Delaney Parrish

1- Social networking sites should be limited to users 18 years of age or older.

This one is pretty straightforward to me. I think that social networking site fudge the idea of friendships and meaningful human connections. I would like to see the youth of our nation first learn to communicate with one another without the use of social networking sites. Before making virtual friends, I would like to see them create, establish, and tend to living friendships.

2- The Internet should be particularly dedicated to protecting the privacy of minors.

I see this principle as a stepping-stone. Though I think the Internet should promote privacy for all users, I think it should take dedicated strives to first protect the privacy of minors. Those under 18 years of old are legally protected in the United States for both crimes by and against them, the idea being that minors don’t always show the best judgment, that they should be given second chances, and that they are particularly vulnerable as victims of crime. This same idea should be applied to occurrences online. The violation of a minor’s privacy should be considered especially offensive, and strides should be taken legally to both prevent and prosecute such violations.

3- The Internet should promote access to pornography as socially unacceptable and deviant.

Pornography, I believe, is an example of an industry that could only exist, on as large a scale as it does, online. Without the Internet, I do not believe that pornography would be so widely circulated and used. I do not believe that we as humans should be participating online in something we wouldn’t participate in as a part of our “real lives.” There are legal restrictions regarding access to, for example, child pornography or snuff films, and yet there are few repercussions, if any, for access to pornography that otherwise serves as a gateway to these types of pornography. I understand the dangers and complications in legislating a person’s sexual life or desires. Therefore, I do not necessarily believe that pornography or access to pornography should be outlawed (or even greatly restricted), but I do think that the Internet allows pornography to be more commonplace that it should be. This is a social norm that needs to change if we wish to restore and/or build healthy relationships between and among men and women.

4- The Internet should encourage responsible participation in systems of government.

Responsible, I suppose, is the problematic word here. I think I mean for the vague quality of the word to refer to an individual’s own capacity to discover what “responsible” might mean to them. To me, responsible participation in government is reasonable, logical feedback on the decisions and methodologies of a nations government in regards not only to its own people, but to peoples of other nations and backgrounds. Angry rants are not responsible. Gossip blogs about the sex life of Washington staffers are not responsible. Online participation in government should instead be dedicated to the benefit of all parties involved with or affected by the government, not to the individual priorities of the one speaking (writing, blogging, etc.)


5- The Internet should value knowledge and/or noteworthy information over gossip.

With all due respect to Perez Hilton, you do little to benefit anyone. I think that people do need a release from the more serious aspects of life. But I don’t think obsessing over other people’s lives, particularly celebrities, does little to advance anyone’s quality of life. Rather, it only proves detrimental to those being gossiped about. This is not to say that only news and/or seriously political or social topics are to be considered “noteworthy.” I think that there is much more to life than that. But I would rather people spend their time trying to enhance the quality of their lives instead of merely passing the time with the consumption of mindless, pointless information.


6- The Internet's purposes should not be confused or intermingled with endeavors of capitalism.

This principle is not meant to disown online shopping. I was not talking about ebay or bluefly.com. Rather, I meant that the Internet should not be seen primarily as a means to make money. When it is seen a means for capitalistic victory, I think the Internet will begin to value quantity of information over quality of information. As with most things in life, when the only purpose of any endeavor is to make money, many immoral and hurtful decisions tend to be made along the way. If users can manage to both make money and simultaneously benefit one another, than I have no major qualms with capitalistic endeavors on the Internet.

7- Hate speech on the Internet should be barred from respectable websites.

This principle is a modified version of the one posted on the wiki as part of our 12 class principles—Hate speech on the Internet should be restricted. I like that norm, but I am hesitant to suggest that hate speech should be restricted. We have a freedom of speech in this country, and I think it should stay that way. I think that instead we need to discover ways to norm hate speech as undesirable or unacceptable. But restricting something often does little to curtail it. I understand that respectable is vague at best, and that most websites we would consider “respectable” would likely bar hate speech to begin with, but I though it should be stated nonetheless.

8- Creative work posted on the Internet should be under the same copyright umbrella as traditionally published creative materials.

Traditional copyright laws have been modified over the years to best protect an author’s right to their work. They should not be altered because work exists in a digital rather than physical medium. Digital production of creative work does not devalue its nature, and therefore it should not be subjected to devalued copyright law or copyright law enforcement.

9- Sites that allow users to find the location of others without their consent should be eliminated from use by the general public.

This is a modified version of the one posted on the wiki as part of our 12 class principles—Sites that allow users to find the location of others without their consent should be eliminated. Technology that allows such infringement of privacy law holds considerable power, and should therefore be in possession only of those who might best manage such power. Therefore, the use of this information should not be accessible to the public-at-large for personal use. This information, and websites that produce it, should be limited to use by government and/or law enforcement officials.

10- Social networking sites should be seen as opportunities to represent and celebrate diversity, rather than as locations for strict enforcement of pre-established social norms.

I think that students’ anger towards companies who use Facebook to eliminate possible employees is a representation of their frustration that these companies want them to represent a specific image. While it may not be the case that all companies only use Facebook to turn down the kids who seem to party a lot, there is so truth to the fact that companies are looking for something specific when hiring, and it probably doesn’t veer towards parties and nudity and drugs. However, I think that social networking sites could have a positive impact if we allow them to represent the true identities of individuals—identities that might not otherwise be seen or understood. If we learn to celebrate these different identities, rather than use the site to comb through and eliminate those that are, in fact, different, then social networking sites might ultimately created some sort of new social equality.

11- The Internet should not be owned or controlled by any one person or organization.

The Internet as an open forum controlled by and created by the general public is its true virtue, and one that should remain. If it is ever owned or largely dictated by one organization, then it will lose its power of checks and balances. There is something to be said for the constant struggle it undergoes to meet the needs of all who participate in it. We can see, already, how Google search engines dictate our access to the Internet’s information. Facets of the Internet such as Google should be limited if at all possible.

12- Society should not become one with the computer.

Though this one is, perhaps, the most vague, it is one of my favorites. I think we need to be constantly reminded that the Internet is something of human creation. We created it, we can alter it, and we can disable it. It should not be seen as some inevitable facet of our lives. As human beings, we have far more cognitive abilities than the Internet will ever have. For this reasons, we could not, and should not, allow it to be a part of our human fiber.