*for additional information about Internet censorship and how other countries have dealt with this issue click here
Monday, January 10, 2011
Think before posting
Today, one of the students in my class brought to our attention some extremely inappropriate and hurtful comments that were written on his blog. After discussing his specific situation for awhile, a bigger question came up- when, if ever, should the right to freedom of speech be breached (in cases involving the Internet) in order to ensure the safety of an individual?
Though censorship doesn't seem like an American ideal, I think it is necessary in certain cases to keep violent or malicious Internet-writers in check. In the past, our government has deemed it necessary to censor newspapers and other types of media for the benefit of the country, so they should have the same right with the Internet. If anything, the Internet is more dangerous than the official media because anyone can write anything they want online. Another factor that makes the Internet dangerous has to do with its easy anonymity. When a person is saying something in person, their conscience effects them and they censor themselves to not say anything that would cause offense to their listener. On the other hand, when a person is sitting in front of a computer screen, typing their thoughts rather than saying them out loud, they feel free to say exactly what comes to their mind no matter how hurtful or offensive it may be. I think having some restrictions in place would cause people to think before posting, which would definitely be for the better of the Internet as a whole. Do you think there are any other solutions to this problem?
*for additional information about Internet censorship and how other countries have dealt with this issue click here
*for additional information about Internet censorship and how other countries have dealt with this issue click here
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I'm not sure what the restrictions might look like if restrictions were to be put on the internet but I think that people really do need to think before posting something. I'm sure we've all had those moments texting or on facebook where you send a message and then realize after you sent it that the receiver could interpret what you said as being mean or not what you meant. It is hard to communicate emotion or things like sarcasm over words. Sometimes I think people forget how their words can be taken in a way that might sound much more hurtful than they meant it to be.
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