Social Media News

On October 30, 2009 the Internet hit a milestone; it’s forty year birthday. Within a rapidly changing globally interconnected society, user connectivity is often taken for granted in our day-to-day life; when polled, some of the most technology savvy individuals were left without words while questioned as to how the Internet came to exist. Assisting the United States Department of Defense during the Cold War, the Internet came to be and seen its first message in 1969; this birth of content sharing, on a network of interconnected computers, was short lived only to crash seconds before a full word could be spelled – functioning as a “packet switching” protocol, the Internet began as the ARPANET.  Rapidly changing to advance each day, the Internet’s fortieth birthday brings my mind to a simple question; is the Internet a right or a privilege for adults?

Overwhelmed by its unlimited knowledge, the Internet is a tool that eliminated the use of a hardback encyclopedia; novice users eager to quench their thirsts for knowledge are blind of the troubles that looms within the shadows; a plethora of malware, spam, tracking cookies, objectionable material, hacking, phishing, and that of malice virus embedding. Receiving astounding growth within a generation of social media, some say that the Internet’s soar in traffic is due to the freedom to use the Internet right quoting the American Freedom of Speech act; employed within the field of social media backed by technology, I couldn’t disagree more with those who believe the Internet is a right – merely, in my opinion, the vast world of connectivity, is that of a privilege for adults.

Closely, I look at these two words; right and privilege. Thumbing through a variety of definitions in accordance with this concept; a right is something that is “due” to one or a group “by policy” — such as the Freedom of speech or that of women’s rights. Whereas, a privilege is “a pleasure granted to a person or group”. If true, that the Internet is that of a right, it would mean that a connection to the Internet is due to everyone; as this right, due to everyone, the Internet would be placed within a policy similar to that of The Bill of Rights. Designed on the principal that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens of The United States of America, this leading ten point doctrine of the US Constitution, was placed into effect by the First Congress of America in 1789 and has stood the test of time – though modifications have been made in subsequent years. Within the freedom of one’s religion/press/speech, the right to bear arms, the right as a soldier to not be quartered in a time of peace, protection from unlawful search and seizures, to have due process of law without that of double jeopardy, for one to have the right to a speedy public trial, the preservation to have a jury trial,  the protection of reasonable bail and reasonable fines for criminal act, the right to never be disparage from their rights, and for anything not delegated by the Constitution to be reserved by state and/or people; I see nothing concerning the of the Internet nor do I see no recent respected amendments concerning that of connectivity within the Bill of Rights – thus I derive my conclusions that the Internet is that of a privilege.

A pleasure granted to a person or group, a powerful statement; yet not a right by any means — the Internet rests as that of a privilege. By stating the Internet, is a right, it needs to be noted that the Internet is that of a global mix of interconnected computers; in some areas of this world no Bill of Rights exists as in The United States of America – female circumcision may be done moments after surfing the Internet for information. Rough estimates show that 1,086,250,903 globally use the Internet in 2006, when the global populace was around 6,600,000,000; if the Internet was that of a right, connections would be established to everyone –- clearly as a right by policy, those without utilities would have access to the Internet in the darkness of their straw huts or be segregated. However, my main point is that the Internet is that of a pleasure; the Internet is not a need and many people function without an established connection even within the United States and other industrialized counties. Again, third world counties would only be discriminated against if the Internet was that of a right.

Delving deeper within this question, regardless of right or privilege, what about our children; for those assuming this is a right, is the Internet a right to those under the age of 18 and protected by guardianship. Absolutely, not; as children are children and cannot legally be signed to a contact until they are of the age of 18 -– one could say that they are within rights, restricted by their guardians or parents. Legally a child under 18 cannot walk into a service provider, request Internet service, and be legally signed into a contract; unless emancipated. Parents control the rights of their children, with that my opinion is that a parent or legal guardian controls the privileges of that child as well; one parent may be harsh and restrict the Internet to a certain age with strict control if at all, while another parent my rely on cyber created features online to protect their child, and a third parent may give access in full to the child provided for without care or modification -– in this twenty-first century it is often heard of that technology is used as that of a babysitter. Regardless, a child has no “right” to be online, unless allowed the privilege by parent or guardian; this dismisses the idea that the Internet is a child’s right.

(Copyright © Social-Media-News 2009)

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