Poll Comments - Internet and Diversity

The Poll was conducted March 15-27, 2002:

The Internet is a force that destroys cultural diversity.

Do you agree? Disagree? Unsure?

AGREE

"This is because that many communities particularly in the developing world have no access so those with access to it have a voice, for thmeselves and on behalf of the communities they represent. for example, the marginalised communities are not able to participate." [ ]

"It is like all of man's tools ... equqlly capable of destroying as it is of constructing cultures and cultural artifacts." [Nigeria]

"I do not really feel comfortable with the word, "diversity". I think you should have used the word: identity." [Nigeria]

"On the web distance and culture are bypassed and a human experience is what matters and connects one person to groups or to another individual. Ultimately it is beneficial in cultural fusion is already taking place on many levels, food, music, clothing and lifestylesthe net further enhances the fusion and creates a united world community on the positive side that is on the downside it enhances disconnected and mechanically minded communities." [USA]

"It being that the internet was introduced and is distributed by the western world, it tends to mainly intergret the western culture. And as it seems now youth who are tomorrow's future are the ones who most use internet which leaves less or no custodian for other cultures but the western." [ ]

"The Internet could destroy cultural diversity if its use like many other media products is dominated by the wealthy industrialised countries leaving little access to the developing economies." [ ]

"My agreement is based on the premise that the internet is an instrument (weapon?) for globalisation and English is the primary language it promotes and sustains.Besides, it appears at present, to be dominated by America which is colonialism disguised under the thin veil of consumerist capitalism and demonstrative bureaucracy. In such an ambience, the Internet can only serve to destroy the cultural diversity within and between nations." [India]

"With the internet, all information is available to all who have access, regardless of their culture, race and or religion. What this means is that our minds are being fed with similar information, new and or differing ideas are introduced and rubbed into the mind until due to familiarity and frequency, they begin to receive an element of acceptance or compromise from us. What this then means is that previously existing notions or 'diversities' are narrowed as we begin to tolerate or accept the influence of the info available to us via the internet. At the close of the day, we find us sharing and or aware of similar things therefore influenced by similar things and the difference in us narrows or actually ends. The internet becomes the reference and we all converge there becoming a global village and assuming a global culture. From the internet, I can learn about different peoples of the world. Once I know how they do and why they do, I may even find some good things about!them which I may as well adapt. In this regard, I have bridged a big gap that might have continued to exist. Today, I enjoy Chinese food and when I meet chinese people, they are not any more strange to me. In my opinion, and I stand to be corrected and consequently enlightened, our cultures are diverse as long as we are not sharing them out. But once we begin to share them and they begin to be consumed by those who did not belong, then they are no longer strange. Once something is familiar to us, and when we consume the same, can we continue to talk of diversity??" [Kenya]

"The internet is developing a homogenized culture where the activities are surrounded by the information you recieve. It has its own particular implications on the human activities." [Pakistan]

"Neither agree nor disagree. The internet is simply a tool. It is the use we make of it what will determine the outcome. I find it foolish trying to put such a complex issue in terms of "agree-disagree"." [USA]

"Culture is not static but is changing and the modern technology has either negative or positive impact on culture. it make provision for global culture that destroys traditional cultures." [Namibia]

"The Web is an Americanized force (or at least a Westernized one)." [USA]

"I do believe that internet unifies, belifes and ideas and there through changes cultures. I woudn't consider it as a negative dimension necessarily since cultures are in constant move and they change all the time. They change but they also produce and create new ideas from inside. Internet is juts one influence in this constant flow of movements." [Egypt]

"Any introduction of a new technolgy on a world wide scale will have profound effects on way different cultures develop. The result of different cultures using the same technology will be a a homogonizing effect on them all" [Canada]

"The internet will destroy cultural diversity because the proper application of the power of communication (not just the medium) breaks the so-called "barriers of communication", one of which is cultural diversity. Nevertheless, I agree with one poster who stressed that people (not the internet medium) is the key to the "force" that would break it." [Philippines]

