Skip to main content

Net Neutrality: The Controversy

                    
When we go online, we have expectations that fall into a routine, that we can instantly be connected whenever we want, have free service and have access to have as much information we desire across the web. That is the concept of Net Neutrality, free internet, wherever, whenever. Net Neutrality has been the way the internet has functioned forever, and just in 2015 activists pressed the F.C.C. (Federal Communications Commission) to adopt Net Neutrality rules and keep them and the internet alive. But, in recent news, on Dec.14, 2017 the F.C.C.’s Republican party ignored society’s pleas and approved Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to remove Net Neutrality protections.
What does a world without Net Neutrality look like? Imagine logging onto your favorite apps, refreshing the page and then it asks you to start paying monthly fees. Imagine simply making Google searches, but you are soon blocked until you conform to the outrageous additional fees just so you can look up something. The internet without Net Neutrality, is not even the internet anymore. Net Neutrality is the internet’s main principle, it give us the right to communicate, to have access to unlimited amounts of knowledge, and gives us the right of free speech. Without net neutrality, companies such as AT&T, Verizon, etc. are able to control what we see in the news, on apps, and alter so its only content that the companies agree with. Essentially, the fate of the internet was decided by only three people (of the F.C.C.) and is being passed down to large companies who the overwhelming public have no power over.
The controversy net neutrality has within the public is overwhelmingly one sided. These consequences directly affect minorities and marginalized communities such as people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, religious minorities, etc. Social media is one of their only media outlets that lets them have the ability to speak out against oppression and discrimination, and without it these minorities have nothing to turn to. Movements and opportunites activists want to spread and organize to educate others on what they face, can no longer be easily done because of the repeal of Net Neutrality. Having an open internet allows people of color to be outspoken and to tell their stories and experiences with racial oppression.Without Net Neutrality, ISPs can block free speech and the voices of members of that community, taking away an important platform in their movement.
In my opinion, Net Neutrality is vital to keeping the internet alive and for helping minorities’ voices alive and overall is necessary; without it our rights and freedom of speech are being taken away. Although the repeal of Net Neutrality cannot be officially done until it goes through Congress, it is still worth fighting against because the consequences of Net Neutrality apply to everyone. Taking away our basic rights to having internet access, is unjust and outright selfish because it brings people as a society together. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Relationship with Social Media

When I think of social media, I think of portraying myself as not a way of self expression, but instead as a way to impress others or act like someone I am not. When people upload on social media, my first thoughts are how happy and lively other's lives are compared to mine, but then I think to myself, what if everyone had the same mindset as myself, and social media itself is only a representation of us creating a false image for ourselves? For me to say I do not invest time into social media is hypocritical, but from the experiences I have had with media in the past I can say that I have very much been put under the influence by it. I used to plan my life accordingly just so I could look a certain way in front of others, even if deep down it meant nothing to me. What does this mean in relation to myself? Or to society? When I think of the realistic relationship I have with social media, it makes me look like any other try-hard teenager who can't do things to impress mys...
2 comments
Read more

Advertisement and our Psychology

When looking at the photo above, without thinking, how many of the logos can you instantly recognize? Throughout our lives, advertisements have been around us on a daily basis. But, as we evolve as people, so do advertisements and the media surrounding us. Advertisements have never been only about the promotion of products or brand names, but moreover creating a connection with the consumer themselves. Advertisements have been used productively to influence our minds and control our decision-making, in a way by making us believe that their company is not just a product, but a brand-a connection we can find no where else. Especially for those living in the era of Generation Z, there has been little to no amount of time where technology, media and new forms of advertisements have been on the uprise, quickly enveloping us into the state of mind that makes us believe that ads and companies are essential to living life, when they are not. Many fail to realize the influence on ads in our c...
1 comment
Read more

"Miss" Represented in Society

                  “You can’t be what you can’t see,” is the saying the film Miss Representation constantly used to express the fact that there are little to no positive women role models in society, and that in order to be a powerful, and impactful leaders in society as women, we need to create the image of them ourselves. The movie uses successful women in politics and the media who created a positive image for themselves to talk about the influence on young women in the media and what needs to be done in order for change. Role models such as Nancy Pelosi, Lisa Ling, Marissa Mayer, Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, etc. Throughout generations and generations of media produced, it remains portraying men as the protagonists in an overwhelming percentage of movies. It gives the message to viewers that women are less in society and can’t achieve the same destinies that men can. With there being so many outlets of media accessible at such a ...
Post a Comment
Read more