If you're a big believer in having everything your way, talking to the people you like, searching for the sort information you'd like, and networking with individuals around the world, when you want, where you want, in other words if you want to stay connected to the internet at your free will and love the idea of a global village, this is your blog post!
In order to understand net neutrality better, I made observation results of my time spent on the internet.
Everyday, I turn on my laptop, and click on Safari (which is the web browser for Mac). When I'm on my web browser, the first place I go to is my Facebook account. Logging on to my account, I find I have about 10 alerts. These alerts usually indicate friends that have posted messages on my profile wall, friends that have commented on my pictures, friends that have commented on pictures I have been tagged in, friends that have commented on my updated status, etc. As I read these messages and comments, I feel bored and decide to listen to some music. The first website that comes into my mind is YouTube. I know I can find almost any sort of genre on this website so I type in "Russian Roulette by Rihanna" to listen. As Im listening to the music, I then check my Hotmail. I log on to my account and read every mail I've received and start replying. My song finish's, so I go back on YouTube and type in "Forever by Drake" to listen to that. As I complete replying to my Hotmail, I log onto the Guelph-Humber websites to check my mail there. I know I have a media assignment due the next day, so I go on the Google search engine, and check out examples of news releases. I start taking notes. While I'm at it, I also read the news. Might as well right? I suddenly remember that I need to update my Twitter status. I immediately go on my twitter page and type in, "All the possibilities the internet has to offer us. My brain has just been in so many places in just 15 minutes….and I love it!".
I just had so many choices over the internet. I did just about everything I wanted to do. Net neutrality is what made this possible for me. However, net neutrality is not being taken seriously enough by the government. The acts against it are occurring now and we need to stop it somehow. I can't imagine not having the freedom to do everything I just did in 15 minutes. Net neutrality fights for open media verses closed media, allows access to websites, enforces no restrictions and provides freedom of choice. It acts as the voice of the public and over all is a "democratic device" (CBC News, 2009). Having regulations is like "if the law imposed the death penalty for parking tickets, we'd have fewer parking tickets, we'd also have much less driving"(Lessig, 192). Without net neutrality, we'd have less people using the internet, therefore less views on websites, therefore bringing down the reputation and familiarity of each website, and every company linked to that website. It would be a downward spiral for businesses and the the global village culture. To make it more simple for you and myself to understand, I like to compare this to innovation, since innovation equals to productivity. "If innovation is constantly checked by this uncertain and unlimited liability, we will have much less vibrant innovation and much less creativity"(Lessig, 192). So, this "punitive system of regulation will systematically stifle creativity and innovation. It will protect some industries and some creators, but it will harm industry and creativity generally"(Lessig, 192).
I have had the freedom of choice over the Internet ever since I was about 11 years old. I've been brought up with it and learned from it. I have become a fast thinker, an analyzer, a more productive person and have connected with more people and organizations around the world due to my freedom I have on the Internet. No net neutrality will equal to no best friend.
Works Cited
Curtis, A. "Net Neutrality". YouTube. 21st April 2006. 20th November 2009.
Lessig, Lawrence. Free Culture. United States of America: Penguin Books, 2004.
"Net Neutrality and Internet Traffic Management". CBC News. 19th October 2009. 20th November 2009.
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