"My son and I are writing a paper concerning this very topic. It is our belief that while the internet can be a source of communication that fosters greater acceptance of diversity, it also channels it's users into a narrow constraint for expression that tends to get us all thinking like web masters. They are in essence the ones who control the mode of expression being offered to their audience. While the audience doesn't have to "buy in" there are strong social pressures to conform. Even television lacked the uniformity of the Internet." [ ]

"Indeed a lot of protocols are the same, but the way people express themselves online is very much unique to who they are personally and of course, culturally. The Internet fascilitates a great deal of cultural expression, information, and diversity." [Canada]

"It provides for diversifiction and desemination of same." [ ]

"In my view this will never happen whatever the nature of the tools may be. Borrowing norms and values from other cultures has been a part of the cultual formation and evolution. But, the people coming from any sociological group on the globe have remained concious of their identity. For this they did/do use different tools, such as religion, sect, language, colour, geographical location etc." [Pakistan]

"It strengthens and bonds and also informs and thus educates and enlarges the scope of understanding and appreciation of our diversity. Knowledge destroys bigotry and the internet provides that knowledge which is fresh and current and applicable." [India]

"Culture is something that is ever changing. it cannot be destroyed by information." [South Africa]

"In fact, it promotes unity in diversity." [USA]

"The internet is a gateway to understanding many different cultures. Regardless of all the western advertisement, people can find all sorts of viewpoints from different cultures on innumerable issues that it can only show the cultural diversity that comes out of the internet." [Philippines]

"It is a tool that brings us in contact with so many other cultures, ways of living and ideas. It can only be a treath to people and cultures whos basic drive is fear to loose their identy. Identy is made trhough contact with other cultures. The Internet is a tool to help to do so. It actually broadens our veiw of cutlural diversity." [ ]

"Rather, it encourages diversity.More knowledge of the outside world makes a people more aware of the opinions themselves and others." [UK]

"The Internet is not a "force", it is a technology or an infrastructure. 90 percent of the people in the world don't have Internet access. Cultures change, and what counts is how people change their own culture, not some idealized idea of "cultural diversity"." [ ]

"The internet allows access to information exchange, and unlike satellite television, does not homogenize. It is accessible to all literate and middleclass people cutting across geographical, racial, ethnic, political and religious boundaries." [ ]

"Disagree 100%.... the more I see of the net.. the more I see it reflecting the cultural realities around the world... true much is in English... but that is because folks what to communicate their cultural reality to others and English is the only common toungue.... the big problem is that many do not seek out other cultural realities... I live where Inuktitut (the language of the Inuit [eskimos) is the majority and where their culture was born... the Canadian Arctic... there are few sites in Inuktitut... but the majority of them are about the culture and designed to help the young Inuit kids learn more about their culture... The internet is a place were languages and cultures can expose themselves to the whole world... and to themselves... I believe it will help the survivial of many smaller cultures.... this is in shar contrast to mass media which has the opposit effect..." [Canada]

"It provides an excellent opportunity for coinstructive dialogue and exchange of opinions and views. Moreover, the world is a small village and we all are interdependent." [Jordan]

"By fostering collaboration and communication globally and economically, the Internet creates myriad new concepts of culture. While older varieties may well die off (as they would absent the Internet) they are being replaced far faster. To appreciate this, one has to rethink what is meant by culture." [USA]

"The Internet is a force that enables others to learn more about cultural diversity." [ ]

"The convergence of information which the Web makes possible helps us to question everything, and this, if we choose, can help us develop and discover a deeper, more meaningful sense of self." [USA]

"The internet can not invade all aspects of a society's life." [South Africa]

"The multicultural dialogue not destroy but to improve, to create, etc." [ ]

"Did either telephone, radio, motion pictures, or TV destroy cultural diversity? no, although opportunity for the voices of the under-served to be heard have to be zealously defended to discourage fanatical abuse or overpowering of the unempowered." [USA]

"The Internet is a communication medium, it is not a force. People using the Internet can either support and applaud cultural diversity, or step on it. But it is people we have to look to, not the medium." [USA]

"It makes us more aware and is an information tool. According to me, it is a market place where we can 'buy' what we think we need or not buy at all. the choice is entirely up to an ndividual." [ ]

