Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen’s trajectory of the digital age is not hard to imagine. Many of the benefits and challenges they describe are already apparent. It could be argued that just in the three years since the publication of this book we have seen a proliferation of personal participation in national and global events through the use of technology. News and information of terrorist attacks, police violence, natural disasters, political rallies, and other events has spread rapidly through the use of videos from personal phones and social media. The immediate on-line reaction to the lenient sentence for Brock Turner the former Yale athlete convicted of rape is just one example of this emerging ability for personal participation in more global
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Arguably the biggest challenges include the loss of privacy and the loss of control of personal information. Schmidt and Cohen state that “in the future, our identities in everyday life will come to be defined more and more by our virtual activities and associations” (31). An individual’s on-line identity will impact their opportunities and limit their control of how they are perceived by others (32). This is occurring already to some extent. The plethora of data and information that can be collected and stored continues to increase, and companies and government already have access to a great deal of personal information. In the future it will continue to increase and become virtually impossible to maintain any level of anonymity and personal privacy. Having that kind of data about individuals puts a lot of power in the hands of the government and large institutions. All this increased easy access to information also increases the risk of personal information being accessed and manipulated by both other individuals and/or institutions including the government. Identity theft is already an all too common occurrence, but this is likely to continue to get worse and unauthorized manipulation of on-line information that can change the way an individual is perceived will likely become a larger problem …show more content…
It is truly the last frontier. It is both a source of great power for good and a great potential for evil (2-3). As global connectivity continues to grow, the physical world will become ever more connected to the virtual world both shaping each other. The increased access to mobile devices and this new connectivity allows individual citizens unprecedented power and opportunity to interact with and impact the world in more global ways (255-256). Schmidt and Cohen (254) “that technology alone is no panacea for the world’s ills, yet smart uses of technology can make a world of difference.” While navigating, and governing this new frontier will continue to be a global challenge, there is great hope that the world will all benefit from this new connectivity. As Schmidt and Cohen (258) state, “The case for optimism lies not in sci-fi gadgets or holograms but in the check that technology and connectivity bring against the abuses, suffering and destruction in our world. When exposure meets opportunity, the possibilities are endless. The best thing anyone can do to improve the quality of life around the world is to drive connectivity and technological
Arguably the biggest challenges include the loss of privacy and the loss of control of personal information. Schmidt and Cohen state that “in the future, our identities in everyday life will come to be defined more and more by our virtual activities and associations” (31). An individual’s on-line identity will impact their opportunities and limit their control of how they are perceived by others (32). This is occurring already to some extent. The plethora of data and information that can be collected and stored continues to increase, and companies and government already have access to a great deal of personal information. In the future it will continue to increase and become virtually impossible to maintain any level of anonymity and personal privacy. Having that kind of data about individuals puts a lot of power in the hands of the government and large institutions. All this increased easy access to information also increases the risk of personal information being accessed and manipulated by both other individuals and/or institutions including the government. Identity theft is already an all too common occurrence, but this is likely to continue to get worse and unauthorized manipulation of on-line information that can change the way an individual is perceived will likely become a larger problem …show more content…
It is truly the last frontier. It is both a source of great power for good and a great potential for evil (2-3). As global connectivity continues to grow, the physical world will become ever more connected to the virtual world both shaping each other. The increased access to mobile devices and this new connectivity allows individual citizens unprecedented power and opportunity to interact with and impact the world in more global ways (255-256). Schmidt and Cohen (254) “that technology alone is no panacea for the world’s ills, yet smart uses of technology can make a world of difference.” While navigating, and governing this new frontier will continue to be a global challenge, there is great hope that the world will all benefit from this new connectivity. As Schmidt and Cohen (258) state, “The case for optimism lies not in sci-fi gadgets or holograms but in the check that technology and connectivity bring against the abuses, suffering and destruction in our world. When exposure meets opportunity, the possibilities are endless. The best thing anyone can do to improve the quality of life around the world is to drive connectivity and technological