Thursday, June 06, 2002

 

I think I posted this, or something like it, sometime before but I'm not exactly sure when or where. But I've been thinking about all of this lately, so I guess it bears repeating.

The Internet's been around for a while, but it's still relatively new. The people using the 'net right now are the people defining what it will be in the future. Whether it's a senior citizen showing off pictures of her grandchildren or a junior high school student fawning all over Buffy the Vampire Slayer or a 30-something geek trying to make a living, we're all the first generation to be online in a way that it really affects our lives.

A lot of issues pop up every day that make people realize the world as we know it can't be defined the way it's been for decades. The Internet has changed all that. For example, copyrights used to be an issue that was cut and dried and very simple. But now, although it should remain that simple, it really isn't. Haven't we all come across someone blogging his/her apology to someone for "borrowing" something on another site. Maybe this person just wanted to use a quote from another blogger. What one person sees as a harmless form of flattery or adoration, another person may see as a copyright infringement.

Another issue that's going to have to be redefined is stalking. While it's pretty well defined "IRL," I think the definition in relation to cyber space is a little cloudy. Can unwanted e-mails be considered stalking? Can myriad visits to a Web site in one day be considered stalking? Can joining online groups another person belongs to be considered stalking? It's hard to say, isn't it? I think in the online world what defines stalking is how these actions make the person on the other end feel. If any of the actions, or a combination thereof, make someone feel uncomfortable, confused, scared, violated, whatever, I think there's a strong case for stalking.

What I'm getting at it is, we have to remember that a lot of the things we, as the first 'net generation, are experiencing are brand new. We can't be too hard on each other if we make "mistakes." We're all learning here, and sometimes the learning process can be painful.

Think I'm being too melodramatic or reading too much into what's happening online in chat rooms, blogs, message boards or whatever venue you choose? Remember that there are pioneers in every medium. The people involved in developing television couldn't possibly have envisioned DirectTV and HBO and 500 channels digitally transmitted. We (except for Bill Gates, maybe) can't possibly conceive of what the Internet will be like 50 years from now. We just have to remember we're the pioneers and whatever we do, good or bad, will make it better for generations to come.

posted by Anne 6/06/2002 09:24:00 PM