"The internet AS SUCH is a technology which allows us to do certain things - what matters is what we do with it and how we engage it.So, while we can observe that is is currently culturally not very diverse (which is partly to who, how, and why set it up), this is subject to challenges and only what might be called a 'snapshot of a process' that is very young yet." [ ]

"Many indigenous groups and other "endangered peoples" are using the internet to revive language and culture." [ ]

"No, in a country like mine people having access to the internet are very small, in fact zero compared to the population size." [Africa]

"Internet is part of the cultural diversity. It plays a revolutionary role to awake the mankind despite the fact that it's a closed avenue to marginalised communities." [Kenya]

"A person's culture is the sum total of one's conscious and sub-conscious (e.g.,linguistic & behavioral rules by which we speak and act.) New memories are added; but old ones are NOT destroyed." [USA]

"The relatively low cost of getting a website online means that a wide range of voices (cultures) can potentially be heard. However western and particularly US culture dominates by shere volume. The onus rests with the non-US voices to use the internet as well as possible. A good example is The Revolutioary Afghnistan Women's association's website shows up #3 on a google.com search on Afghanistan just after the CIA. This is an excellent result for alternate perspectives. This, I suspect was acheived by RAWA having a very thorough internet strategy based to high quality content on an ease to use website that is quick to download and which is frequently updated. There is a relatively simple formula for internet profile success. read more ... click here." [New Zealand]

"Absolutely not. It makes it possible for diversity to flourish." [Canada]

"It does not 'destroy' cultural diversity. No single force can be responsible for that. It does, on the one hand, erode it, as all great technological/communciative shifts in the past have tended to solidify individual cultures (i.e., writing, the printing press, TV), this tehcnology is solidifying a new 'world' culture. However, it also serves to put diverse cultures within reach of each other unlike any other time in our history. Diverse cultures are not going to survive because they remain isolated and untouched. They will survive if they are ackinowledged, recognized and respected...and this requires communication." [USA]

"I disagree because internet is just a tool for information and knowledge spread. At this time what i can agree with is that the occidental culture is most pread by internet, this being an historical fact but the real result of this will depend on how each one reacts towards it." [Democratic Republic of Congo]

"The internet is a tool to share cultural diversities." [USA]

"On the contrary it enhances cultural diversity. Its on the eyes of the user.he can use it or abuse it. The mind that is corrupt can use anything for destroying oneself be it the net, the drug or the attitude." [India]

"I don't see the connection! If anything, the internet allows for individulaity (be that of a person, culture, society) to be put 'out there' for the world to know about and appreciate-and thats where it can stay!" [Singapore]

"The Internet is not a force. Cultures change all the time. Diversity is not of value per se. What is of concern is when people give up cultural values to copy foreign models inappropriately." [ ]

"People find safety, security, purity and prestige in their old ways and customs in the name of their culture or heritage. Education and interaction with other cultures force people to challenge the old myths they may be holding as truths. The Internet offers means to expand horizons. It provides media for communication and fora for excercising freedom of thought and expression. It offers platforms for debate, labs for experiments, and stages for entertainment. The Internet will let one decide between what is worth hanging on to in ones culture and what one should have abandoned long time ago." [USA]

"The Internet cannot create or destroy anything in itself. It is in the hands of users to enhace cultural diversity or destroy it. It can only support the goals and actions of the users." [USA]

"Like all media, its content is determined by people. Local communities can, if they have the equipment, create and publish their own web sites, contrary to other media, like TV or radio, where often large conglomerates decide the content. The Internet has a potential to become a publishing tool in the hands of all. One limitation is the advanced and relatively expensive technology needed. Including electricity." [ ]

"The Internet helps people to understand cultural diversity." [ ]

"The internet is a wonderful tool for connecting diverse cultures, and for educating people about cultures other than their own." [ ]

"The internet is only beginning to take root, its true effect will have to be observed in the next few years, but it's highly unlikley that it will destroy the cultural diversity, on the contarary, i think it is an excellent platform for the extension of existing communities." [India]

