Free Porn, Free DVD’s, Free Mp3’s

Censoring the Internet only Adds To the Problem

“Take a guess at this. Las Vegas and me have something in common. I am open 24 hours a day. I never sleep. People pay to enjoy me. I can be used for entertainment purposes. I am there when you need me. Hit my buttons a certain way and I will show you things that you have never seen before. What am I? Give up? I am the Internet”

Every day there are advancements in the technology field. These advancements are for the betterment of society. With the invention of the Internet and now high speed Internet access, the content that can be viewed and downloaded in just seconds is amazing.          

We live in a free world. According to the constitution of the United States, we, Americans have a right to freedom. “Freedom of speech is one of the basic privileges guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution”(Bender & Leone Censorship 16). Many times when we want to exhibit our freedom there are select few that get offended. There are boycotts and rallies in favor of prohibiting the freedom of Americans. Just as those select few have the right to voice their opinion as to why they disapprove, we have the rite to move forward and do what we want, as long as it does not break any laws.

            Many people say the idea of censorship is the only answer. There needs to be laws protecting those that use the Internet daily. The majority of the people that are in favor of censorship for the Internet are those that claim the negative and obscene material is too easily accessible for their children and our youth.

"Free porn, free nude pics, free DVD’s, free Mp3’s." These are a few of the phrases one may see when logging on to the Internet. The Internet is one of the greatest inventions. The Internet has helped out so many and in so many different ways. The Internet is more than just free porn or free music, it is a place where people around that world can go and virtually interact with someone they have never seen or heard before. The Internet interchangeable with the words; World Wide Web (WWW) is exactly what its name says. It is a huge web of different connections, which make it possible for people to communicate, trade, and share information at the click of a button.

I was fortunate to have a computer and Internet access at a very young age. I can remember watching my mother logging on to America On-Line (AOL) version 1.0 for the first time; AOL is now up to version 7.0, with our 14.4 k modem. At the time it was so fast, but compared to the speed of the Internet connections of today, it is extremely slow. As I watched with anticipation, I remember my mother saying, “ This is so amazing, it is like watching Ben Franklin discover electricity.” It was a memorable event. At the time the Internet was not well known. The idea of communication with a computer to another computer via a phone line was quite strange. It was very expensive to access the Internet; AOL was charging about six dollars per hour. Now AOL has a flat monthly rate of about $20, which makes it more convenient and economical for Internet users. When I was younger I would use the Internet solely for chatting. Rarely did I use it for educational purposes. As I got older and entered high school, my use of the Internet began to broaden. I was always on the Internet. I began to use it for school papers, to check my daily e-mail, or even check out to see if my favorite baseball team was winning. I was an Internet junky, jumping from chat room to chat room, finding lyrics to my favorite songs, and listening to a live telecast of a sporting event.

With every new invention, the business world would soon catch on and learn how to market and advertise for their businesses. The Internet was a wonderful world for many businesses. It gave them the opportunity to expand to a new and different clientele. It gave them the tools to do better business. Just as we have commercials during our favorite television shows, the Internet has pop ups and junk e-mail’s. These pop ups and junk e-mail’s may seem to be a hassle. It does not take that much time and energy to click on the “X” and close the pop up. If it were not for these pop ups and junk e-mail’s, the price of the Internet could greatly rise. Which is better, to have a few extra boxes pop up on the screen, or having to pay some enormous amount of money per month, to access the internet?

The Internet is accessible to any one of any age. Today, the Internet can be accessed for free at schools or libraries. Many of parents say the Internet is a bad tool for their children. They put up the defense that the Internet is a meeting place for people to view obscene pictures and to lure young girls on the Internet to perform sexual acts on someone that is pretending to be someone else. It is a parent’s job to protect their children. The parent may not always be around to watch or police over what their child is doing, but when at home it is easy to see what that child is doing. Parents have the duty and the right to be nosey. Normally it is the parent that pays for the access of the Internet. If they believe their child is viewing negative material they must intervene and find out what is going on and possibly cancel the Internet account if necessary.

People that are against the Internet, because of the negative luggage that it carries are pro censorship for the Internet. They feel if laws are passed that will censor what is going on, what is posted on the web, and who is allowed access, situations like young children viewing naked pictures, or being hassled with a pop up, or their child being lured by a child rapist in a chat room, things will begin to run smoother?

The word censorship “…evokes the trappings of a police state” (Demac Liberty Denied 1). Censorship brings about restrictions. When a person’s freedom is restricted they lose a sense of this American freedom that is so popular in today’s world. Censoring with the intent to protect is a good concept. Who is to say what will protect or not? The Internet is a huge playground. We have the choice to play or not. Censoring the Internet is not a part of the solution. If it is not a part of the solution, then it must be a part of the problem or it is the problem.

I agree there should be a system to filter certain subjects in certain places. Most schools and libraries have filters that will deny access to pornographic websites and any thing with obscene content. Censoring the entire Internet is just too unreasonable. If a law is passed, regardless of if a person agrees with it or not, that law should be respected. The fact that the Internet is such a useful tool and the Constitution protects the freedom of speech, laws censoring certain things on the World Wide Web will never take effect. In this case, the ends out weigh the means. Of course we would like to live in a world free of trouble. We would like our children to grow up in a society where they will not be subjected to any type of behavior that will allow them to experience certain things that they should not be allowed to view until they are much more mature.

“As our culture becomes more turbulent, it becomes more stable and effective, not less. Ideas that improve the overall stability and development of the system will replicate, while ideas that don’t will naturally iterate into obscurity” (Rushkoff Playing the Future 266). The rise of technology, especially the rise of the Internet has made it easier for us to access hundreds of hours of information with just a click of a button. The Internet is making our culture more stable. It is an idea that will not iterate into obscurity. The Internet is a very useful tool.  It can be used for educational to entertainment uses. If a person would like to use the Internet to get their, “jollies” as my mother would put it, by all means let them go ahead and do what they have to do. Let them log onto the “XXX” websites. Where there is place to make money advertises will try to capitalize on it. The Internet has made it effortless for companies to promote and sell their product, via a pop up menu. The Internet is another business. With any business, it will have its good sides and bad sides, hopefully more positive then negative times. The overall analysis is the good out weigh the bad.

“My argument is not an argument for censorship. It is an argument for the development of a self-conscious and self-critical awareness of what we do. It is an argument for a new enlightenment which recognizes that reason can never free itself for the fetters of human concerns” (Jansen Censorship 4). This is an argument to protect Americans freedom. If we censor the Internet, then what is next? Every time groups of people get offended, we will have to censor. Well of course, it is in our best interest, right?

            The Internet is one of the most creative and useful inventions. It has helped our youth more than it has hurt. With anything, there will be those few bad seeds that plant itself and find water to grow. Censoring will not kill those seeds just give them more water to live and grow.

 Sources:

Bender, David. Leone, Bruno. Censorship Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven

            Press, Inc., 1990

Demac, Donna A. Liberty Denied The Current Rise of Censorship in America. New York: PEN American Center, 1988

Jansen, Sue C. Censorship The Knot that Binds Power and Knowledge. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991

Rushoff, Douglas. Playing the Future What We Can Learn From Digital Kids. New York: Riverhead Books, 1996

Commentary: The internet is a funny situation There is no one really to police it, so it can be difficult I still don't know what I would do if I did not currently have the internet I know one thing, school would be a lot harder

Home