– As wonderful and miraculous the Web is, there are undoubtedly some “ill effects” that a user of the Web will eventually face. For one, many governments and corporations have begun to employ surveillance and censorship on its users, violating the freedom of speech and expression – one of the Web’s fundamental principles. Similarly, large corporations, such as Comcast or Facebook, have the ability to control data imputed by its users; hence, the capitalist side of the Web makes for some questionably ethical implications. Also, as the use of mobile web searching and social media increases, the idea of the “black box” and its negative impacts on user interaction and experience has become an relevant issue.
– According to Berners-Lee, a principle that makes the Web so powerful is its universality. To say that the Web is universal means that its contents can be used, accessed, and created by anyone, regardless of region, language, age, or disability. Moreover, one may publish information of any type, whether that be a video, image, text, or piece of data, and they can be used with any software, no matter how primitive or advanced. Conversely, the author defines the idea of isolation as the antithesis of universality. When parts of the internet are in isolation, it means that data and information is stored in such a way that is not accessible everywhere. For example, you might input all of your information into one website, yet that information is limited to the scope of that website. Consequently, each piece of data belongs not to its own URL, but to a larger scope, be it a website or corporation. The danger of isolation, as argued by Berners-Lee, is that the Web can quickly turn into a fragmented collection of sites, instead of one larger, interconnected digital space.
– The concept of open standards is that any kind of expert can be involved in the design of something, and you as a creator have the option to utilize outside experts and developers, or not. Sites may be accessed for free, or not for fee. Open standards allow sites of varying quality, niches, and professionalism; this process can happen without the approval of some centralized authority. On the other hand, without the open standards, we arrive at closed worlds. Namely, when corporations, use special links so that sites and data are no longer accessible to users and buyers of said corporation, or when owning a mobile app, rather than publishing on the Web, becomes required for the enjoyment of certain information, they create spaces that are closed-off and exclusive.
– The Web and the Internet, while often used interchangeably in everyday speech, are two separate entities. The internet is the system that packages and transports information; it is an electrical network. The Web, then, is like a giant application that relies on this electrical network to run. The Web and the Internet are used together, but they can advance, change, and adapt differently and individually.
– The author discusses how authorities now have the power to monitor someone’s web usage, and can use it to discriminate against someone. I think that this aspect of the Web is very much prevalent today. Discrimination towards a person’s appearance, religion, political views, etc. is present in every aspect of society, and unfortunately, it only makes sense that this is also present in online spaces as well. Particularly, on social media I see celebrities and common users being ridiculed for the politicians they follow, posts they like, and responses to other user’s comments. What people often fail to understand, is that while the Web seems like a place where users can disconnect themselves from the “real-world,” or can take on a new persona, using the Web is inherently an expression of self and identity, hence discrimination against expressions of identity should not be tolerated. On another note, I witness the rise in surveillance through my usage of multiple social media platforms. Namely, if I interact/view one type of content on Instagram, it is only a matter of hours before I see similar, if not identical, content and advertisements on other Snapchat, Tiktok, and Kuaishou.