Socrates, it is said, exclaimed in the presence of Euthydemus and many others, “Critias seems to have the feelings of a pig: he can no more keep away from Euthydemus than pigs can help rubbing themselves against stones.” Now Critias bore a grudge against Socrates for this; and when he was one of the Thirty and was drafting laws with Charicles, he bore it in mind. He inserted a clause which made it illegal “to teach the art of words.”
Xenophon – Memorabilia
In the wrong hands the internet can be used to spread terrorist and other illegal or harmful content, undermine civil discourse, and abuse or bully other people. Online harms are widespread and can have serious consequences.
It isn't going to end is it?
6 comments:
Oh, nice juxtaposition, Sir!
I love the clunky amateurish attempts to garner evidence for their cause in the White Paper foreword. Two thirds of adults are concerned about what is online, and "close to half" say they have seen hateful content. Well, that document concerns me a great deal, and I would say it's hateful.
Insert mail" for internet.
It still makes as much sense.
Or telephony.
Think of junk mail and cold calls.
I have a neighbour, who is not in the first flush of youth, yet uses Farcebook a lot, I continually get stories of how he has said something eminently sensible on there and described that to me only to suffer a tsunami of abuse by those who think otherwise.
What I do not understand is why he or anyone else would want to carry on using the platform and continually complain about the treatment they get from others.
Schoolchildren have the same problems with their mobile phones, all sorts of pressure groups are set up to try and stop online abuse, but the simple answer is not to use Farcebook Twatter or whatever, all those who complain would be feeling a lot better if they didn't.
The trouble is that communication is addictive for most humans and there lies the explanation - a bit like coughing badly but continuing to smoke.
Mankind has never before been able (pre internet) to communicate on such a scale and perhaps it's a good thing he couldn't. How this new phenomenon will settle over time remains to be seen. Other societies (far eastern) seem to know what they will do, but a free society?
Once similar to providing information like a library, now Hoi Polloi have inundated it with inane chatter and abuse, it resembles a roomful of party people all talking over each other - the din is tremendous but the content minimal.
Sam - thanks and yes it is a hateful document. Many things are hateful such as BBC bias, but some of us don't make a fuss about it.
Doonhamer - good point. We could add TV too, but maybe that is the one-way medium they prefer.
Wiggia - Facebook seems to do more harm than good and as far as I can see as a non-user, the world would be a better place without it. I don't use Twitter either, but even as a non-user the censorship is worrying.
Tammly - maybe it has a way to go before it settles down. There are enormous positives, but the negatives seem formidable and threatening. You are right - free societies don't appear to know what to do, but maybe they never were particularly free and the internet brings that out.
Ed - it is possible to use it like a library even though many don't. That's how I mainly use it and I wouldn't like to be without it now.
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