As we move further into the digital age, many worry what effects new technology will have on society, and whether the changes will be for the better or the worse.
A large fear that people have revolves around the idea of privacy. With so much information at our fingertips, it's hard to keep anything private nowadays. Simply googling a person's name will bring up news articles, facebook pages, biographies -- literally anything and everything that could have information ranging from where they work, to their interests and contact information. This same detail of information is also largely available in regards to government agencies and operations, though on a slightly more refined scale. Since uploading information to the internet is largely anonymous, people can release "confidential" material without facing the same repercussions that they could have in years past. So it begs the quesion -- is the ability for anyone with a computer to obtain this information a bad thing?
In my opinion, no. Not at all. Sites such as Wikileaks provide the public with all kinds of information about government actions that some people believe should remain private for security purposes. However, in a democratic nation such as this one, people have the right to know what the government is doing -- how their own elected officials are acting, and whether or not they should be able to continue doing it.
As for personal information, if you don't want information about you public, don't post it. Many of the same people that complain about privacy are the same people tweeting every fifteen minutes, or logging where they are through Places on Facebook, or posting pictures or videos from every event they attend. People need to take acknowledgement of the fact that information posted on the internet is 100% public, whether privacy settings are turned on or not, and then act accordingly.
Another fear that consumes many members of society is that digital media will replace socialization for younger generations. I believe this fear is largely unfounded. Afterall, most of the things that people spend the most time doing with digital media involves other people. Social networking sites have boomed in the past decade -- Myspace, Facebook, Twitter -- all of which support the idea of talking and interacting with others via media. Instant messaging services, especially those that provide video-chat capabilities have made it possible to have virtual face-to-face interaction with people that would otherwise be uncontactable due to schedule or location conflicts.
A study was done in 2003 that examined the effect of media on social interaction and verified many of the ways in which digital media supports interaction -- citing that it allows users to build up social networks as well as stay in contact with the network they already have in place.
Some people believe that many in today's society suffer from internet addiction, where they spend far too much time on the internet, ignoring other relationships and responsibilities. However, this argument can literally be said about anything. When people are unhappy with certain aspects of their lives, many choose to simply avoid the part that is frustrating them. For years people achieved this by escaping into a book, movie, or television show -- escaping into the void of the internet is no different.
The idea that digital media is making us stupider is 100% incorrect. An argument that is virtually unfounded. A variety of reserach has been done and books have been writen denying this idea. Everything Good is Bad for You by Steven Johnson addresses the benefits of video games and televison on today's society, citing the ways in which the complexity of plotlines has increased to keep the attention of the public because we're actually getting smarter.
Of course, while digital media, in my opinion, is largely beneficial to us rather than harmful, it would also most likely be beneficial to be aware of what we're doing while involved in it. If you typically spend 12 hours a day in front of a computer screen, it would probably be a good idea to spend a day outside, rest your eyes, and stock up on some Vitamin D. Similarily, if you often spend your time playing online games, perhaps it would be a good idea to check out a news site and figure out what's actually going on in the world around you. Awareness of the informational benefits of the internet, knowing when it can help you, and when it's time to walk away for a while is what will make it into the wonderful tool that it is.
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