Media

MEDIA

Never has there been a time in world history that information dissemination has been faster , easier and better . Perhaps this has made people regard to this age as the information age . Over the years , the media has evolved into a place where information can be gotten at the snap of the finger . This development can be said to be informed by the growth and development of technology in our world . One of the offspring of technological development in the media is the internet

The internet has become an essential part of

the day-to-day life of people in the world today . Hardly is there a sector that has not been affected by this form of media . On the average , it is estimated that over 1032 million people around the world use the internet . On the whole , the importance of the internet can not be overemphasized

However , unlike other media sectors , there are some key issues that surround the internet . To begin with , the internet , unlike other forms of mass media is open top everyone . For instance , unlike other forms of the mass media , the internet is not owned by a single individual . It can be said that the internet is owned by everyone because it can be assessed by anybody who wants to . Overtime , questions have been asked about the ownership of the internet . Historically , the internet came to recognition as a result of the research that was conducted in America It was to be advancement in information technology that will outlive the effect of the nuclear war . That was as far back as in the 1950 's . It was intended to be a form of information technology that was a noncommercial channel of information dissemination and directed towards free public use and educational advancement . The question that fills most hearts today is if this is applicable again

Today , although the internet is presumed to be owned by everybody there are some people or organizations that influence the daily activities on the web . The question is who really owns the internet ? Can we say it is the government ? Or the people or these organizations companies that influences the activities on the internet

It poses a problem when we say that the internet is owned by everybody and some people or organization directly or indirectly influence the activities on the web . Recently , internet service providers like AT T have the made their intentions known that they may charge different prices because of some features that are used . They can decide to restrict some important information that should be gotten from the web if they wish to . In other branches of the media , ownership is often by the government , private individuals /group , or they are jointly owned by some people . Most times , ownership is in percentage and issues that arise about ownership are often centered on who owns the largest percentage in the company . In other words , ownership is defined in other types of media but this is not so with the internet

Although we can not point towards a sole owner of the internet , we would be overlooking the truth if we claim that everybody truly owns the internet

Reference

Sylvia Smith Debate on Internet ownership continues . Retrieved from CNN Website HYPERLINK "http /edition .cnn .com /2005 /TECH /12 /02 /spark .internet .ownership /index .h tml http /edition .cnn .com /2005 /TECH /12 /02 /spark .internet .ownership /index .ht ml

Andy Oram Can we still say that nobody owns the Internet ? Retrieved from O 'Reilly ONLAMP .Com HYPERLINK "http /www .oreillynet .com /onlamp /blog /2005 /12 /can_we_still_say_that_nob ody_o .html http /www .oreillynet .com /onlamp /blog /2005 /12 /can_we_still_say_that_nobo dy_o .html

Tim Swanson Who Owns the Internet ? Ludwig von Mises Institute webpage HYPERLINK "http /www .mises .org /story /2139 April 5 2006 http /www .mises .org /story /2139 April 5 2006 . Retrieved on April 22 2008 ...