Author: kct285

Posted on

Week 2: Response to “Long Live the Web” and “The Strange Geopolitics of the International Cloud” – Kimmy Tanchay

In “Long Live the Web”, Tim Berners-Lee communicates the egalitarian principles and its significance on the web. Through this, the web is able to be constantly improved by single individuals around the world. The unlimited possibilities and power of the web, for example, can be directly seen through the influences of social media that has now not only become a way of connecting and sharing with people, but also a necessity in our daily lives. There is no doubt that the Internet has changed and developed as rapidly as it has changed our lives. Despite the ever-growing possibilities of the web, the principles such as decentralisation, universality and openness must be protected by the public from various companies and governments who threaten these principles.

The Web’s development, along with many advantages, has also led to various problems such as involving human privacy rights issues and internet monopolies. As such, governments and private corporations are now able to access information about the millions of internet users – often without their consent; large internet companies are able to control what users see on search bars. Overall, this made me reflect that although the internet provides human being with large amounts of information and ways to connect with one another; however, we must keep in mind how the Internet was created to serve human being, not anything less.

In “The Strange Geopolitics of the International Cloud”, Burrington conveys how expansive the internet truly is through the various deep sea water cables and data centres around the world. I found the underlying geopolitical aspects of data centres extremely fascinating as although we use the internet ‘cloud’ in our everyday life, we never think about how this service or privilege is available to us. Before reading this article, I would never have guessed that a country’s cold climate or latency can determine data centre footprints. Moreover, I wouldn’t have been aware of the Microsoft legal battles over ownership of information and data. Hence, this article is a stark reminder of how us users should be more aware of how the Internet operates and works along with our rights as individuals online.

Posted on

Response to E.M. Forster—Kimmy Tanchay

In the short story, “The Machine Stops”, Foster conveys the dystopian future of a “machine”-controlled world where any spare human thought or essence is heavily discouraged. Told in a third person narrative and follows the characters of Vashti and Kuno, the story heavily suggests the detrimental effects on the human race when the power of technology becomes uncontrollable.

Although the Machine was able to save the human race as a species, the characteristics, such as morals, thoughts, emotions, real interactions and ideas, that make human beings human has been lost in the process. The capitalisation of the “Machine” conveys the significant presence of technology amongst the lives of human beings that it has become more than a mere object. In this world, human beings not only conform to the rules dictated upon them by the Machine, but they also refuse to criticise or go against it with Vashti stating, “Oh hush! You mustn’t say anything against the machine.” () Hence, further showing the power of the Machine and foreshadowing its destructive nature as it is able to spark fear in humans despite machines being created by us. This perhaps may allude to symbolism for human being’s current relationship with religion or even strong political government censorship such as in China.

In the end, the Machine Stops provides a foreshadowing of the dangers on the over-reliance of machines and technology to human beings. This is extremely relevant in a time when digital media and technology has quickly taken over and integrated into many of our daily lives that we often fail to remember how to live without them.