Will the internets save the world?

[Jari]

So, now that we have this information superhighway, invented by Al Gore... *snicker* ...will it eventually stop all wars and save the world, now that regular people (well, penetration differs from country to country, but in the more developed countries most people have internet access) can talk to other regular people, from different countries?

Or will it just accelerate the destruction, now that regular people see what kind of idiots the other regular people are?

Anyway, while Al invented the Internets quite a long time ago, it's been really popular for less than ten years. Barely more than two presidential terms in US.

Will we begin to see how people don't have to trust their national media for everything, but rather can be informed by reading what foreign news sources report and what people around the world think?

Or will it merely work as a tool for propaganda?

What do you think?

[Otokoshi]

Another good topic Jari.

I believe it does give the world more outlets for their information (obviously).  It is now up to the user whether they use this potential to their advantage.  To get a wider scope of the news and international relations around us is a great way to get a balanced well informed opinon on current events.  If the general public remains lazy, only reaching out to one or two media outlets on the internet, media giants could eclipse the real story for their own agenda, ie Fox News.

To sum it all up, once people realize there are more than three news sources on the internet regular people might become slightly less idiotic.

[Kashmir]

hopefully speed the destruction of some & stop it for others 

[ChaosControl]

I think the comming generations will be smarter then the ones living now because they didn't have global contacts and access to soo much knowledge.  The internet is causing the earth to become very small and people will be aducated in a lot of different ways then we are used to.

I think the int0rnet will make mankind smarter, which could result in global peace.

The internet makes this planet a country so to say.
If you live on the int0rnet, it doesnt really matter where you access it from.

[Threesixty]

Just saw a partial documentry on Iran, I think it was with that reporter Ted Koppel was the National Geographic channel, I think. I say partial because I was channel surfing. Anyway... their internet is heavly filtered. So, it's not like goverments aren't trying to stop it.

Doubt the internet is going to change much, very fast.... if such filtering continues and I see no reason why it wouldn't.

[Jari]

Another good topic Jari.

Awww, thank you. I just wish that I had time to reply sooner, I've been really busy, tweaking my desktop. Somewhat related to the 'post your desktop thread'.

Just saw a partial documentry on Iran, I think it was with that reporter Ted Koppel was the National Geographic channel, I think. I say partial because I was channel surfing. Anyway... their internet is heavly filtered. So, it's not like goverments aren't trying to stop it.

Same is true for China, to certain extent. And unless Iran's filtering is considerably smarter than the Chinese, people probably know how to get around it as well. Well, maybe not your average surfers, though.

Doubt the internet is going to change much, very fast.... if such filtering continues and I see no reason why it wouldn't.

Even with Iran and China excluded, there are lots of countries who don't filter, so it's not entirely doomed idea, I hope.

And it is needed elsewhere than just in the oppressive totalitarian states (Which certainly would need it, I admit that). See what your allies think of Bush. And how the world's perception of US has changed during his administration.

While running a country is not supposed to be a popularity contest, I'd certainly hope that Americans would pay attention to what world thinks of their leadership. It will eventually come back and bite them, if they don't, after all.

And this applies to all countries, of course. So, I'd say that this is crucial for everyone, not just for the citizens of those countries which like to control the media (like China, North Korea, Iran...).