my essay
The Internet, Democracy, and Gender:
In this paper you will be trying to answer the question of how the internet will affect human relationships, behavior, and norms (morals and ethics). You will want to consider the internet as a new form of technological progress that “re-presents” reality. Does this progress signify a potential leap forward, and if so, for whom? Is it a force of democracy for all races, classes, and genders? And, does the internet take anything away from humanity – is what it gives us worth the potential cost.
To answer this question, you will need to do a few things:
1. (Frame/Lens – Predictions about Cyberspace): Consider the authors who describe the future of the internet, and arrive at a conclusion about who is more relevant to the current problem. Specifically, you will look at Mark Slouka and Julian Dibbell’s concerns about the emerging internet. You will want to think about the issue of our “growing separation from reality,” not merely in cyberspace, but in the world in general. Is the internet merely the next phase in this separation, or a major paradigm shift, as Slouka and Dibbell both argue? What is the nature of that paradigm shift, and between Slouka and Dibbell, who more clearly predicts what the main paradigm shift is? You may also want to consider Neil Postman’s concerns in the youtube clip about cyberspace.
2. (Frame supplement – Gender, Communication, Aggression and Sex): Consider the other authors in Module 2 who describe the ways that issues of gender contribute to violence, sexism, and hate speech. Does the internet release anxieties (get rid of), or increase/contribute to more aggression? Does the internet hold any liberating potential? How is community affected, for better or worse?
3. (Current Data/Evidence): Look at current news examples to compare your theoretical understanding of the internet with. After finding several themes across the scholarly readings, find several examples of what the internet is doing
In this paper you will be trying to answer the question of how the internet will affect human relationships, behavior, and norms (morals and ethics). You will want to consider the internet as a new form of technological progress that “re-presents” reality. Does this progress signify a potential leap forward, and if so, for whom? Is it a force of democracy for all races, classes, and genders? And, does the internet take anything away from humanity – is what it gives us worth the potential cost.
To answer this question, you will need to do a few things:
1. (Frame/Lens – Predictions about Cyberspace): Consider the authors who describe the future of the internet, and arrive at a conclusion about who is more relevant to the current problem. Specifically, you will look at Mark Slouka and Julian Dibbell’s concerns about the emerging internet. You will want to think about the issue of our “growing separation from reality,” not merely in cyberspace, but in the world in general. Is the internet merely the next phase in this separation, or a major paradigm shift, as Slouka and Dibbell both argue? What is the nature of that paradigm shift, and between Slouka and Dibbell, who more clearly predicts what the main paradigm shift is? You may also want to consider Neil Postman’s concerns in the youtube clip about cyberspace.
2. (Frame supplement – Gender, Communication, Aggression and Sex): Consider the other authors in Module 2 who describe the ways that issues of gender contribute to violence, sexism, and hate speech. Does the internet release anxieties (get rid of), or increase/contribute to more aggression? Does the internet hold any liberating potential? How is community affected, for better or worse?
3. (Current Data/Evidence): Look at current news examples to compare your theoretical understanding of the internet with. After finding several themes across the scholarly readings, find several examples of what the internet is doing