If there's one thing I learned from this trip to Israel, Jordan, Dubai, and Indonesia, it's this: thanks to the Internet and satellite TV, the world is being wired together technologically, but not socially, politically, or culturally. ... At its best, the Internet can educate more people faster than any media tool we've ever had. At its worst, it can make people dumber faster than any media tool we've ever had. ... Worse, just when you might have thought you were all alone with your extreme views, the Internet puts you together with a community of people from around the world who hate all the things and people you do. (p. 248, Longitudes and Attitudes, Thomas L. Friedman)
Wow, that basically describes the Internet pretty well. We've empowered individuals to get information all over the world, it empowers the good guys, the bad guys, and the folks who like sheep a little too much. Through the American experiment we've seen that empowering the individual can be awesome, now it is going to a new level, all over the globe.
posted Apr 19, 2005 | permanent link
