Polyglot Incarnate

Societies constantly try to define who they are, and the definition is often always in flux. We, as Americans, have to figure out what it means to be American. We have to define the difference between public and private spheres of life. We have to define the public role of women. We have to define what it means to be a man. We have to define the role the government should play. The list goes on. We, as a society, are in a constant search for these definitions because they define who we are and our place in the world.

I think that right now everyone (with access to the internet) is re-evaluating the definition of public and private. What should be posted to the internet? Do I want to live my life publicly? I wonder if historians will look at the various internet scandals of our day and interpret them to be part of a search for this definition. I think that right now all we see in them, as young people very familiar with the internet, is: Old people being stupid. 

Another definition we are grappling with is the role of government on the internet. When does the government over-step its bounds? Is the line crossed with airport security, or with downloading information from various types of social media? Is the line crossed when there exists a firewall that keeps us from the rest of the world (so to speak), or is it crossed when the government uses it nefariously to influence our opinions and actions?

Food for thought, I don’t know that anyone has any concrete answers.

Signing off-

Alice