Media and Society: Free Speech

December 8, 2010 in Blog, College with 1 Comment

How free is too free when it comes to free speech? This is the question that has been raised multiple times over the last few months as the controversial website, WikiLeaks, has published secret government documents ranging from the complete logs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables containing top secret information. Wikileaks says they are releasing the information to promote freedom of speech and government transparency. The questions remain, however: is this the right way to go about it and, even if it was not, do the web service providers have a right to block access to Wikileaks?

While little of the information in the recent diplomatic cable release was terribly shocking, much of it was potentially offensive to foreign governments and has the potential to damage some long-standing diplomatic relationships the U.S. maintains. The war logs show much information we already knew about the war, but also reveal some new information regarding civilian deaths in the wars. None of the information as of yet has created a massive uproar or revolution against government. But it has raised some interesting questions regarding government openness.

This article at ReadWriteWeb asks about the many web services (Amazon, PayPal, EveryDNS, Visa, Mastercard) that have blacklisted WikiLeaks from using their services for “illegal activity.” There remains a deeper question here: is it illegal? As of yet, a court has yet to pass any judgement on this question. This then brings into question the presumption of innocence in the United States. Are these businesses denying WikiLeaks a constitutional right? Are we bringing into question the true freedom of the internet?

There are many more questions than answers presented in this post, I know. That’s because I don’t know the answers. I can’t tell you.  I’m neither a legal expert or a web expert. What I do know is that the WikiLeaks scandal presents many issues regarding media freedom. The media industry in the U.S. is dependent on this freedom. Are we now questioning it in the name of national security?

Media and Society: Neutrality

September 20, 2010 in Blog, College with 1 Comment

Net Neutrality

Image from Francesco Lapenta.

“Net neutrality.” It’s a very technical sounding term you may have seen thrown around, but what does it actually mean? Wikipedia defines net neutrality as “the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally.” However, of late the term has taken on a more broad definition to include all public networks, such as cellular, telephone, and television. Debates have raged between media providers (such as YouTube, Facebook, and Google) and internet service providers (such as Verizon, AT&T, and Frontier) over whether we should embrace total net neutrality or whether heavier users of Internet resources should pay more.

This issue has resurfaced this week with T-Mobile considering a small charge for every text message sent through their network by a text-processing company, such as ChaCha. However, they’ve created exemptions for major operators such as Facebook and Twitter. This has raised the ire of many small companies far and wide as it makes it more difficult for them to compete in such an environment.

Our access to media far and wide could be jeopardized by the decisions made both by media providers and those who deliver that media. In time, the media you have access to may become increasingly more dependent on the amount of money you have to spend. The messages you take in online could be increasingly controlled by someone dictating what they do and don’t want you to see or hear. This already happens many times internationally in nations such as China and North Korea, but even sometimes in environments we choose to subject ourselves to such as colleges or workplaces with filtering systems. Our ability to learn new things in order to build new knowledge structures and develop our personal locus could be dictated by a select few. Our competencies and skills could be crippled because of a lack of access to certain types of information.

While I predict the day when net neutrality is a critical issue is far off, it’s a concern that needs dealt with today before it ever becomes a critical issue. Maintaining a media-literate society is dependent on being able to access whatever form of media we would choose. Neutrality can open the door for our society to be more media literate across all socio-economic levels.

Media and Society: Re-welcome

September 8, 2010 in Blog, College with 1 Comment

So it’s September now. And the last time I wrote here, it was May. Yes. I know. I committed blogger sin. But like Jesus, I know you, my kindly readers, are very forgiving. So thank you.

It’s been a while, so let me introduce myself anew to both my regular readers and new readers who will be coming along for the ride. I’m Evan Doyle, and I’m the Technology Director at KidzMatter. Perhaps more entrancing for the next few months will be the fact that I am currently a sophomore at Indiana Wesleyan University double majoring in Public Relations and Christian Education.

