1. Based on this debate and previous readings what definition of democracy do you feel is most fitting for us to use in-conjunction our growing reliance and integration of digital networked technologies?
E-democracy aims for broader and more active citizen participation enabled by the Internet, mobile communications, and other technologies in today's representative democracy, as well as through more participatory or direct forms of citizen involvement in addressing public challenges. I believe this would be the most fair and most democratic way for us to use since reliance and integration of digital networked technologies are going to increase significantly.
2. How does your answer to #1 fit into the unchecked nature of Web 2.0 technologies, and what are some tangible examples of this? Do you feel this is an important issue that needs to be addressed further? There are many different tools used by people on the web like javascript, XML, adobe flash, jQuery and so on that anyone can use to post things on the web. Most of these programs run behind the scenes or are built into websites making it easier for anyone to upload things onto a page. However if you are the one developing the page you have to know how to use these different tools in order to make them work. This definitely fits into the unchecked nature of web 2.0 technologies because there is no one governing what is posted on the sites. This is an issue but it is too large for anyone to monitor everything that is posted on the internet.
3. Define and describe the phenomenon of the Media echo-chamber as described in the Internet Debates. What are some examples of this silo effect, and do you believe it is an issue that needs to be addressed? Why or Why not? The term “media echo chamber” refers to any situation in which information; ideas or beliefs are being amplified or reinforced by transmission inside an enclosed space. In other words one person makes a claim or post something on the internet, people with the same opinion as him repeats what he says. It gets repeated and repeated and overheard and repeated until there is a distorted form of the original message that now most people think is true. The enclosed space mentioned above is the internet. A prime example of this silo effect is the tragic death of the Rutgers student who took his own life after private information was put on the internet. People saw this post told other people, people made comments told other people. It’s a prime example of the power the internet gives to one person and the destructive nature which it can produce. Yes this is an issue that should be addressed but it is going to be hard to do it.
4. What are some ways that expertise and authority could be (or is being) enforced on the internet? Who would be behind these forces? Why do you believe are they needed or not needed? In place by Wikipedia is the Fact and Reference Check WikiProject. The purpose of this project is to verify facts in Wikipedia by multiple independent sources. Furthermore, the purpose is verifiability, not truth—whether readers can check that material in Wikipedia has already been published by a reliable source, not whether editors think it is true. I think Keen would be proud of this project since a lot of kids use Wikipedia to find information knowing that it comes from a reliable source is a great thing. We need to have expertise on the internet because it will one day be our main source of information.
5. Give a thorough example of an adaptation or improvement made by a social, political, or cultural group, government, business or individual to keep up with changing nature of the internet. A prime example of this is something I talked about in class and is relative to my family since my uncle is part owner of the company and that is ERcard. ER-Card is an online Personal Health Record (PHR) that gives you and your family full control of confidential medical information and personal documents. It comes all on a flash drive that fits into the size of a credicard. Used all over Rhode Island and the New England area, all the ambulances, EMTs and Hospitals are knowledgeable and use ERcard on a regular basis. When they arrive at an accident scene they check the wallet for the ERcard. Then then plug it into a computer in the back of the ambulance and have instant access to all of their health records to better assist them in saving that person’s life.
6. Is democracy threatened by the unchecked nature of the internet? I think it is threatened only by the fact that it will get to a point where people are posting so much useless and false information on the internet and it will start to become main stream views. When that happens it will be time for the government to set regulations on what is being put on the internet but it will be for the greater good. I know that sounds communist but that’s the only way it will be fixed. Who is the person who is going to regulate what is put on the internet I do not have an answer to that question and quite frankly I really don’t want to see it get to that point.
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