The Internet

My internet connection has been down for five days, and it's been an absolute pain in the proverbial arse. Not only have I had almost no communication with the outside world (because the landline was down too and my rubbish £10 phone still works on a 10p-per-text credit system), but I have had no way of researching things, which I completely take for granted. No Wikipedia. No YouTube. No iPlayer. No matter how romantic my ideas are about "the good old days," and no matter how much I complain about technology, I am very dependent on the internet. I love it.

However, five days without the internet is, in the great scheme of things, not a great deal of time. After all, our parents' generation grew up without internet access, and millions of people across the world still don't have access to it. Interestingly, the BBC posted an article back in March in which it was claimed that the majority of people believe that internet access is a universal human right. This really interests me, because internet can surely be perceived as a luxury. I'm dependent on it, because I use it for the entertainment, communication and research that I enjoy. But if I didn't have the internet, and the right to use the internet, I'd still live. I'd still have a roof over my head, and I'd still think I had full human rights.

Yet, when people have the internet, they get informed. With the net, messages spread quickly, video footage gets spread, people become educated. While there are negative consequences of this--such as the spread of terrorism and extreme ideology--the internet is a great way of informing and connecting people all around the world, and makes it harder for governments to control the ideas of the people. Of course, China censors the internet to a shocking degree, but in general the internet opens minds. Does its impact make it a human right?

Interesting questions.

Aaah... it's great to have the net back though! It's lovely to sit down with a cup of tea and type away. :)

J xxx