CYBER BALKANIZATION

Positive or Negative?

       The Internet is probably one of the greatest, most powerful, and most useful tool to be invented perhaps of the entire universe. People live into it and seriously they are never stop from using it in every single thing in their life. Is that the internet has had an overall positive effects in our society. Well, the answer is arguable. Based on the article from www.suaramurba.blogspot.com entitled Cyber Balkanization: Distraction to the Essence of 1 Malaysia, it is clearly showed that the internet has plays a major role in society but in certain circumstances the effects are massive to us.

          The internet is a database full of information and offers us a lot of services, sometimes for free. By using search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing people can access up to millions of information. This can be very comfortable. People only have to type in a word and you will find everything about it. But, there is also false information shared to spread rumours and hatred. Frankly speaking, sometimes it is hard to distinguish between true and false information.

            The internet itself has unique characteristic. It eliminates barriers of space and time, let the information flows quicker and is more accessible to all and interpersonal communication is more evolved. However, the internet is also anonymous, without supervision, freedom of speech is exploited, minors and other web users are exploited, racism and prejudice are encouraged. Latest data from the Pew Research Center (www.pewcenter.org) show that 40 percent of information is obtained through the Internet and 35 percent through traditional media.

        The Internet offers all sorts of possibilities of publication and expression, not just to journalists and public figures, but also to those who did not have that opportunity before which is the ordinary people. Forums on web portals have also become very popular and represent an irreplaceable place for exchange of information, discussion, asking various questions, as well as commenting one’s opinion on all kinds of events and trends in society. As an example, the issue of people updating status on Facebook to threat particular person as happened to Indra Putra, Kelantan player recently. Some people might say it is a joke but for some reason it will be a big threat to the images and personality especially if the person is a celebrity or politician.

            As far as our concern, I emphasized that the web is like a new world that has yet to determine its own boundaries. As such, it poses new challenges, both moral and ideological, which cannot be met based on past experience as this phenomenon is still too new and uncharted. We must do the utmost to be watch about making the Internet as safe as possible even when this new frontier is constantly shifting and evolving. People has to find strength in determination to create a responsible web or internet community in which freedom of speech will not be abused to hurt the individual rights of each and every human being to life, respect, reputation and privacy. #