The internet has given us immense power and opportunity. With the click of a mouse and taps off a keyboard we can communicate across the nation to millions. Knowingly or unknowingly sharing are ideas, opinions and values to the world. This power and opportunity, freely given to every, has severely changed are media. It has changed how we receive and send information. Quantity of information on the inter-webs has spiked growing to such a point so the ethics that once upheld the integrity of our media is being crushed under the weight of it all. After listening to are podcast list.“The Moral Dilemma of Advertising”, “Paul Levinson on Digital McLuhan” and reviewing “Project Censored Stories” as well as “Society of Professional Journalist Code of Ethics.” topic stood out to me and sparked my interest.
With this open free access for everyone to add to media it raises an issue. We have to understand that it gives power to the good and the bad. Things created for good will always be twisted to used for moral wrong . Examples of this abuse of on-line power can be see in; the rise of child prostitution, both physically and cyber-bullying, and the abuse of personally privacy. If are culture is morally changing and sliding away from humanity. We will see this reflected blogs, social media, self-advertising sites and other forms public media.
How did we solve this issue? Do we restrict media access to the public? Censor news sources? Pick and choose what people see and hear. Don’t get me wrong, I am not Pro-Communist and think we should filter all forms of media. Putting the government the in a position of morality police is not the answer. If we do the issue will still remain. It would just shift to another outlet becoming harder to see and harder to stop. This would be like plugging one hole in a failing dam so to say. We have come to a point were the Journalist code of Ethics is not enough to uphold myriad of sources of today’s media. The media sources have changed and outgrown the code of one simple group alone.
It is the HUMAN stewardship of today’s media (i.e Backpage.com, self-advertising sites, social media )that make them evolve into what they are today. If we do not take the responsibility to stand on our own moral code and standards in life. Then we will continue to see sliding degrade both in the media and culturally.
Brainz on Paper 