Leveling a Myth

This  essay was written after we've watched the documentary "The Virtual Revolution: Great Leveling?" in one of my major subjects. 

With the coming of the 21^st century, the greatest evolution in mankind has flourished. What has been known before as a habitat for arachnids became a greatest man-made world—the web. This greatest technological innovation of the century gave birth to a new form of communication, combining the three traditional medium.

The documentary, The Virtual Revolution, has presented the growth of the internet and web with interviews from its inventors and major key players. From its title “The Great Leveling?”, the documentary questioned the leveling power of the web which its creators had foreseen as its purpose.

The web has made a new virtual world wherein all people can share information and voice their opinion. With the great number of people that are now connected, the web enables all people to have an equal access to information in just a click. In this way, the web evolved to be a leveler. The web lived up to be a great equalizer to the existing social hierarchy, empowering people to be with same level with rest of the world in one battlefield.

As the time progresses, the later statement has been put into question. Are all people are really equal into cyber world? I think, no. This technological advancement paved way to other injustices like plagiarism, piracy, identity theft and many others. It brought a more complex situation wherein the world’s security is threatened. That is the main reason why some advocate lobby for an international law on the usage of the web and internet so that individuals’ security and rights can be preserved.

But this does not mean that the web has been a source of crimes in the real world. In some other ways, the web has been an instrument for change. A great example that is shown in the documentary is about a blog that documented the electoral violence in Kenya. The entries in the site were made available not only to Kenyans but with the rest of the global community. With the reports, images and videos coming out in the wed, the Kenyan government was shaken to take action in the violence happening in their country.

Indeed, the web can become a platform for change only if it is used properly in a way that it can help build harmonious society. Because of its power the web can change the world for better or not for worse. There must be a huge responsibility in the usage of the internet. And it takes discipline and time before this can be realized. 

With regards to the notion of the web becoming a great leveler, I think it is myth. With the power that that web gave to us, the more it is necessary to build that hierarchy in the cyber world. This hierarchy must be the one to one to safeguard the flow of information. It must inherit the “gatekeepers” of the old media. What has been only equal to all is the access to the information.

Aside from that, the web also became a place for capitalist to make their business. The web just only reflected the social order that has already existed in the real world. What seems to be different is that the world became smaller with the connections the web brought us. In just a click, you are already with the world.