2008 Woodie Awards
The Internet: Downloading freedom online
Stacy Romascavage
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Focus
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ver since its invention in 1969, the Internet, known then as Arpanet, was only used as a communication tool for the United States Army. A lot of improvements have been made since then. The Internet is viewed as a free medium for people to express, basically, whatever they want. It is arguably one of the only places left in the world where there is a free and uninhibited share of ideas and information. The Internet allows for computers, people, telephones and just about anything to connect together in a global network. In order for people to access the Internet, they have to pay a standard fee several times a year to companies which connect you to the network. Since the Internet is a medium that focuses on being live, people take advantage of its quickly expanding online references. Once the computer is networked to the Internet, people can then access information and media that is absolutely free or requires a small fee. Internet users can access newspapers and research documents at no cost without leaving their homes. At this rate, eventually libraries and hard copies of written material will become obsolete.
Downloading music and movies online is a rapidly growing fad due to its accessibility and cheap costs. Downloading software, such as Napster and Limewire, allow music fans to rapidly download their favorite media with a click of the mouse. However, there is a price to some sorts of downloading. Illegal downloading of music, movies, etc. leads to copyright infringement and violation of intellectual property laws. Thanks to the Internet, cinemas are losing revenue due to people simply downloading the newly released films online. Record labels, music artists and stores are also feeling the affect of lost profit due to the music downloading software.
People can create websites containing a plethora of information, regardless of how inappropriate the content is, due to the difficulty of tracking the site's origin. Online casinos, that feature Texas Hold-Em and Poker, are famous for making participants pay huge gambling loses and, at the same time, keeping their origin unknown. Surprisingly, the United States does not prohibit citizens from creating online casinos for the rest of the world to use. Other countries have strict rules as to what their citizens can post online, that is, if they even have access to the Internet.
The future of the Internet is uncertain and varies from country to country. Internet users determine how much longer free information will be accessible. If people continue to perform and/or conduct illegal activity online, then the Internet will be forced to charge people more money for media and other information. People who use the Internet have to realize that all of this 'free' material is a privilege and gift. If people abuse this privilege, then the government and organizations feeling the affects of illegal activity, will ban or heavily charge people for accessing the material. The Internet, after all, is a service just like other media. Users have to respect it and be thankful for having the opportunity and luxury to be connected to a world of information.
Downloading music and movies online is a rapidly growing fad due to its accessibility and cheap costs. Downloading software, such as Napster and Limewire, allow music fans to rapidly download their favorite media with a click of the mouse. However, there is a price to some sorts of downloading. Illegal downloading of music, movies, etc. leads to copyright infringement and violation of intellectual property laws. Thanks to the Internet, cinemas are losing revenue due to people simply downloading the newly released films online. Record labels, music artists and stores are also feeling the affect of lost profit due to the music downloading software.
People can create websites containing a plethora of information, regardless of how inappropriate the content is, due to the difficulty of tracking the site's origin. Online casinos, that feature Texas Hold-Em and Poker, are famous for making participants pay huge gambling loses and, at the same time, keeping their origin unknown. Surprisingly, the United States does not prohibit citizens from creating online casinos for the rest of the world to use. Other countries have strict rules as to what their citizens can post online, that is, if they even have access to the Internet.
The future of the Internet is uncertain and varies from country to country. Internet users determine how much longer free information will be accessible. If people continue to perform and/or conduct illegal activity online, then the Internet will be forced to charge people more money for media and other information. People who use the Internet have to realize that all of this 'free' material is a privilege and gift. If people abuse this privilege, then the government and organizations feeling the affects of illegal activity, will ban or heavily charge people for accessing the material. The Internet, after all, is a service just like other media. Users have to respect it and be thankful for having the opportunity and luxury to be connected to a world of information.