by Krullix

Created on: October 03, 2008   Last Updated: October 04, 2008

If democracy is made better through the empowering of individuals through information access then surely there is only one side to this argument. Afterall, how can anyone argue against the internet in terms of access to information? The World Wide Web is truly a global phenomenon. The idea of such an all encompassing information resource would have seemed like a pipe dream as little as twenty years ago. Now, in the space of an hour, I can find out the capital, president and GDP of any country in the world, discover the spelling and definition of any word in any language, book a hotel in every major city, buy a book, DVD or digital camera, play poker against international opponents, and still have time to find out the basic principles of origami, and all from the comfort of my own home.

As a freelance reporter the internet is invaluable. Without it I would be spending all my time on the telephone, or visiting libraries and public record offices, trawling through heaps of laborious paperwork. The internet has revolutionised journalism, as well as many other professions that rely on pain-staking and time-consuming research.

It has often been said that information is freedom, so, if this is true, the internet must now be seen as responsible for emancipating the whole of humanity from its shackles of ignorance. But one only needs to do some basic research, online, of course, to realise that far from creating a global population of well-informed citizens eager to mobilize politically, the widespread use of the internet has lead to increased apathy and a desire for non-action. As for the internet being a force for democracy, there is no evidence to show that the availability of information at everyone's fingertips has influenced western voting patterns, or indeed, empowered individuals. Instead, researching the most popular searches on websites such as Google, a picture is painted of a human race that is deeply insecure, confused and lacking direction. Almost all of the top searches in America last year were questions steeped in fear, uncertainty and anxiety, such as What is God?', Who am I?' and How do I kiss?'. What is perhaps a more shocking indictment of humanity is the top ten most popular news' searches of 2007. American Idol' came in at number one, with Britney Spears', Anna Nicole Smith' and Paris Hilton' being more popular than Iran', which came in at number nine. I have often pondered the question whether the mass media is responsible for bombarding the public

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