On the Internet, a person's identity can be not only masked, but it can be mutable and multiple. For example, the author of this document could be 52 years old, white, middle class, male, heterosexual, English speaking, atheist, six foot tall, 6'0", 160 pounds, 150 I.Q., located in Illinois. Or, the author could be a 20-year-old, black, upper class, female, lesbian, Spanish speaking, Muslim, 6'0", 150 pounds, 120 I.Q., paraplegic, manic-depressive, located in California. Or the author could be neither. Or the author could assume both these identities and others at various times or in various contexts. Clearly, the personal characteristics of the author could change the attitude, either positively or negatively, of the reader about the author and in turn this document.
Of course, this ability to mask, change, or mislead goes both ways. For example, how accurate and complete were your answers in Part I? It is now a commonly accepted practice for people to protect their identities online by not sharing their personal characteristics. Notice that protecting your identity in an online education context is just part of a larger movement that is an outgrowth of the culture of the Internet. Thus, the culture of the Internet is significantly influencing the culture of online education. As the Internet becomes more and more ubiquitous in ordinary life, this trend is likely to continue. In the past, identity openness and stability was a virtue, but in a global networked society, identity privacy and flexibility are important values. Like offline role-playing, assuming different online identities can help to facilitate tolerance to diversity.
In the not too distant future online education will supercede face-to-face education not only because online education is cheaper and more convenient but also because it results in less discrimination. In addition to lessening the kind of discrimination based on the personal characteristics listed above, online education diminishes other forms of discrimination:
learners who are afraid to speak up in face-to-face discussions find it easier to participate online
geographically isolated learners and teachers have greater access to each other
online education can overcome the time problems faced by working learners and teachers
some disabled learners and teachers are more easily accommodated online
because the Internet is so vast and interactive, online education can be more individualized in content, pace, and learning style
online education can be more collaborative and democratic due to the decentralized nature of the Internet
There is, however, one temporary caveat. Currently, many people do not have access to the Internet (this is, ironically, a form of discrimination). Universal access to the Internet in the United States should occur no later than 2010 (for more details on universal access see the left-hand box below). At that time, the universal availability of online education will be a powerful force for democracy as well as individual and cultural diversity. More educational resources and expertise will be available to more people (regardless of their personal characteristics) than ever before in the history of civilization. Furthermore, there will be greater opportunities for diverse groups and individuals to interact in virtual learning communities, sometimes with a knowledge of their differences and sometimes without. Inclusion, even (or maybe especially) when it is blind, serves to strengthen a democracy. It is only a matter of time until access to the Internet is considered a right instead of a privilege.
Since an educated citizenry is a fundamental cornerstone of democracy, democratic nations have an obligation to facilitate universal access to the Internet within their own borders. Because it fosters freedom of information and transnational democracy, democratic nations also have a vested interest in making the Internet accessible worldwide and in guarding the Internet against those who would try to control, disrupt, or subvert it (e.g., crackers and terrorists - see the right-hand box below for more details on cyber war). More so than any other media currently available (e.g., radio and TV), the Internet cannot be controlled by dominant ethnic, economic, political, or military groups. That is why the continued global spread and development of the Internet and online education is both desirable and inevitable.
By the way, no data of any sort was transferred to anyone or anyplace when you clicked on the Submit button in Part I.
Universal Access to the InternetUniversal access is defined as availability in all public libraries and schools as well as more than 90% of homes. One hundred per cent access is probably unattainable because some people will always be unable or unwilling to use any form of technology (only 95% of U.S. homes have telephones and only 98% have television). In the United States Currently, all public libraries and schools and nearly 80% of U.S. homes have access to the Internet. The annual home access growth is currently about 9%, but that rate will slow as the home access percentage gets higher (although the slow down will be partially counterbalanced by steadily declining technology costs). It seems reasonable to assume that universal access in the United States will occur no later than 2010. Worldwide Worldwide universal access to the Internet is a much more complex problem. Currently, more than 1 billion people are connected to the Internet worldwide (more than 700 million of those are outside the U.S.). This is approximately 16% of the current world population of approximately 6 billion people. By 2020, it is likely that 2-4 billion people (33-66%) will be connected to the Internet. However, higher access percentages will be difficult to attain because of social and technological infrastructure problems. For example, 2 billion people (33%) currently do not have dependable electricity or access to phones and 1 billion people (16%) are illiterate and live on less than $1 per day. Improvements and declining costs in technology (e.g., solar power, satellites, mobile phones, computers, voice recognition, language translation), as well as advances in universal education (including online education) and poverty reduction must occur before universal worldwide access to the Internet is possible. It is difficult to predict when, if ever, these will occur, but it is extremely doubtful before 2020. For information about efforts and strategies to facilitate universal worldwide access to the Internet, see Digital Opportunities for All (the third section in Part Three specifically addresses educational strategies). |
Identity, Democracy, and Cyber WarThe struggle over identity (tribal, territorial, ethnic, religious, racial, linguistic, cultural, etc.) has been the fuel for wars since time immemorial. In the past those battles have been conducted in geographic locations. The battles of the future will be fought on the Internet as crackers and terrorists try to make cyberspace unsafe for democracy. Targets and Attackers No part of the industrialized world is safe from cyber war. Successful attacks on power grids, hospitals, banks, farms, factories, transportation industries, etc. would plunge a nation into chaos and dysfunction. Moreover, the cascading effect of a major disruption to the Internet would be catastrophic to all developed countries and the entire world. However, since most corporations and nations move their money through the same digital networks (and would therefore suffer from an Internet disruption), cyber war conducted by corporations and nations is limited by self-interest. Thus, only crackers and terrorists who want to create chaos, or hasten Armageddon, are likely to engage in all out cyber war. Cyber Peace Strategies The most effective strategy for avoiding cyber war (and perhaps conventional war as well) is to maximize the cross-cultural appeal of the Internet and thereby increase its global importance for every nation and cultural group. Since the Internet originated in the United States, most of the early users were Americans and most of the websites were in English. Currently, less than 30% of Internet users are American and less than 30% of websites are in English. Thus, great progress has been made in a relatively short amount of time and these trends are likely to continue in the future. However, until a critical mass of Internet penetration in all nations and cultures exists, and a corresponding mass of content (including online education) exists in the local languages, those for whom issues of identity outweigh decency will see the Internet as both a weapon and a target for terrorism. For more information on international (and online) peace education, see the United Nations CyberSchoolbus. For more information on worldwide online education, see the World Association for Online Education. For more information on worldwide online democracy, see Democracies Online. |