Week 6 reading reflection

“. . .each pursuing his own best interest in a society . . .  believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all.” Should we simply apply Harding’s rather pessimistic claim about the idea that we are all selfish beings, to the internet world?  The internet exists as a free virtual world so far in that there is no unified authority to control and enforce people’s behavior. In my point of view, freedom is the driving force that has propelled the internet to its present state. I think freedom is the core philosophy of the internet and that each person using the internet should be able to pursue his own best interest in society. We should preserve the freedom and self-government of the internet world.Looking into today’s cyberspace, it seems to be more and more chaotic than in its initial days. Fraud, using false identities, and providing false information are some of  the negative result of having the least amount of control in cyberspace. However, if a governing body existed and controlled cyberspace, the internet would not have developed at this amazing pace. Cyberspace was built and developed by creative , inventive, forward looking people.One good example of a great idea on the web is Wikipedia. It established an ideal self-organized structure. People bring their knowledge to the site, differing points of view exist so arguments occur, people dispute the issues, and a standard definition is determined. The governing body offers the basic frame work for the flow of information, but they never complete the argument. I think this is one of the ideal solutions for organization in cyberspace.

Of course, most of the situations never proceed like this. In many BBS or Social networking sites, people lie, argue, and slander.  Freedom is a double-edged sword. It always attracts certain evil. However, I assume that the beneficial voices will also disappear if we try to control the cyberspace to expel fictitious or negative ones. Freedom is a precious right for cyberspace where people can work to improve the community voluntarily.

Questions

1, Cyberspace is virtually infinite. Can we consider Harding’s opinion as a
concern in the Internet?

2, Should we try to govern the cyberspace more strictly to improve it? Or
should we leave it as is?