As part of my Public Relations program, I’m currently in a class called “Media and Society.” In this class we are not only analyzing media and the impact it makes on our society, but also what the media does to make those impacts. I’m very excited about it. One of the projects for this course is a weekly (or more often) blog analyzing a piece of media. Each of these posts will be preceded by the same tag as this post here: “Media and Society.” When you see that prefix, you’ll know you’re about to read a post about, well, what else? Media and Society.

I’m really excited about this. I can’t wait to see where we go between now and December. And maybe even beyond. Go college!

Facebook and Privacy

May 21, 2010 in Blog, Digital with 3 Comments

This is a bit off topic for what I usually write about here, but I’m the author and it’s my prerogative to do that from time to time. :) You’ve probably heard in the last few weeks about issues with Facebook and privacy. Then users rose up and declared a mass Facebook exodus on May 31. Then Facebook said, “We’re going to simplify privacy options.” Then the whole thing hit the cover of Time. Now tonight, it’s been revealed that Facebook (and many other social networking sites) have accidentally been releasing personally identifiable information to advertisers. It’s all been a giant mess which have resulted in tons of complaints, Facebook/Twitter posts, news articles, and more.

Through all of this, however, I’ve kept my Facebook privacy settings pretty open–mostly anyone can read my posts. Now only friends and such can see my most personal information, but if you want to see a picture of me or see what I’m up to, you can. Most people think I’m crazy for this–they say there’s some things on Facebook they’d like to keep private, and that Facebook’s constant changes makes it too hard for them to do it. Others say that Facebook is pushing us to share everything.

What we forget often, however, is that the Internet is an innately open, public place. It was designed as such. Anyone desperate enough can find out any information about you they’d like, really. We can create semblances of privacy, but the reality is that the web is open, and no one can change that. Even some of the world’s most secure government computers have security breaches from time to time. In an open environment, privacy is lost.

Image from Flickr user chooyutshing

It’s helpful for me to picture the Internet like a glass house. You can choose to have your windows wide open, closed, or barred, but it’s still glass. You might be making it harder to see in, but it’s far from impossible. That’s why my personal online theory is this: I only post things I would want my mom to read. Now admittedly, being friends with your mother on Facebook does help with this. But the principle still stands. If you wouldn’t say it to your mom or wouldn’t show it to a future employer, it doesn’t belong online. Anywhere. No matter how “private” you may have it. Glitches happen. Privacy is violated. You can put bars behind your windows, but they’re still just windows.

My point is this: rather than complaining about privacy, don’t say stupid things online. Don’t put things online you wouldn’t want the whole world to see. I’m not saying privacy breaches are right or OK–not at all. I’m just saying that in an open online world, it will happen. Get used to it, and adjust your behavior online accordingly.

Crushed: Part 3, Sin and Death

April 4, 2010 in Blog, Christianity with 0 Comments

“HE IS RISEN!” Can you imagine the confusion the disciples experienced when Mary came running into the room screaming that? Can you imagine the overwhelming joy they experienced when they discovered it was true? It’s overwhelming to even think about. The disciples had lost all hope, but now they were filled with a “living hope!” Christ was risen!

Exciting though His resurrection was, the promise it is to us is even more exciting. Scripture says:

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

-Romans 5:10 (NIV)

Yes, when Christ died, he died to defeat the power of sin one time—enough for all time. He now has a new life, and his new life is with God.

-Romans 6:10 (NCV)

Christ has crushed the power of sin and death for us. No more do we have to live under its power. We have victory over it. Hell couldn’t hold Christ in His tomb. Hell can’t hold you in the tomb of your sin either. The same spirit that empowered Christ’s earthly work empowers you to live a resurrected life of victory over Satan. I don’t know about you, but that makes me pretty excited.

Live this week, this month, this year in his freeing power. Let his spirit set you free from the grip of sin. You can live free. All you have to do is ask.

My favorite song on Easter is the song “In Christ Alone.” I want to leave you with the closing lyrics, but I’d also encourage you to go and find the full song. It’s powerful like you can’t imagine.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

-Lyrics of In Christ Alone

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