The greatest issue facing the internet is its limitations and government monitoring.
The Internet truly has come so far in the short amount of time that it has been in use. It started with such a simple idea of sharing information. Then it kept moving forward as it became available to more and more people. As it has come forward it has began to impact many facets of life and become a prevalent factor in the way we live each day. To think that it will not continue to grow in its impact would be ridiculous. As it has grown one of the areas it has become prevalent in is politics. With the increase in the way that information has been transferred to Internet sites to allow the political parties to see more about us and us to see more of what parties are doing and their stances, it is exciting to look forward. In the coming years there will be more controversy to come when the Internet is talked about. As the power that it offers grows there will be more individuals who look to use the tools it provides. At the same time there are more and more people each day learning about the Internet and how to use it. We will come to a point where the government is placed in a position where they must choose how and what to censor on the Internet. It will be in the coming years and there will be uproar from the Internet community. Irregardless there will be more transparency if these rules are not too strict. This will allow for the users to remain happy and to progress forward. A strict regulation may stymie the growth or cause those who have access to the Internet to revolt. It will be incredibly interesting to see which path is taken and how the Internet will evolve in the future as we are experiencing its progress now.
ReplyDeleteDespite the random and speedy nature of advancement, it can be somewhat difficult to really predict what the future has in store for us. However, based on what I have seen so far, I believe that the future holds a new participatory movement for politics. By participatory movement, I believe that the internet and media is going to be focused on allowing us to participate with our leaders and government officials in a number of ways. I personally believe this is what the future holds in store for us simply due to recent political occurrences. Although we started out with simple websites to organize under ideology, we now have the ability to even converse with the present via the internet and create internet-based petitions.
ReplyDeleteThe web, something which used to simply be just a concept, has slowly become something more corporeal and real based on it's abilities and influences. Instead of just sending information back and forth via the internet, this data has been able to effect our physical world. Although we may just be hitting a button on a website, we are actually signing a petition which has the potential to prevent CISPA from passing. Although we may just be sending out a message to all those we know about a demonstration, we are making the public more aware of our cause. I'm not quite sure what the future has in store for the future of political participation, but I do know that this will be the focus of the next coming years.
It is very hard to tell what the future will hold for the internet in 5-20 years, considering how fast technology grows and develops. One can only look at the present really, and keep laws and policies open enough, that they can change and grow as the technology grows. I don't think we should put limits on how far this could go, but limit how dangerous we can allow it to be used. As technology grows, privacy will continue to be compromised again and again, and I think that governments, especially the US need to constantly keep that mind, and defend the Constitution, even if it doesn't "imply" the internet. I think personal information and privacy is very important always, and shouldn't be compromised. It seems like cyber war is the future of the problems growing online, and all I can really say about that is the government should do what needs to be done to protect our infrastructure and resources, but do not over step its bounds. Too many times does the government over step its bounds because it found a "loop hole" or a way around the Constitution. Law is law, and rights are rights, and you can protect this country without using CISPA, SOPA, ACTA, or any other extreme measure.
ReplyDeleteI think the internet will be a huge player in everyone's everyday life eventually. From filing your taxes to voting. I think we have to make it as easy as possible for people to access the internet. I'm all for capitalism and free markets but I do believe we should pass legislation like net neutrality. The internet was collective collaboration. No one entity created and it was created in the spirit of open sharing. It would be a different story if a major corporation like Comcast created it. Its like saying people should be charged for air. Major corporation may delivery the internet to our homes and phones but they didn't create it so they should have an unlimited profit stream from it.
ReplyDeleteThe internet is already rapidly changing the way we communicate and even how we work. Companies like Groupon have thousands of employees that work remotely because of technology. The internet makes it possible for people to work remotely and to communicate across continents with ease. If we're going to keep it the progress positive I think all people have to have very few restrictions to access the internet. As I mentioned earlier it should not be the next technological cash cow.
I think that politics and internet will evolve even further with more technology. Companies like groupon or grubhub have used smartphone technology to help their business evolve.
ReplyDelete