UNFORESEEN EFFECTS OF THE WWW
Abstract
The Web has caused a revolution of how we can access information today, how we easily get answers to many problems, and how we learn. However, there are three issues that are often overlooked. First, it is not easy to extrapolate current developments into the future: we will be in for many more surprises than we think. Second, as fast as the Web has developed, other technologies have developed still faster and their impact on society may be just as significant. Third, one must not overlook that the Web also has some inherent dangers that are more and more emerging. With all enthusiasm we have for the Web, we should also be aware of some of the subtle and some of the not so subtle dangers.
In this paper, I will address the first two issues in the introduction, and devote the rest of the paper to some of the perceived dangers of the Web. One example is the loss of privacy (due to many organisations collecting detailed profiles on all of us, but also on organisations, economic developments and other issues), some of the loss of privacy also due to an unheard of exhibitionism in social networks. Also, information on the Web is often trusted much too easily, leading to a distorted view of reality. Many of the communication tools lead to a loss of concentration and understanding, the latter enhanced by the dangerous copy-paste syndrome. As Tara Brabazon has stated, "Researching is replaced by searching". Also, it is often overlooked that the convergence of mobile phones with powerful PCs will give us excellent personal assistants, but will also obviate the need to learn many things humans have had to learn for generations. Thus it seems that we have to completely re-think education and e-Learning: While myriads of attempts are made on HOW to improve teaching with technology, the main issues may rather be WHAT and WHEN we teach, since so much (will be or) is available everywhere at our fingertips. Finally, can we really trust technology, or could it fail us at some stage on a gigantic scale?
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