The Ugly Side of the Internet

Click Here to be redirected to the article about cyber bullying.

In the NBCNEWS.com article about cyber bullying, 15-year-old Audrie Pott took her life due to the harassment of three teenage boys. The three boys sexually assaulted Audrie, then posted pictures online of the assault, leading her to take her life. The material that was posted online was then sent around by the rest of her classmates, causing embarrassment and shame on Audrie's reputation. Since Audrie's death, the three boys have been arrested. This article shows just how fragile life can be. Because of these boys actions of not only committing the sexual assault, but also posting the pictures online, they will serve big consequences. Audrie should have never had to experience having to go through the pain she had to go through, and thought the best way to get away from all of it would be to put it to an end. Cyber bullying is happening way too often nowadays, and this is a great example of the ugly side of the Internet.

The Bad Side of the Internet

Click Here to be redirected to the Business Insider website

In the article "Chinese Gamer Has Spent The Past 6 Years In An Internet Cafe," the title pretty much speaks for itself. Internet addict Li Meng, has spent his last six years in an Internet cafe in China's Northeast city of Changchun. Meng has become so addicted to the Internet that he almost never leaves the computer screen. The only things that pull him away from this cafe is for food and the occasional shower. As the reporter in the story asked Meng questions about his addiction, he acted as though there were invisible. He refused to communicate with anyone other than the virtual world. The cafe owner has become used to the gammers presence and stated that at times, his presence is barely noticeable. Onlookers are concerned for Meng and say that he participates in online gaming all throughout the day, then sleeps at the cafe when he becomes tired. I found this story to be very interesting and it shows how the Internet can be a very bad thing, due to addictive gaming. The amount of time Li Meng has spent online has taken away all other aspects of his life, and has made online gaming his whole life. Addictive gaming is one of the many bad sides of the Internet.

The Good Side of the Internet

Click Here to be redirected to the National Wear Red Day Fundraiser created by the American Heart Association.

This website portrayed the one of the good things that come from the Internet. The National Wear Red Day Fundraiser was on February 1st 2013, and was the main page on the American Heart Association website to raise awareness of heart disease. There are very few facts on the page, but multiple links leading to different things that tell you more information about the movement, and how people can help. Links such as "create a fundraising page", "tools and resources," and "about the movement" help internet viewers learn how they can make an impact, and how they can help this cause by celebrating ten years of "going red." There are many other fundraisers on the internet that are for a good cause, and this is just one of them that happened to catch my attention. I think that this is for a very good cause, and by spreading heart disease awareness by websites like these, people can become more educated about the subject, and help by making a difference in someones life!

Cell Phones and Privacy

Prepaid cell phones have a number of legitimate uses. A prepaid cell phone could be used as a teenagers first cell phone, due to the fact that they are not expensive, and the amount one pays for it can limit the teenager to learn self-control with how much they use it. Also, because of the price, prepaid cell phones are easy to replace if it is lost or damaged. Another legitimate use of a prepaid cell phone includes that it lets you control your spending. You are only able to make a certain number of calls because of the available minutes that you have paid for. It could depend on your lifestyle. Prepaid cell phones could be more economical for those who do not use a cell phone as frequently as others. For these people, it could be a way to get in contact with others in case of an emergency. You can also pay as you go with these phones, lifting a weight off your shoulders, knowing that there isn’t going to be a monthly bill coming in that needs to be paid. I do not think that prepaid cell phones should be banned, but law should control them. There should be no reason why someone would need to have a prepaid cell phone, and to be sneaky about it. If there is nothing to hide, there shouldn’t be a problem registering the phone. It is a way of protecting our national security in a way, because there are people who buy these prepaid cell phones, and use them to do bad things. Although this may be invading privacy in a way, it is protecting others from danger that could occur in the future. It all depends on the situation.

Location Tracking

There are multiple things that I can disagree and agree with concerning this topic. When it comes to the animal situation, it is very much like the child situation. By implanting a chip into a child, it invades their privacy, and takes away their rights as an individual. There are many risks when it comes to this topic including if the password or the device telling the parent the child’s location was broken into and stolen, leaving their children to be able to be tracked by a stranger.  Everyone is entitled to his or her own privacy; however, having these chips implanted is taking away their rights. When it comes to benefits, the only time that I think that this potentially could be acceptable is if the child continuously is putting itself in danger due to the fact that they wonder off by themselves. I do not think this thing should be permanent, but temporary until the child can learn how to communicate with their parents about where they are going and where they are expected to be in the future. I do not think it is right to have chips implanted in a teenager. They have the ability to communicate to their parents in most cases, and even though some teenagers misbehave more than others, there needs to be another way for the parents to be able to figure out where their children are because tracking them is invading their privacy. If there was a bill in congress to require ID chips in children under the age of five, I am not sure as to whether I would support it or not. I think that there are times when a family needs this due to certain circumstances, but there are other families that don’t because the parents feels that there is not problem, or potential danger, when it comes to keeping track of their kids. I think that it is a very creative idea having GPS shoes because it could help protect a loved one with a mental illness or disability from becoming harmed. I do think that if it were possible, to discuss this option with the person who would be wearing the shoes, even though you might not get a very straight answer due to the senior’s forgetfulness. GPS could prevent them from danger in the future, but there is always the fact that someone could find out where the person is by hacking into the device where one can see where they are located. This is a very had topic to answer because everyone should have a say in their privacy; however, there are certain times when one cant speak for themselves, leaving it up to someone else to decide. 

First Post!

Hi, my name is Katie and I am in Living in a Networked World, CS 408-01. This is my first post using blogger, and I am interested to learn how it works!