Many of the issues that are discussed in Communication and Cyberspace deal with the “good” and “bad” effects of internet use in our culture.
The Internet’s ability to connect individuals can be very powerful and in some cases life changing. Check out this story about Nancy, a woman who found the strength to lose 530 pounds from the people she met and the information she accessed through the Internet.
http://www.oprah.com/health/weight/slide/20071128/slide_weight_tows_101.jhtml
Unfortunately, not all Internet users have the same good intentions as Nancy did. In chapter 5 of Communications and Cyberspace Herbert Zettl address the topic of ethics in cyberspace. Should the same ethical guidelines that we follow in our physical world be applied to cyberspace?
Here is an interesting article about “virtual adultery”.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4432019.stm
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2 comments:
Internet adultery. HaHa…
The article posted stated:
“But would you worry if those doing the kissing were characters in a game being controlled by your partner and someone else?”
Okay. Well, it is your partner controlling the characters limited actions. Kissing electronic characters… it’s just funny to let roll of your tongue. But in all seriousness, it is quite interesting to explore the realm of digital relationships, their similarities/differences and affects they have in the person’s actually living life; whether it is a one night electronic stand, or a continuing of electronic intercourse. One is still stimulating the mind by their own actions by control over their characters limited actions.
If one comes across such a dilemma, which I can only imagine will occur more frequently as cyberspace is growing, all one can do is seriously sit down with their lover and talk with them about human feelings they are experiencing.
Interesting how the human is finding ways to combat against real-world ethics in the digital world.
There have been several books on the subject of online romance, and at least one attempt to bring virtual adultery into divorce proceedings. Overall, the key point here is that the online, virtual environment is not hermetically sealed from our everyday world, but rather there is a mutual interaction and influence that goes on.
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