Opinion Surfing the Net By Jeff Kingston	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
インターネットで遊ぶ 　 　大勢の人々と手軽に話ができ、膨大な情報が入手できるインターネットは、今や、世界中の人々にとって欠かせない存在になってきている。だが…。

The Internet holds tremendous potential and is becoming increasingly indispensable for growing numbers of people all over the world. I have to admit that the Internet is a great invention . This is hard for me to write because generally I am not a fan of new technologies. In some sense I feel like a modern Luddite . For example, I still think that mobile phones are noisome and silly. People who use them seem like they are on electronic leashes . But the Net is awesome .

Surfing in cyberspace allows people to communicate cheaply and easily. It also makes huge amounts of information readily accessible . No matter what your interest is; no matter what you are trying to find out, there is a corner of cyberspace just for you. The free flow of information has revolutionized the world beyond what we can even begin to consider . Future historians will fix on the spread of the Internet as a watershed in world history.

Information empowers and liberates people. Governments no longer can control the flow of information. Coverups are no longer possible; brainwashing is ever more difficult. Authoritarian leaders know that the world is looking over their shoulders. This awareness , that information creates greater openness, has shifted the balance of power between ruler and ruled . The dissemination of information also promotes greater accountability . It is becoming less possible for leaders, governments and corporations to evade responsibility for their actions.

The revolution in access to information is generating a new age of enlightenment . As the obstacles to knowledge and information tumble , egalitarian forces are gaining momentum .

The cyber revolution is a potent force of democratization . Why? Because equality of access to information spreads the power of information more evenly than ever. It also promotes internationalization, breaking down the barriers of geography and making it easier to overcome prejudice based on ignorance .

Specialized discussion groups enable people from all over the world to exchange opinions and share interests . I "lurk" on a Japan discussion group called the Dead Fukuzawa Society (DFS). Often newspaper stories about Japan are scooped by the DFS. It is also a forum for vibrant , sometimes nasty , discussion. Leading Japan hands readily share their insights and help others who are trying to do research. Communities such as this, which could never have existed before the creation of the Net, are now possible.

What I want to know is why so many Japanese cybergeeks spend so much time on the Net compared to their U.S. counterparts . What are they doing? Any ideas? This is one of the many Internet-related problems society will have to grapple with . Surfing can be addictive , and many people can't kick the habit. Some users really do need to get a life . Other problems? There are too many to write about here, but we all should promote proper Netiquette and stamp out "spamming."

Let me know what you think are the benefits and problems of the Internet by e-mailing the ST. The new ST home page is also a good place to catch the breaking waves in cyberspace. So check it out.

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