YouTube Grows On

YouTube brings the world together.  It recently announced that 48 hours of video are uploaded to it every minute.  Many of these videos are submitted by people who happen to be in the right place at the right time with a video recorder.  Witnesses of a catastrophe can record it and then upload their footage to YouTube, sharing it with the world before news teams and other professionals even arrive at the scene.  People around the world can instantly express their condolences for those suffering from the event and begin organizing support groups.  Because of YouTube, the world is more connected than ever, and as it grows, we will learn more about people and cultures everywhere.

SOPA and PIPA Protests

Many internet users were affected by the SOPA and PIPA protests of Wikipedia, Google, and over 7,000 other websites on January 18. Wikipedia, who blocked their content for 24 hours, was visited 162 million times, and Google reported that 4.5 million signatures were submitted to their online petition.  These efforts  made more people aware of the proposed bills and even led 8 US lawmakers to withdraw their support for the bills.  This is an example of the powerful communicative tool that the internet has become.  Allowing the government to censor and block websites would give it the power to control the internet.  This could hinder the internet's growth and keep it from becoming an even greater tool for communicating.  For this reason, I support the protests of Wikipedia and Google and hope that the internet will remain open and uncensored.

For more information, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16628143

Technology: A Tool for Both Good and Bad

The advances of technology over the past generation have provided new ways for the world to communicate quickly.  Thanks to the television and the Internet, people throughout the world can find out about a tsunami that will flood Japan long before the tidal waves reach land, and aid can quickly be organized for the people who will loose everything they own. There are many great and useful tools that modern technology provides that bless lives everywhere, but it is important to realize these tools can be used in ways to corrupt society.  Whether we like it or not, society is affected by the media, and because of the advances in technology, the media gains more power every day.  Please consider how technology affects politics.  The politicians who are most likely to succeed are the ones with the most financial support.  They are the ones with whom the public will be most familiar because they will have the strongest presence in the media.  What does this mean?  Technology provides new ways for politics to be controlled by money, making it easier for corrupt men to control society.  Do not let yourself be deceived by everything you hear on TV or read on the internet.  Do yourself and your country the favor of researching a variety of resources before voting in any election so that you can make a wise decision.