I cannot personally see any of the 'problems' cited by this article as being detrimental to such a severe degree, which Cheryl seemed to believe (except for the one about cyber-sex that's just gross!). Admittedly this article was written in 1995 and hasn't received an update since that publishing date, so maybe the author still agrees with what they have said to this day.
Who knows?
The internet offers a massive learning resource to everyone, and although we may not necessarily agree with all its content, we can all say that we certainly become more realistic with our opinions as a result of being submitted to such content.
Cheryl whether you like it or not the internet is an art form, which means it is a release expression and information. And you are unfortunately the modern day Plato we can all morally disagree with the content available over the internet. But irrespective of that the internet cannot be held responsible for the damages that people create for themselves.
Censorship leads to the removal of free speech and expression, which proves to make people more submissive.
Look at the Soviet Union other any other fascist dictatorship for the evidence.
This is probably why the past was so much more socially sound (or so you seem to infer with your comment), and more likely to be considered being so by the majority of people during that era, who were lacking the knowledge of the reality of affairs worldwide, or at least to the some extent with information that is provided for us now in the form of the internet.
Censoring or controlling the content placed on the internet goes against the 'more' democratic world we are supposed to have been brought up into, so my question to you is can you blame the ills of society and the world on the 21st century youth who wishes to retain the knowledge of the real state of affairs of the world morally, socially and politically?
And forever condemn them to the media based message of a more violent youth which are nearing adulthood and the array of problems they will bring to society with them. In reality what you should want to have monitored instead is the tabloid based news stories that condemns such a mentally challenging digital information and commerce system.
But it has been a pleasant experience to read this article and view it from a perspective where this advancement of knowledge was new and brought along with it an array ethical and social problems. I like the thought that most people can look back upon the article and disagree with the majority of the points made within it.
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The Internet? Bah!
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Then there's cyberbusiness. We're promised instant catalog shopping--just point and click for great deals. We'll order airline tickets over the network, make restaurant reservations and negotiate sales contracts. Stores will become obselete. So how come my local mall does more business in an afternoon than the entire Internet handles in a month? Even if there were a trustworthy way to send money over the Internet--which there isn't--the network is missing a most essential ingredient of capitalism: salespeople.
What's missing from this electronic wonderland? Human contact. Discount the fawning techno-burble about virtual communities. Computers and networks isolate us from one another. A network chat line is a limp substitute for meeting friends over coffee. No interactive multimedia display comes close to the excitement of a live concert. And who'd prefer cybersex to the real thing? While the Internet beckons brightly, seductively flashing an icon of knowledge-as-power, this nonplace lures us to surrender our time on earth. A poor substitute it is, this virtual reality where frustration is legion and where--in the holy names of Education and Progress--important aspects of human interactions are relentlessly devalued.
STOLL is the author of "Silicon Snake Oil--Second Thoughts on the Information Highway," to be published by Doubleday in April.
© 1995
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