LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: C4IS <C4IS@EISA.NET.AU>
  To  : Linux SA <LinuxSA@linuxsa.org.au>
  Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 11:32:22 +0930

I'net Bill - What to do? What to do? - Confucius

I wonder if anybody *else* (here or else-
where) has thought about EDUCATING
the general public about the Internet (NOT
for the purpose of selling them an ISP's
access package, but more in the way
that 4WD clubs help their members get
the best out of their 4WD vehicles)?

In something of a social context, in which
people would *intentionally* endeavour
to create an Internet culture and pass it
on to the "next generation" of Internet
newbies...

Guiding them to useful material... if
only so that the wildly negative PR
that seems - now and again - to fill
media about the 'net doesn't (in the
absence of such social/cultural con-
texts) become a self-fulfilling prophesy
that makes it easier for people to
accept silly laws like the one we've
been discussing lately...

(Analogy:  Ham Radio clubs that help
inform their members on the various
technologies but - more to the point -
make it clear that there are right and
"wrong" ways to use these technolo-
gies... compare ham radio chats to
cbers' on-air chats... and you should
note differences in levels of articula-
tion, topics discussed and how much
useful encouragement is exchanged)

I, for one, think that doing the above
would be giving people a new choice:

While they'd still be able to do it alone...
or with distant cyber-associates (as
before)... now, they would be able to
meet and socialise with people whose
values might tend to be vastly different
from the minority who seem to get the
air-time (e.g. pedophiles, purpetrators
of 'net frauds, online gambling, etc.) in
media reports.

Of course, there would be various
clubs and not all of them would share
the same values (some might find
online gambling OK, while mine would
not, for instance).


"To know is to love"

But getting the more "conservative"
and/or lesser experienced computer
Users (including some that have had
no contact with the computer and/or
Internet) into contact with the 'net via
one of these clubs (either on a period-
ic basis or even during a one-night or
afternoon intro "show & tell" presen-
tation) would ease their minds about
what the Internet's all about...


The fact that people they meet at these
clubs would be - in some ways - like
themselves (e.g. share some values)
might, in itself, reduce the fear that is
apparently being felt by many who get
only the media reports on the Internet.

Less fear ==> less jumping on Harradine's
(or anyone else's) censorship bandwagon.

And - who knows? - it might even help
the economy, e.g. if some new Internet
User (who's been shown how to find
info on a new service, technique or
product) happens to work it up into a
business success for him-/her-self,
right here in SA....

It would surely help convince the pollies
that the Internet does more good than
harm, right?

Of course, it would!

So, as I've asked (rhetorically?) before:

Do you want to quash this bill...?

Or do you want to sit around sputtering
about how awful it is...? how unrespons-
ive the gov't is...? etc.


How is that part of the public, which
has never - for some reason - had a
look at the broad spectrum that the
Internet comprises, going to perceive
a group of demonstrators burning
books?

I think they're going to think badly of
the Internet for it...

"There!  See what the Internet gets
people to do in our streets?!?"

The choice is yours...  ;)

Let's hope you make the right choice!


PS That question (has anybody formed
mainly off-line "Internet Users Clubs"
like the ones envisaged above) is of
interest to me...?

(I don't mean those like Linux SA,
which seems to attract the more
technically oriented part of the
community... I mean the "end-Users")

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