Oh the glorious World Wide Web. What would we do without it? It is a resource, a tool for anyone with access to a computer and a connection to use. This can be wonderful in many aspects, but also terrifying. In Lisa Gitelman's piece, "New Media </Body>," she explores the Internet, from it's many flaws to its extra-ordinary abilities.
One of the things I found truly cool that Gitelman brought up was the fact that anyone can join the Internet. There is no central authority. I can attest to this, since I am currently typing a post for my new blog from my cozy apartment. And I will post it soon, and it will be out there. For everyone around the world to see. Well, everyone who cares to read this anyways (haha). Still, the fact that anyone can post anything from anywhere in the entire world opens up so much possibility. Good, and bad.
Gitelman brings up one negative aspect of how easy one can post on the Internet. CNN released premature obituaries of VP Dick Cheney, Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela as well as other living figures accidentally one day. I can imagine that this caused quite a scare.
On the other hand, people can bring up real issues and ideas on the Internet. It is a place for interpretation as Gitelman states. Real time events happen on the web every moment. The Internet is an infinitely large place that provides the opportunity for anyone to contribute and for everyone to interact with each other. In a sense, it's a rare place of unity in this world. And I think that's pretty neat.
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