The Internet has become one of the major sources of news and entertainment for a large percentage of the population of the United States of America. Communication between citizens and the platform to express opinions and ideas to the masses has never been so readily accessible. If one disagrees with the current administration he or she can post their complaint on a forum or a blog. The common man’s opinion can reach more people than ever before. To some this unchecked freedom of information on the Internet is viewed as a threat to democracy. Yet, democracy thrives on free speech and public discourse and because of this the Internet is not a threat to democracy.
There are several points that those who argue that the Internet is a threat to democracy use to validate their claim. One is the decline of professional journalism. As the Internet has grown in popularity, people have been obtaining more of their news online than from newspapers or television. This has led to a loss of jobs for journalists. The benefit of professional journalism is that the information they report is checked to ensure that it is factual before it is released to the public. Brian A. Williams states that, “Without this information, the fear is that Internet debate will continue, but it will be tethered less and less to reliable sources of the basic facts” (Williams). This is a valid argument, but it remains unseen as to whether or not professional journalism is threatened due to the Internet being a popular source of news. It appears that journalism is in a transition period from one media format to another. Many newspapers and television news channels are making the shift to online publication. One would think it logical that there will be more opportuniti...
... middle of paper ...
...ternet is a threat to democracy, but radio and television allow people this type of choice as well. Others state that the free flow of ideas and ease of communication that the Internet provides are essential for a democracy to thrive. The Internet is not a threat to democracy, but an important device for promoting democracy through freedom of speech.
Works Cited
Bruce A. Williams “Is Democracy Threatened by the Unchecked Nature of the Internet?” http://web1.millercenter.org/debates/whitepaper/deb_2010_0518_internet.pdf Miller Center of Public Affairs. University of Virginia., April 2010. 17 Oct. 2010
Cass R. Sunstein. 2009. Going to Extremes: How Like Minds United and Divide. New York: Oxford University Press; Cass R. Sunstein. 2002. Republic.com; Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Joseph N. Capella. 2010. Echo Chamber. New York: Oxford University Press.
... E. (2011). The net delusion. The dark side of internet freedom. New York, NY, USA: PublicAffairs.
The author is this article is Kalev Leetaru, he is known as an American internet entrepreneur and academic. He is also a contributor to Foreign Policy, where he discusses current political events worldwide. He was appointed adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown university which is ranked #6 internationally and is an extremely well respected university in Washington DC.
Schmidt, E. E., & Cohen, J. (2014, March 11). The Future of Internet Freedom. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from
With an entity as vast as the Internet, it is not surprising that a variety of unanswered questions will arise. I’m positive that the Internet will continue to confound scholars as it continues to quickly evolve. By analyzing the views of the celebrants and skeptics, I have been able to understand the potential that the internet has. By using the PEC, I have been able to understand how democracy and capitalism relate to the issues of the Internet. In the future, I hope that society can develop a further understanding of the Internet and move toward the Internet that the celebrants had hoped for.
"In the modern and technologically advanced times that we live in, access to the internet is a human right and necessity to the developed world. It often helps to promote sociopolitical awareness and understand the rights that we deserve as human beings.
In this essay I will critique and analyze the article “The Daily We” by author Cass Sunstein. I will look specifically at Sunstein’s claim that although the internet has been commonly viewed as a blessing to our world and democracy, the joy that the internet has brought democracy must be monitored with a keen eye as the ability to “filter” what we see provides a viable threat as it welcomes more extreme views and group polarization. As I analyze Sunstein’s claim, I will provide a new point of view to reader on how the internet has done much the opposite as it has served as an outlet for limitless sources and a variety of viewpoints through social media in today’s world. I will also add voices of the other critics in which I believe are relevant
There are over 2,405,518,376 internet users on a global scale. More than 50% of the world have a form of Internet censorship, and of those countries China, North Korea, Iran, and Vietnam heavily restrict its citizens. This recent topic has reached new heights in the US with the growing number of access to internet. More and more people are debating whether the internet should be censored. Internet censorship is the control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the internet. This would affect everyone and me. I specifically use the internet to read about controversial view and other information that gets ignored by the media or isn’t circulated anymore. Most of these sites would fall in the black list of censoring. A small percentage of users post conspicuous posts, graphic material, and infringing copyright links. Although inappropriate it shouldn’t demand internet censorship, because it goes against the individual rights of the people. Freedom of speech and press will be restricted by the government. To a point where people would be scared to express themselves, or spread information for they might be punished. Even if their opinion is erroneous and maleficent, it’s still that person’s opinion and he’s entitled to it. Same can be said for the common good everyone should be able to voice their opinions without censorship anywhere. Everyone should also have the access to any information on the internet. If anyone is offended by what is said on the internet, then they can remember to not visit the webpage next time and hold themselves accountable. This paper will examine the issue of internet censorship constituting a violation to the American people individual rights, common good, and the constitution.
