Analysis of the Article 'The Flip Side of Internet Fame'

A person up to date in today's society must acknowledge the importance and the parcticality of the internet. Just as in other areas of society, personal freedoms are stretched to the very limit on this modern invention, raising isuues in regards to what type of information the internet should be allowed to broadcast. Since its inception, the internet has spawned overnight millionaires, served as the new information medium, and even played host to some heinous crimes. The topic of greatest concern though, is in how the people legislate the division between what is obscence and what is allowable. The way that these issues are dealt with will shape the very form in which the internet and other

In the article, "The Dark Side of Web Fame" by Jessica Bennett, posted online at http://www.newsweek.com/dark-side-web-fame-93505 and published on February 21, 2008, the author recounts multiple stories of when the power of the internet had not benefitted people, but had actually harmed their reputation. Bennett starts the essay by giving an example of a high school boy who made an unfortunately embarrassing video, that was never meant to be published. Sadly, another student found the video and released it online, where the video became a viral sensation and the teen was humiliated not only on a local level, but a global level too. Throughout the article Bennett gives other examples to show the reader that people, using the tool of the

The internet has become a popular source used by society of a worldwide computer network that provides a variety of information and communication facilities allowing individuals to communicate with one another easily. The internet it self has brought people together but has changed the way people interact with each other, created isolation, some addiction and being unsafe. Nowadays, anything can be shared to the wide world through any device that is able to connect to the internet; where this can lead to what Charles Seife terms as “no privacy” in his article, “The Loneliness of the Interconnected.” According to Seife, the Internet’s vast interconnectivity made it possible for everyone to hear everyone else - and to be heard by everyone else.

In today’s world, Privacy and Security comes hand in hand with internet. Technology allows us free speech and freedom of information over the internet, by imposing strict laws and policies regulating the privacy and security of our information. According to Richard Clarke, free expression over the internet and its privacy are two sides of the same coin (Privacy and security(n.d.)). Writing blogs, uploading posts, comments or pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, networking or sharing links on Linkedin are all considered as our free expression and its security is our right. Individual right to

There are few places on this Earth, if any, where the possibilities are truly endless. However, if you detach yourself from the physical world and emerge into the “online” world, you find that this just might actually be accurate in this realm. The World Wide Web has had so much to offer to us since the early 1990s, but with this comes controversy. Unleashed onto a plane of seemingly immeasurable freedom of anonymity, was the world ready for such responsibility? Since those early days when new emerging technology changed our lives immensely, have we at all become a better place, or have we bitten off more than we can chew, and doomed our human relations forever? Exploring these concepts are three in-depth articles, including: “Growing Up Tethered” by Sherry Turkle, “The Loneliness of the Interconnected” by Charles Seife, and “Cybersexism” by Laurie Penny. Although it is thought that the Internet brings the world together, it actually does not help us politically, culturally, and economically like one would believe, as it makes us unable to be independent, isolates us from different points of view, and encourages real-world violence against women and other minority groups.

Although Bennett’s article is biased, she includes a few reputable people and anecdotes which are essential. After reading her article, it is safe to say that “once unsavory information is posted, it’s almost impossible to retrieve” and that’s the darker side of the internet

Many social media users, for example, have felt the blow of a very hurtful comment from strangers or friends hidden behind a false identity. For example, Twitter has become a venue where anyone from famous politicians, Hollywood elite, to one’s immediate family may spew out inflammatory and bombastic comments that they would never utter in a face to face encounter. This kind of startling exchange is just a sample of how toxic the Internet can be when the users are not accountable and can hide behind the screen of the internet. Due to the loss of face-to-face contact while online, some people obviously feel free to say whatever they want, and with the lack of initial personal reaction from the recipient of these remarks, the online troll feels no remorse. In the article, "Hiding Behind the Screen," Roger Scruton states, "In human relations, risk avoidance means the avoidance of accountability, the refusal to stand judged in another’s eyes, the refusal to come face to face with another person…to run the risk of rejection. Accountability is not something should avoid; it is something we need to learn.” (59). This statement makes one wonder if the cultural shift to online communication and the inevitable lack of

Before the school officials released his name, a group of students released his name on Facebook, identifying him as a rapist before anyone knew the story. Shortly after, the internet had a field day and were constantly bashing him without any evidence, but the word of mouth. It also got as far as a news company released the victim's version of events without his side of what happened. Even though no charges were made, the student will not be able to forget. While the author talks about how internet shaming is a crisis, the act of publicly humiliating has been around for centuries.

Viral videos have become wildly popular within the last decade. For some, internet fame has become a blessing. On the other hand, others have been shamed due to their viral videos. In “The Flip Side of Internet Fame” by Jessica Bennet, she makes her case on the undesirable effects of social media. Bennet uses a few of the many viral victims as examples to demonstrate what social media can do. Social media humiliates, violates privacy, and has long-term effects on the lives of the viral victims.

Daniel Solove, a professor who specializes in internet privacy law, wrote this book to give his personal take on how the internet was transforming the way people connect through social mediums and how that could change in the future. An important thing to note about this book is that it was published in 2007, so some of the social and technological aspects of the book are slightly dated. Regardless of this though, this book provides an inquisitive perspective on the dynamic nature of the internet as a vessel of our society’s changing norms on privacy in the social sphere. Many of our learning points in class relate to topics discussed in this book and help to strengthen the context and significance of the underlying message.

In the article, "The Flip Side of Internet Fame", Jessica Bennett, the author, dives into the unflattering aspects of the internet. Some might think the internet is harmless and just a fun way to communicate, but for some people such as the "star war kid", it was a devastating part of their life.  Something that is clear through the numerous examples she gives, is the internet can be humiliating, damaging, hard to regulate and it can convey lies. Two other point she makes is that public shaming is becoming much more popular and the internet can lead to devastating repercussions and trauma.

In the short article “The Flip side of Internet Fame” by Jessica Bennett, she argues that the internet should be only used in a proper manner. Not in a way that the internet is portrayed wrongly, such as cyberbullying. Bennett gives multiple allegations of how kids unwillingly went viral on the internet for embarrassing reasons such as “Dog poop Girl”, “Star wars”, and as well as “The Rapist”. While being bulled over the internet it will not only affect the individual that is being bullied, but the people who are viewing it as well. Cyberbullying is the epitome of what the internet should not be used for.

Jessica Bennett used different real life examples to support her argument against the internet encouraging people to say or do things they wouldn’t. Bennett states “online there are few checks and balances and no due process, and validating the credibility of a claim is difficult, to say the least.”

What’s everyone doing now a day? Do you see people walking around reading a book or talking face to face with another human being? Not exactly, now a day you see people walking around with phones in their hands and worrying about what their social media status looks like. Internet has become a very large influence in everyday life, impacting life from health to political beliefs. With the elections coming up in November we see candidates heading to medias to gain publicity, but non of them have used Ron Pauls’ tactic of starting his campaign online and using the Internet to his benefit.

The concern about privacy on the Internet is increasingly becoming an issue of international dispute. ?Citizens are becoming concerned that the most intimate details of their daily lives are being monitored, searched and recorded.? (www.britannica.com) 81% of Net users are concerned about threats to their privacy while online. The greatest threat to privacy comes from the construction of e-commerce alone, and not from state agents. E-commerce is structured on the copy and trade of intimate personal information and therefore, a threat to privacy on the Internet.