Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains…Jean Jacques Rousseau.

I s that what has happened to the internet? Was the internet born free? Can a democracy exist over the internet? Do governments have control over content? What happens to national borders?

The internet may have been free of any major constraints in the beginning but now the growing influence of commercialism is expanding exponentially and the internet is the new frontier to conquer, where people can set up shop and make their million.

Our freedom has been short-lived – not by the regulation of government on our rights to free speech. We scream out at the top of our collective voices about governments controlling the internet, curtailing free speech and the spying on our internet usage by monitoring the flow of information coming in and out of our countries. Yet we do not scream at the top of our voices, or stamp our feet about the commercialisation of the internet. We embrace it!!


How many of us are bombarded with emails from people or companies trying to sell pornography, penis enlargers and any number of money making scams. We have to have firewalls, antivirus scanners, spam filters etc or when I visit a web site only to have my computer monitor invaded with popups from companies trying to sell me stuff.
Is it our freedom to choose? I don"t think so…..

Tutorial Task – day 8

1. Given the conventional wisdom that traditional media are still the dominant form for getting "news" out to the world, do you think the internet will affect the audience for those old media?
Not will affect, it has already affected the old media. I don’t sit down in the morning with my cup of coffee and read the newspaper, I sit down at my computer and click through the headline and read the news online. Many people are now in the position to do this.
2. Check out the local IndyMedia website. What kind of news is there, and do you think a website like that has a place in your life?
It was a very interesting website and I have bookmarked it to add to my daily news routine. When I get up I go make a cuppa, sit down at the computer and read the ABC news, then look over a couple of other news sites, answer my email.
3. Do you think the internet is (was?) an effective tool for politicians to reach out to their intended audience?
I am not sure. During the last election campaign. I didn’t watch any television only listened to ABC Radio and read the news on the internet. I did not go to Youtube to look at John Howard, or Kevin Rudd’s short films. I received heaps of junk snail mail from the local member and the different parties. I think the internet would be more effective, especially we can choose what we wish to read or listen to. Unfortunately people who do not have access to the internet or who can’t read and write are stuck to watching the television or listening to the radio for their information.