“Future of Reputation”

January 30th, 2018
  • Will we enslave ourselves by making it impossible to escape from the shackles of our past and from the stain of gossip and false rumors?
    • I think that the more you are active on the internet, such as posting, tweeting, etc. the more likely you are to be enslaved by it. Those that aren’t as active are less inclined to be “stained” by what they see. I think that teenagers, and even some college students are the most susceptible to what they are reading. Especially when they see such negative things about themselves. Reputations can be ruined over one wrongdoing, and young people can’t always move on from it. There is definitely a correlation between cyber bullying and the increased amount of adolescent suicides.
  • How much information should we know about each other?
    • Because of the internet, “everybody knows everybody.” Unfortunately, I don’t think that there’s a way of controlling what information is shared, because we aren’t in control of our friends. If you do something that a friend doesn’t like, they’ll “subtweet” you, and everyone knows who they’re talking about.
  • How do we allow people to control their personal information without curtailing free speech or stifling freedom on the Internet?
    • Everyone should have the right to know what is on the internet that directly effects them. It’s unfortunate that things can go so viral, but yet you have no say to it. Is it even possible to get something permanently deleted from the internet, no matter how hard you try?
  • Should people’s social transgressions follow them on a digital rap sheet that can never be expunged?
    • Although I don’t think that people should have to suffer from constantly viewing themselves in a negative light on the internet, I think that it is impossible to avoid it. As long as someone is not engaging in “bad” behavior, they should be fine for the most part. But now with the Snapchat, friends post silly videos of another friend on a daily basis. People that you may not know can even see where you are, which I think is completely unsafe
  • Will the ease in inciting moral outrage create a mob driven police state?
    • There’s always a possibility of that happening, but to get to a mob level, there has to be some sort of uprising, or at least many like-minded individuals that can try to start something big. Anything is possible in this day and age.
  • What ethical questions do you think new communication technologies are raising?
    • I think that privacy and the invasion of it are the biggest ethical questions that are coming to light. Years ago, there was no way of tracking your friend’s location, you didn’t need to. But now, if you don’t share your location, that friend questions why they can’t see where you’re at. I think that it’s a big mess to be completely honest.

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