Reading this week’s texts makes me again realize how much a common user doesn’t know or is not aware of what the web really is, what are all of the possibilities it offers and what are one’s rights and responsibilities associated with it. Due to the viewing of the internet and the things related to it as something abstract, I have a feeling that many people have nowadays lost the comprehension of what its true form even looks like. We do no longer realize the physical counterparts of this system, and we no longer know how it functions, being completely unaware of the fact that we are surrounded not only by the wireless waves in the air, but also the complex system of optic cables under our feet. We take the internet for granted and see it only from the (end) user’s point of view as something that either is, or is not accessible on our device. We take no responsibility for the content or the happenings on the internet, as it is seen as something global and under the governance of bigger corporations, organizations and countries. Until reading Long Live the Web, I was not even aware of my right to not to be monitored or having access to any kind of information (meaning not being limited by my country), because this is something I was taught by the society to take as a given, the necessary evil – “as long as they have the power to manipulate the internet, they also have the right to everything they can access”. We vaguely understand our privacy rights, but take the snooping or monitoring by governments as a matter of course, because we have no power to fight against it. Because we do not understand the overall concept, our, the user’s power, is being weakened and we thus do not see ourselves as accountable and as active participants of the creation of the web. This even further empowers those, who have a better understanding of the internet.
Indeed, internet can be a great source of power, which means it is very important to be educated enough to at least, if not completely block others from gaining valuable info about us, be able to limit and control what can others learn about us thorough the webs. Of course, lays the problem with the comprehension process of the internet, as had been mentioned in both of the texts, the term of the “cloud” is so vast and uncertain, that what we can grasp of it are only small fragments, which can even further demotivate an everyday user from being even willing to start learning about the issue. And so, many continue to play into hands of those who use the user’s ignorance for their personal agenda, leaving the “troublesome part” to the specialists.