internet video

What's wrong with the internet?

‘Somebody’s watching you: Social media and surveillance’ – MM52 p13

Summarise:

The article talk about surveillance and how social media such as Facebook can be observing your personal data and what you post and may be using it for marketing purposes. It also speaks about people's privacy today as even using a smartphone, our use of the internet can be monitored anywhere and anytime we access it. Another thing the article talks about is the fact that the government can use social media and smartphones to track our every moves. It can be said to be unethical because we deserve our own private space however it could benefit with decreasing crime in general or even terror crime. 

Critical autonomy: what is your opinion on this debate? Are you bothered by people tracking your online movements? Is it a small price to pay for the benefits of a life online?

Personally, its a bit of a concern to find out that the government are tracking every decision I make on-line. I find it is important that we are able to find somewhere where we can have  privacy. I find that it is unethical for social companies to use our personal data for their own benefits such as commercial broadcasting because most of us probably trust the company to behave in an ethical manner. However I do understand why the government find it necessary to track my on-line movements. With the increase of terror attacks, crime and other dangerous acts that can potentially threaten society, the police and government can find criminals who commit such acts by tracking unusual movements made on-line. We just need to realise that the price of having a life on-line is that whatever we do or say we will be seen and observed. It is up to one's conscience to decide how important privacy is to them and if it is worth it or not. 

The Internet Revolution

Order of significance

-Privacy

-Communication

-Online safety

-Culture

-Nature of Information

-Business

-Community

-Copyright

Privacy

Privacy on the internet is something that many people are anxious about whether it is on social networking sites, on-line banking or e-commerce. People are worried of certain people gaining unauthorised access to their personal data which could potentially lead to blackmail, identify theft or fraud. Due to the high level or internet use today, more and more people are able to do this without getting caught. However there are regulations that aid people for example on social networking sites such as Facebook, you can make your page seen by only people of which you approve. Also encrypting personal data on on-line banking sites has also aided privacy nowadays. 

Communication

The internet has made it so communication in society has changed. Before it was more common for people to speak to each other face to face. However, due to he development of the internet, social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter has made communication change. More and more people are used to communicating through these sites. The internet has made communication between countries more and more simple and easy. Business companies can hold meetings on-line instead of travelling to another country. The internet has had a global impact due to communication changes because now people are living in  "global village" (McLuhan).

On-line Safety

One of the dangers of using the internet is the risk of children meeting paedophiles on-line. Due to this, there have been classes to teach children how to be safe on-line. The internet provides social networking sites such as Facebook, however there also sites for teenagers for instance Habbo Hotel. Paedophiles are able to pretend to be someone they are not and talk to children. Therefore, on-line safety has become more significant due to the easy way in which communication through the Internet can lead to peadophiles talking to children.

Culture

The Internet has greatly contributed to the change in culture. For instance, as noted before, it was more common for people to speak to each other face to face or to even send an e-mail, give someone a call or send them a letter. However, people find it more simple to use the internet as a way to communicate with each other. The internet has also made it so that letters, e-mails and messages are written informally than before. Also due to the internet, people are less formal in society as people are more are connected to the internet communicating or listening to music. Another thing is, before children would be more inclined to go out and play, however due to on-line video games and social media, children and teenagers stay more indoors then out nowadays. 

Nature of Information

On the internet, we can numerous amounts of information on the World Wide Web. Sites such as Wikipedia provide people with information that they need. This can be useful for school, medicine and improving businesses. In fact, information found on-line has helped many people and helped society as a whole due to the high level of easy access to the Internet. For example, students can go on-line and find out information for the work that they do in school. Disabled or older people who are unable to leave their home can use the internet to find out information about health concerns that they may have without leaving home. However, not all information found on-line is reliable due to the vast amount of data on the internet and opinions applied to them. 

Business

Businesses today use the Internet to promote themselves and to gain information on other competing businesses. The internet is also used as a way for businesses to get the public more involved with what they do. Businesses use social media found on the internet now for their advantage. Businesses can communicate with other businesses even if they are in another country. Also videoconferencing has become highly popular in the business industry. 

Community

The internet has caused changes in the community as people are more connected as a community on-line than through physical contact. We as a society are now living in a "global village" (McLuhan) as many around the world are connected as a community through the internet. We are able to talk to those who live on the other side of the planet due to internet connection. 

Copyright

The internet has increased the risk of copyrights occurring. People are now getting away with illegally downloading music on-line for free which affects artists and those who work for them as they lose money and possible lose their jobs. Therefore artists are now forced to go on tours and do live performance to keep their careers going. Also some films are illegally downloaded on-line also but not as much compared to the music industry. Documents that are stored on the internet can easily be stolen and forged to look as if a student, for example, did the work. Despite the efforts to make copyright more important by installing the Copyright regulations, more effort needs to be put in place.