Rick Santorum, yes the former presidential candidate, has a Google headache. When searching his name on the famous search engine, fake definitions of santorum appear. The words depict a result of a rather vulgar sex act. Here is the link to express the severity of the issue, sorry Rick! Santorum wants Google to clean up the search results for his name and one could only side with him. A man’s reputation, livelihood and self-esteem are at hand here.
Scott Rubin, Google’s spokesman, said, “We have a bias toward free expressions. That means that some ugly things will show up.” How scary is that? Yes, the tools provided by the World Wide Web are incredibly useful, but how far is too far? How much is too much and can digital media disintegrate people’s lives.
Most of the information put forth on this blog has had a positive vibe. However, this is not the case on September 22, 2011. Digital media needs to be used cautiously. One cannot post whatever they want on the internet and expect it to be viewed by a general audience. Anything put on the web can be used against one in a negative way. The way one tweets or updates a status on Facebook can have an entirely different meaning online. F2F interaction seems to be the easiest way to comprehend one’s tone through body language and voice, but those aspects can become lost in cyberspace.
Every week athletes are being misinterpreted or misrepresented through their tweets on Twitter. Are these so-called role models lashing out and expressing their feelings negatively or is that just how we perceive their comments? Players are being fined for what they say on Twitter and are getting bad reputations for how we comprehend their words. Is that fair to them? No, but digital media can be an evil tool. Everyone needs to examine the pros and cons of the digital world in their own eyes. The pros by far outnumber the cons in many situations, but as with anything, the cons still exist. Be smart about the release of information and monitor your digital output. Embrace digital media, but be careful!
Dillan,
ReplyDeleteAs a society we need to become critical thinkers. The Constitution does guarantee us the freedom of speech, but it does not condone the slander of a person's character. Just as a lawyer must present his/her case in court with evidence, the people who are posting information without validating it are commiting libel. With digital media, we are able to manipulate the information to suit our slant on the issue. It is vital that the public is cautious about what is being posted.
Valerie
While I ultimately agree with you that athletes (and celebrities) as a whole are mistreated in the public eye, I still go back to an argument saying they chose to be a celebrity. The sad thing is that some celebrities are definitely misrepresented based off the actions of other celebrities (Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Michael Vick, etc.) who commit wild, crazy, or unlawful acts. Can we really distinguish between who will and has done something of this caliber? Don't get me wrong: I am all for anonymity for celebrities, or at least a higher level of privacy, but people talk about what's in the public eye and sadly, they are. It's a dilemma, but until we have found a new source of entertainment, it will not change.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
The internet is one of our most valuable tools but also our least credible source. I’m sure everyone has had someone tell them a cool story or interesting fact and once you ask them where they hear such an awesome thing and they say "the internet" your whole view of the story changes. The internet is so easily manipulated and it’s unfortunate that Athletes and Celebs get caught in the cross fire of others insecurities.
ReplyDeleteSmall minds talk about other people, Average minds talk about things, Great minds talk about ideas- unknown.
I still kind of feel like as long as the people who are important to you and the people that actually matter knows who you are and know the truth then forget the small people who are trying to bring you down. The internet has created a macro level example of high school and everyone is attending