Google Glass is a stepping stone in the world of technology. It will change the way we see the world (literally) and what we do in it. It is coming- thereâs no stopping that. We will be able to use this technology in many ways, and better the world in the process.
Imaginative Networked
Pamela...
Glass Promotes Internet Sovereignty, Not Free Speech
Itâs true that Google Glass will provide the public with a new writing tool. But Glass will not allow us to âgive deep criticismâ any more than our existing writing tools. In fact, Glass may further limit our ability to speak out by increasing the power of internet sovereigns.
Pamela Lund asserts that only our imaginations limit our technology. But much greater problems persist today. Rebecca MacKinnonâs Consent of the Networked explains that internet sovereignty challenges democracy.Â
Internet Sovereigns Erode Citizenâs Rights
Sovereigns such as Google and Facebook rule the internet. Meanwhile, users blindly trust them to serve our interests. Googleâs âdo no evilâ policy may be well-meaning, but these companies are working for profit. They cannot be accountable for governing, and should not hold this unchecked power.Â
The unchecked power of internet sovereigns encourages corporate surveillance and censorship. They align with governments and erode citizenâs rights. Data that corporations collect against citizens can lead to unethical arrests or silencing.Â
Writing online is not as simple as finding a writing tool. There are serious constraints on who can speak, and what they can say.
There are global consequences when internet sovereigns reign. They track our lives, our expression, and shape our understanding of the world for profit, not for public good. Â
Glass could make things worse
Glass isnât so different from other writing tools, such as smartphones. As a writing tool, it canât create a democratic world. That's up to the people.Â
But Glass could intensify the presence of sovereign internet powers in our daily lives.Â
Ironically, these glasses may impair our vision. By augmenting our realities, attaching a computer to our field of vision, Glass may promote blind trust. Our seamless connection with social networks may promote the feeling that the internet is a part of us. Citizens may lose the sense of corporate internet powers as separate entities from themselves.Â
If we accept sovereign powers as part of ourselves, we may stop holding them up to criticism. The depoliticized Glass will only promote sovereign power.
âTrust, but verifyâ
The average American doesnât worry about corporate surveillance or censorship. We arenât usually concerned about our safety when we use our real names to post on Facebook, for example.Â
But trusting Glass to this extent could be dangerous. The reality is that Glass is another Google tool that will erode citizenâs rights. This blogger writes, âwe live in a world dominated by capitalism. But Glass gives us an excellent way to counteract this, to look at something we disagree with and immediately let anyone who looks at it know the truth.â
Unfortunately, this just isnât the case. Instead, MacKinnon advises us to âtrust, but verifyâ (173). It is possible to hold corporations accountable. But it wonât be as easy as buying Google Glass.Â
Instead, we must create and enforce an internet freedom policy that keeps internet powers in check. A democratic internet will only come if we create it. If we blindly trust, but donât verify, then Glass will just serve as another writing tool that can be used against us.
Works Cited
Lund, Pamela. Massively Networked: How the Convergence of Social Media and Technology Is Changing Your Life. San Francisco: PLI Media, 2012. Print.
MacKinnon, Rebecca. Consent of the Networked: The World-wide Struggle for Internet Freedom. New York: Basic, 2012. Print.