Howard, P. N., & Hussain, M. M. (2011). The role of digital media. Journal of Democracy, 22(3), 35-
The Internet offers a much greater potential for interactive communication between information senders and receivers than the more traditional methods of communication such as newspaper, radio and television. Freedom of speech ascertained by the constitution is not an absolute right. Depending on the medium through which information is delivered various degrees of the freedom to express one's self is protected. Internet communication may be analogous to either a specific existing communication medium or even several. Current free speech protection begins to dissipate as it is applied to the uncertain confines of the newly developed Cyberspace.
With the invention of the internet we are able to express our opinions, our likes and dislikes, our everyday going-ons and so forth. Our freedom of expression is the envy of other countries and the reason that we are respected around the world.
The Internet provides a gateway for an individual to speak freely and anonymously without being targeted to what he or she said. With this said, one of the biggest issues concerning the Internet today is freedom of speech. The issue of free speech on the Internet has been a topic of discussion around the world within the past years. It is a unique communication medium and is powerful than the traditional media[2]. Because the Internet can not be compared equally to other mediums of communication, it deserves the utmost freedom of speech protection from the government. The restriction of speech on the Internet takes away from individual's rights and freedom from experiencing the Internet's benefits and uses. Information found on the Internet is endless and boundless and this poses the question, "should the government be allowed to regulate the information and content being transmitted or posted online?"
Today, society is affected by the many advances in technology. These advances affect almost every person in the world. One of the prevalent advances in technology was the invention and mass use of the Internet. Today more than ever, people around the world use the Internet to support their personal and business tasks on a daily basis. The Internet is a portal into vast amounts of information concerning almost every aspect of life including education, business, politics, entertainment, social networking, and world security. (idebate.com) Although the Internet has become a key resource in developing the world, the mass use of Internet has highlighted a major problem, privacy and the protection of individual, corporate, and even government security . The argument over whether or not the Internet should be controlled by the government has developed into a controversial issue in almost every country in the world.
In today’s world, democracy faces everyday challenges. These challenges affect each and every country. Each country has a particular way of encountering these challenges in order for the citizens to have some type of voice. The voice of the people makes a stronger impact on using democracy as a means to challenge the government of their country. As we take a look at the countries in the world today, we will see the path towards the challenges to democracy.
The Internet along with other technologies has opened channels of communication. Not only has the Internet played a great role in forming international public opinions regarding the United States throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Western Europe, but it has also helped to democratize the rest of the world by allowing them to voice their own opinions. However, sometimes the incited cyber public opinions would lead to some extremely negative behaviors and cause serious problems like cyber bullying, real life crimes, and even a long time social unrest.
Thirty years ago, if I told you that the primary means of communicating and disseminating information would be a series of interconnected computer networks you would of thought I was watching Star Trek or reading a science fiction novel. In 2010, the future of mass media is upon us today; the Internet. The Internet is and will only grow in the future as the primary means of delivering news, information and entertainment to the vast majority of Americans. Mass media as we know it today will take new shape and form in the next few years with the convergence and migration of three legacy mediums (Television, Radio, Newspaper) into one that is based on the Internet and will replace these mediums forever changing the face of journalism, media and politics. In this paper I will attempt to explain the transition of print media to one of the internet, how the shift to an internet based media environment will impact journalism and mass media, and how this migration will benefit society and forever change the dynamic of news and politics.