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The original is in black and white and then I used the pen tool in pink and varied in stroke size.

The Internet and Democracy

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?
I believe that the best way to describe our growing dependence of digital networked technologies is direct democracy.  This is because on the internet, we are all our own person, and we can all voice our opinion without having to have it filtered through other people first.  We make the decisions to say and do what we want on our own, and we rarely have trouble doing so.


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?
This absolutely fits into the unchecked nature of Web 2.0–blogs are a perfect example of this.  Many people follow certain bloggers, and take what they say to be true, without any real evidence that it is.  The same thing goes for Wikipedia, which was addressed in the debate, sure they have get it checked for it to be published but it can often times send out information in a way that it wasn't meant to be perceived (like Andrew Keen's entry on Wikipedia).  I believe that this is an important issue because although some of us are aware that the validity of information on the internet isn't certain, there is still a vast majority of people who base their opinions on the so-called "facts" they got from internet sources.  It would be nice if it was addressed further, but the reality is that there are too many of those websites out there to control that.


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 need to be addressed? Why or Why not?
In the debates, I understood the meaning of an echo-chamber, or a silo to be somebody who holds a certain opinion on a topic, and broadcasts this view through the media, then many other people who are looking for somebody who hold similar ideas to their own will find this, and then continually spread it.  As a result many issues that many not be that big of a deal, are twisted and skewed to become a big deal.  One of these examples could be a liberal politician who may have said something that could be taken controversially, then a more conservative news station (like Fox) would take this statement and put it in a light that would make it seem like a certain idea was intended from the statement, even when often times it is not.  This is definitely an idea that needs to be addressed because it seems so stupid and immature to only be listening to other people who share the same opinion as you, by doing that you are not learning anymore information, and often times will end up misinformed.


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?
Some of the ways that authority is being enforced on the internet are through people who own the companies that are host to places where people post information.  Sites such as Wikipedia claim to have authority because a piece of information that is trying to be published on Wikipedia doesn't automatically get accepted, it goes through some sort of filter to make sure that it is appropriate.  However this is also arguable that it is not a rigorous enough check for something to be published for the whole internet to see.  I think that the idea of authority on the internet is definitely needed because like I mentioned earlier, there are too many people who will easily accept random information on the internet which eventually leads to a misinformed, and generally confused society.


5.  Give a through example of an adaptation or improvement made by a of a social, political, or cultural group, government, business or individual to keep up with changing nature of the internet.
I think that the movie company Netflix has adapted well to the changing of the internet.  Before, people would look all over the internet to illegally stream movies because they didn't feel like buying them or renting them.  With Netflix, you are able to pay a monthly fee which is extremely cheap and you have access to basically any movie that you want.  I definitely think that this has helped with the amount of pirating that happens on-line.

6. Is democracy threatened by the unchecked nature of the internet?
Democracy is definitely not threatened by the internet.  If anything it is supported, that's why it's the "unchecked nature" of the internet.  Things aren't checked before being posted or shared, and although that may ultimately lead to other problems, it is still a democratic function.