This week what really caught my interest and that also provoked me was how the idea of the internet and its first form of “life” was invented. James Curran in his book Misunderstanding the Internet, in one of his chapter he talks about the history of the internet. I was surprised to find out more about how the internet development was a result of The Cold War being used as a defense weapon against the Russians, and I thought about it, and came to the conclusion that the result of the internet as a weapon was a fast development and a creative one as well finding different methods to defend and deceive the Russians, that was pressured by the war and the competition of the opponent.
Relating this to modern times, it gives a better perspective on what James Curran referred to as a “chronicle of contradiction”. In the past few months with all the tragic events that are going around in the world I could not help observing that in some way the internet has become again a weapon, in which ISIS recruits people to join their aggressive cause. Do you think that the internet is and will remain in the future one of the weapons that will be used in wars? And should there be more limitations on the use of internet?
Network Society and the Media 
Hi, Indra! I believe that despite of looking ‘all fun and games’ the Internet has always been a weapon and will remain one in the hands of governments, corporations, etc., which main purpose is to create a desirable social reaction, whether it would be fear, respect or it would make us spend our money on the latest Apple product. However, I don’t think that it should be limited because the only ones who will be limited would be us, and yet governments or corporations would find a way to influence their ideas on us.
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I found this really interesting as well! In “Misunderstanding the Internet”, Curran mentions that some theorists today think of the internet as an “agency of peace”, but I’m not so sure I agree with that. I think the internet, as was discussed in last week’s lecture, is a sort of “neutral” tool that can be used to bring about both positive AND negative effects, depending on how each individual internet user chooses to act.
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I was also surprised at the fact which the Internet is the product of the Cold War. I think the Internet will remain one of the weapons and be used in wars or something like war. At the same time, it will be a cyberspace to discuss democracy continuously. Personally, I think some limitations are needed to make a better internet but this limitations should respect freedom of speech and should not be overcensorship by authorities.
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The internet is used by many around the world and by different age groups. Due to that I think the internet will always be used as a weapon to inform, educate, influence and to get people to support a movement. Examples of this is the movement of ‘Black lives matter’ with what’s going on in America, or with the attacks that happened in France, social media was used for people to show their condolences by posting statuses, or Facebook giving people the opportunity to have the France flag being added to profile pictures. So yeah, I would say internet will always be used as propaganda.
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Internet is just a mean and it doesn’t have nor a negative connotation neither a positive one. It can be a weapon, of course and for that should be controlled and it is controlled right now as every single byte we receive is filtered, for instance consider PRISM US programme through which US government strains everything that is provided by Google, Apple, Microsoft et cetera. But despite control Internet is going to be used always as a weapon or a mean to recruit proselytes due to its huge importance and its social network function.
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