Lanier and Morozov, Essay Example

According to Lanier and Morozov, although the public using the Internet want to control their privacy or think that their privacy is protected, they are wrong. This is because the social media has a way of controlling people’s information. The same information the public post on social media and the Internet, for example, on Google and FaceBook is later used to spy people’s lives and activities. Moreover, this information is recycled by these companies and used to earn money for them. Therefore, these companies manipulate the society and use people’s information to make money without the knowledge of the public to which the rights of the data belong. In addition, these Internet companies exploit the public through the sale of licenses with no tangible product that one can sell later. However, the Internet has brought people together through social media where people interact and share information with others all over the world. Just like the earlier technological advancements, the Internet improves further each day and hence becoming faster. This enables communication and interaction among individuals.

Moreover, these companies are working very hard to ensure that the politicians do not interfere with their business, for example, by imposing heavy taxes and limiting their activities. Political interference can affect the Internet companies’ activities. Moreover, the chances for the the political parties and politics to influence and interfere with companies since the Internet have a very big control of the social lives of the public through digital communication and interactions. However, although the Internet is very comfortable, according to Morozov, it changes nothing in the lives of people as they share and learn the normal information and the routine continues.

Thompson discusses the benefits of Internet, in what is termed as “emergent intelligence.” According to him, for example, he argues, “Knowledge is a lot more discursive these days, formed in conversation with others. Fusing Greek forms of knowledge based on dialogue with the Guttenberg form of knowledge based on text.” This is the plain truth. Nowadays the Internet offers vast information through various websites. People share their thoughts in the social media such as Facebook and Tweeter. Moreover, some sites offer discursive forums where people share information and hold discussions. Search engines such as Google and Wikipedia offer a lot of information and allow the public to share their views and comments. Moreover, there are sites that offer educative assistance where there are online teachers and tutors. Students and other persons of interest can get information they require and exchange information. Therefore, the Internet has proved that it is an information hub where the public is free to receive and share data. In addition, doctors and patients can discuss about illnesses and other problems online and even prescribe medicine and hence the solutions to the problems. Nevertheless, the information uploaded on the Internet can be accessed read and criticized by other authors. The public is also able to comment on researches, in addition to presenting their views about the information. The Internet has made it very easy for individuals to get information. Through video conferencing and teleconferencing, several people are able to discuss many topics and share information of different types such as business, students can be lectured through this, all thank to the Internet. From these instances, it is clear that the world has become more discursive than the past ways of sharing and presenting information.

Morozov argues that the Internet companies should be able to protect their customers and the public from harm that comes from the activities from the Internet. He is against what the companies refer to as quick fixes that are not helping to solve the actual problems and risks the public undergo while using the Internet. An example of his argument in finding the solutions to the problems he recommends the use of predictive policing to find solutions by preventing the Internet users from the risks and dangers of all kinds. He puts it that Internet sites should adopt what Amazon.com does for its clients. They should be able to predict their needs using the data they post on the social media. Moreover, social media sites like facebook should be able to protect their customers using the past information of the assaults. The exchange of information between the victims and assaulters in the past will give very vital information that can be used to track down the current assaulters who are hunting the customers in the social media. The information of these criminals should be send to the police departments, which would help to curb crimes. The Internet sites should have new and safer designs and put measures to prevent the Internet crimes. In addition, the websites should be able to improve their technology when designing their sites in order to prevent leakage of private information. This will reduce the cases of hacking.

Morozov goes ahead to discuss about the Internet blinders. He argues that the Internet make people blind through various tricks and psychological playing. For example, he is cautious of the information that people are rather forced to get access to. He argues of “contextuality discovery.” He says that users are fed with content that is liked by other people. For example, the likes in the social media such as Facebook, the users find themselves getting information that is liked by the friends. Sometimes one get to receive information or content that he or she is not even interested in. Moreover, other ads in some websites trick the Internet users to click on them unknowingly and hence one get to some other information one is not interested in. Moreover, in the sites such as You Tube, the users are recommended to watch some videos by other anonymous people. In addition, in search engines like Google sometimes gives information that is not required and hence feeding the users with information that is not wanted. Sites such as Yelp keep track of Internet users and hence trace their locations. This makes the site developer to play with people’s psychology to the extent that in collaboration with several stores and restaurants recommend the blinded Internet users on places to shop, hotels to eat, and several recreation sites. Nevertheless, the anonymous population on the Internet spread information on some sites and when the Internet users login to such sites, they are trapped to view information they have no interest. Moreover, some even get people email addresses and send them emails with some data that can later lure them into risks. For sure, the Internet has blinded the users in one way or another.