The excerpts and essay from Nichoas Negroponte, George Gilder, and J.P Barlow all illustrate the positive and negatives of the new digital media age (10). Gilder claims that television paved the way for the computer age--notably the telecomputer era. But in order for the U.S to remain on top in the technological industry, the government must deregulate (85-86). What is the most interesting about his argument is that he deems television totalitarian and believes that the telecomputer will be the medium that will expand true democracy (18). His political stance on electronics and really digital media provides backdrop for J.P Barlow's more "radical" claims, going so far as to author a Declaration of Rights for the new setting of social discourse--cyberspace. Negroponte is also optimistic about the digital age and strongly believes once most atoms are digitized into bits, the possibilities are endless.
Are their allegations viable? That is a good question. Just as we discussed in the last class, there are some pros and cons to having such a fluidity of information. One of the major criticisms I can come up with after reading the above writers is that as nice as having the declaration of independence of cyberspace considered a rule of law, provisions such as "whatever the human mind may create can be reproduced and distributed infinitely at no cost" and "I declare that the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyranny you seek to impose on us," may not be enforced (1, 2). As I am presenting on Negroponte and Barlow, I have thought more extensively about the notions of national security and laws that were put in place to protect american citizens against invisible foes. Wiki Leaks and other leakage of information cause a storm in the media and ruffle the government as it tries to maintain order, would Wiki Leaks be a big deal if the media hadn't latched on to it as forbidden information. Conversely, the information was highly confidential and certainly strained U.S. diplomatic relations. Shutting down offensive videos, blocking offensive posts from Facebook, blogs and youtube videos are a self-regulating way the digital media addresses controversial speech. Negroponte's "One Laptop per Child" initiative illustrates Barlow and Gilder's hope that everyone can access the internet and cyberspace. In a way Negroponte is upholding one of Barlow's major tenets, "we are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station or birth," (2).
Finally (though certainly not the only issue), I saw much of Haraway's inner debate in Barlow and Negrponte's work in particular. Both writers discuss embodiment and how the fact that cyberspace is not a physical being or a physical body that can be tortured, coerced or stopped militarily, makes it an ideal setting for democratic rights and thus free thought. Regulatory measures starting from the inception of the FCC in 1960? and recently the Telecom Reform Act, and even the Patriot Act (which under the guise of national security allows agents to look at personal info from library books, emails, online orders, etc...) make digital media not as completely free as the above writers believe and aspire it will be.
Are their allegations viable? That is a good question. Just as we discussed in the last class, there are some pros and cons to having such a fluidity of information. One of the major criticisms I can come up with after reading the above writers is that as nice as having the declaration of independence of cyberspace considered a rule of law, provisions such as "whatever the human mind may create can be reproduced and distributed infinitely at no cost" and "I declare that the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyranny you seek to impose on us," may not be enforced (1, 2). As I am presenting on Negroponte and Barlow, I have thought more extensively about the notions of national security and laws that were put in place to protect american citizens against invisible foes. Wiki Leaks and other leakage of information cause a storm in the media and ruffle the government as it tries to maintain order, would Wiki Leaks be a big deal if the media hadn't latched on to it as forbidden information. Conversely, the information was highly confidential and certainly strained U.S. diplomatic relations. Shutting down offensive videos, blocking offensive posts from Facebook, blogs and youtube videos are a self-regulating way the digital media addresses controversial speech. Negroponte's "One Laptop per Child" initiative illustrates Barlow and Gilder's hope that everyone can access the internet and cyberspace. In a way Negroponte is upholding one of Barlow's major tenets, "we are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station or birth," (2).
Finally (though certainly not the only issue), I saw much of Haraway's inner debate in Barlow and Negrponte's work in particular. Both writers discuss embodiment and how the fact that cyberspace is not a physical being or a physical body that can be tortured, coerced or stopped militarily, makes it an ideal setting for democratic rights and thus free thought. Regulatory measures starting from the inception of the FCC in 1960? and recently the Telecom Reform Act, and even the Patriot Act (which under the guise of national security allows agents to look at personal info from library books, emails, online orders, etc...) make digital media not as completely free as the above writers believe and aspire it will be.
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