Questions

1. I feel that as we grow more and more reliant on the internet we can see it is growing as a representative democracy, almost like the one we use as a nation. Sure anyone can put something up on the internet, but those websites will probably not get popular. It is the popular websites like a facebook and google that everyone uses. Our opinions and minds can be shifted by what these websites say or do.

2. There is really no regulation on the internet, so websites like facebook and google can almost become monopolies. These websites are used by a majority of people world wide, so they can easily mold peoples minds to the way the want. This is not a problem now but i am sure in the future it could become one. I feel it should be addressed now to stop the internet from becoming one monopoly and to make it less of a representative democrocy. http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/Google-is-a-dangerous-monopoly-more-than-Microsoft-ever-was/1266994170

3. The phenomenon know as the media echo-chamber is when information is shared only between people withe the same beliefs. These thoughts are bounced back and forth with no other opinions, so often they become extremely biased and distorted. For example, Most news networks are pretty biased so if one only watches one news network they do not get both sides of the story. If one watches only MSNBC their views will be mostly liberal, or if someone only watches FOX news there views will be mostly Conservative. I believe this is an issue because if people do not get both sides of the story nothing will be changed.

4. I believe that certain expertise have always been enforced on the internet. Like I said before anyone can make a website but it is only the websites that people with computer expertise make that get popular. Jobs now are also starting to look for people with computer expertise who can advertise and do other things for the company. As the world  becomes more reliant on technology it needs people with certain expertise to keep things running.

5. Like in the video we watch earlier in the year, some companies have incorporated the game second life into the business place. People are now having business meetings in a virtual world. I think this is really interesting because now people who have never met each other that live on opposite sides of the world can meet together in real time in the same room.

6. I personally do not think that democracy is threatened by the internet. I believe that most people can tell weather a site is reliable and posts reliable information. There will always be people who post fake and biased information on the internet, but i believe that most people have the knowledge to separate the facts from fiction.