What are the main constraints limiting the emancipatory potential of the Internet?

Constraints Limiting the Emancipatory Potential of the Internet

The history and development of information and communication technology (ICT , which covers the Internet and the Web , has gone through millions of steps since computers were first introduced to humankind in the 1940s . The evolution of computing and digital information dissemination opened many avenues of human studies , and the fields of concerns become more and more diverse and complex as time goes by

But among the many branches of new media studies , the Internet is the most interesting , not only because of its effect to

the various academic disciplines such as sociology , economics , anthropology , information systems , politics and others , but also because of its emancipatory potentials

The Internet 's seemingly unlimited potentials fascinate people because of man 's natural instinct to learn and to know . This , however will try to study whether the Internet , a continuously growing and evolving creation of mankind , has indeed limitless emancipatory potentials that are uncontrollable and unstoppable

Since its introduction to the global community , the Internet has been a focus of debates and studies by scholars , scientists and digital enthusiasts alike . Because of its astonishing success , it generated an equal amount of problems that vary in level and capacity . According to ADDIN EN .CITE Livingstone2005111 Sonia Livingstone2005Critical Debates in Internet Studies : Reflections on an Emerging FieldMass Media and SocietyMASS MEDIA AND SOCIETY9-284th edition Arnold ,Critical Debates in Internet Studies Reflections on an Emerging Field (Livingstone , 2005 , 10 , the Internet today faces considerable challenges ' She adds

There are problems of scale and capacity , of network architecture and infrastructural robustness , of international legal and regulatory frameworks , and of public trust , security and e-crime , all these accompanying the opportunities widely associated with the internet - its potential for enhancing global communication , revitalizing democratic processes , facilitating economic development and trade , reconfiguring social relations and many others

And what makes Internet studies more complicated is the beauty of its fast evolution , along with the digital technology . Everyday multi-billion companies that have privatized and took control of the net and the worldwide web continue to discover new ways how to reach and pamper the market -- faster and better . Competition also escalates in all branches of the Internet - from the worldwide web to the emailing system , multi-player games , e-commerce , virtual reality games , e-group and sharing systems , telemarketing and networking , etc

With this reality at hand , it becomes more inevitable to carefully study the future of internet , its potentials , its limitations , its effect to the society , the issues associated with it and its overall impact to the development and growth of the global community

But before this tries to focus on the issues , problems and concerns encompassing the Internet , it would be wise to trace the principles and foundation of its conception . Along with it , the history of worldwide web as one of the biggest and fastest communication and information tool in the Internet

In their book , Power Without Responsibility , ADDIN EN .CITE Curran2003313J . CurranJ Seaton2003Power Without ResposibilityRoutledge , Taylor and Francis Group...