I.
After all of the talk last week about the “Tank Man”, I was very curious about what other people thought of the incident. What was the response of other citizens in China? After much research, the answers have been found, well sort of.
The general responses of people in other countries are ones of gratitude, bravery, and happiness. They are inspired by his actions and his enormous amount of courage. In China however, things are different. The Chinese government censors so much information that most of China does not even know that the event even occurred! If you Google Tienanmen Square in China, you will not find the multitude of images of "Tank Man" that you would in the United States. When interviewed, many Chinese students did not even recognize the image of "Tank Man", or they were taught to not recognize it. All in all, the true response of the Chinese people is unknown because of the oppressive strength of the Chinese government.
II.
This past week in Ethics class, we finished our discussions of the "Tank Man", discussed the power of economic growth on China, and began talking about the power of the internet. We also began discussing the technology of the future. All in all it was a very interesting and action-packed week .
My favorite part of this week was our discussion of futuristic technology. I love thinking and imagining what will happen in the future, so this was right up my alley!I think that it is amazing how greatly the world of technology has changed just in my life time! I remember using cassette tapes to listen to music, only having 6 television channels (where only 4 really worked well), and playing board games for fun. Now we have televisions that are taller than men and more t.v. channels and shows than we could ever watch, as well as iPods, cell phones, GPS systems, and in some cases, robots to do our work for us! It is kind of scary to think about how fast our world is changing around us! So many things are evolving, and I can't even imagine how much different the world will be in 5 years, 10 years, or even 20 or 50 years!
Over the weekend, we had to watch a Frontline video about "Growing Up Online". I found this video to be very, very interesting! Before our discussions about the Internet, I never really realized how dependent I was on the Internet! I remember when my family first got the Internet, and it is amazing to look back and see the progress it has made! The first internet my family had took over 5 minutes turning on, and once it was on, it took another 5 to get to a web page! Now it takes my computer less than a few seconds! Now, our world revolves around the Internet, and we can rarely escape it! The Internet does provide us with a great and endless resource that can truly help us, but it also can be very dangerous. People can steal our identity, money, and information through viruses, as well as tear you apart on a social networking site. There have been many deaths and injuries that have been brought about through the internet as well. I honestly think that people are still trying to learn how to deal with the full magnitude of the Inernet, and until that happens, I think there will always be trouble.
III.
After all of this talk about the Internet and technology, I am very curious as to how many people actually use the Internet? I remember the Internet taking off and watching it grow, but how much has it grown?
Please stay tuned for the answer next week!
Sources
Growing up online. (2008, January 22). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/
Mobile computing – technology advancement for modernity. (2011, March 20). Retrieved from http://mxcomputing.com/publications/mobile-computing-technology-advancement-for-modernity//
Tank man. (2011, March 12). Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d8/Tianasquare.jpg/300px-Tianasquare.jpg
Ted, T. (2009, June 3). I will never forget tank man - will you?. Retrieved from http://www.tedstake.com/2009/06/03/i-will-never-forget-tank-man-will-you/
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