The Internet: A New Global Society.

Europe Group.
Week 1: “The Internet generation: a new global society.”

The Internet: A New Global Society.

The internet user is not limited to their own nation in terms of reach. With various social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook becoming an integral part of daily life, it’s no wonder that a whole world full of connected people can be reached almost instantaneously. Send a status update on Facebook, and it becomes available for potentially over a billion people to see. For YouTube videos the user doesn’t even have to have a Google+ account to feel part of the community. It has not only allowed people in mainstream society to connect, but it has also provided a place for people of various sub-cultures and special interests to interact with one another, with a few examples being video-games, live music and various kinds of fashion.

The Internet can be used for more than just sharing status updates and viewing videos. It can also be used as a tool of reaching out to those that are affected by natural disasters, political turmoil and other events. One such example is the backlash against an attempt by the United States Senate to introduce SOPA and PIPA, two controversial pieces of legislation that was designed to strengthen copyright protected materials on the Internet. In an article by The Economist, the implications for websites around the world couldn’t be felt more than the 24-hour blackout by Wikipedia, as well as Reddit and Google to an extent ^[1]. Even though this is legally limited to the US, the potential consequences could have been far reaching throughout the world, especially when access to such materials could be severely limited.

Another example of the international community coming together is a survey by the BBC’s World Service, where it claims that 79% of people across 26 countries feel that ‘internet access is a fundamental right’. Also in this survey was a claim that 53% of those surveyed felt that the internet should not be regulated by any government whatsoever ^[2]. 

No matter what the Internet is used for, it has connected people the world over, making them part of a community that transcends borders, language barriers and cultural reservations. There can be an internet community that could suit virtually any subject, if one were to look for it.

 

By Martin A. – United Kingdom
20 years old

Reference:

[1]: http://www.economist.com/node/21543173
[2]: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/08_03_10_BBC_internet_poll.pdf