"Witness recent articles about Muslim Women support groups on the web. I find many examples of culturally rich websites when I'm writing for a local newsletter on Islamic customs and other religious holidays. Bangladeshis use e-mail to stay in touch with their overseas family members. However, a good Benglai script and dictionary, thesaurus needs development and English remains the major medium." [Bangladesh]

"The Internet is a medium... the folks that use it are the force. How can you know the full scale of cultural diversity without allowing folks a medium like the Internet to represent it?" [USA]

"Like all technology, internet can be either destructive or constructive: it's how it's used and by whom." [USA]

"It actually brings different cultures together and enlarges the scope of opportunity for the poor and underprivileged. Online technology is cheap and can be made easily available provided there's political will to do so." [New Zealand]

"It provides for cultural understanding." [USA]

"It is a tool that can indeed help disseminate diverse views, opinions, knowledge and information, especially of a non-conformist and critical nature." [Canada]

"On the contrary, the internet brings cultural diversity into your home at a pace that allows a better integration and hopefully better comprehension. It makes it all possible and so accessible." [ ]

"The internet is merely a means of communication, like the telephone or an oil painting. cultural diversity is content and cannot be affected by the internet any more than michelangelo's etchings have affected indonesian batik." [USA]

"Cultural diversity is a vastly over-rated piece of jargon, a cover for double standards, & a piece of ethnic fiction." [ ]

"The internet is a means to integrate, communicate cultural diversity. A valuable vehichle for creating awarness." [USA]

"No way! Difference is worldviews affect everything we do, and are certainly reflected on Internet sites and communications." [USA]

"That's just ridiculous-the Internet has nothing to do with the creation or destruction of diversity. It DOES offer a means of increasing understanding and tolerance, because of the tremendous range of information easily available to those who have it. Last fall, when Prez Bush started naming/blaming Osama Bin Laden, I was able to find Bin Laden's own text on the Internet, study the his statements in-depth and form my own opinions. All this, within an hour after searching, and not leaving my own desk, would have been impossible without the Internet!" [ ]

"We can actually share our diverse cultural beliefs and practices on the internet. My husband is a trained chef and he often gets new ideas by perusing the internet...Right now he is teaching a course on sushi making and he obtained the names of some suppliers via the internet." [Canada]

"Internet means exchange of views and opinions from a large no. of sources, different countries and that means variety and plurality, it will add to diversity and enrichment." [India]

"Television and anything commercial destroys cultural diversity in an attempt to get everyone to fit into identifiable marketing groups. The Internet (for now) is a highly accessible medium on which almost anyone can publish information, entertain, or speak their opinion." [Russia]

"It depends entirely on how it's used." [ ]

"The majority of people in the world do not have access to the internet. In fact, those cultures which might offer alternatives to those represented on the internet are definitively those which are not internet-dependent. To claim that diversity would be threatened by internet-exchange assumes that all players would engage in such an exchange. This assumption is particularly myopic." [France]

"'Destroys' is a powerful word. More can be done via the internet to promote cultural diversity." [USA]

"It creates a new culture, based on interests, rather than tradition and geography." [Canada]

"Sites dedicated to various peoples, ethnicities and regions only ENHANCE knowledge of cultural diversity, and allow us to be more cognizant of other ways of life." [ ]

"Now is easier than ever to know about cultural diversity due to the internet." [ ]

"The internet is the fast and powerfull way to receive information and tp exchane esperiences and information with people all over the world. I wisch to continue to be in contact." [Italy]

"The internet if used well can enhance and market other cultures elsewhere other than crash them. i say the internet is a force that enhances cultural divesity." [Uganda]

"Internet allows communication between many small groups speaking same language and with same culture from around the world. It could be a real way of keeping one's culture for those who have immigrated to another country and feel isolated." [ ]

"Internet is a place that gives more space to cultural diversity rather than destroying it, just because it promotes the possibility of gathering people that have specific characteristics in common from all around the world. Helps minorities getting together." [UK]

"Culture cannot be destroyed so easily. The internet is just a media that can increase communication. I think culture also changes over time. Information through media and the internet can enriched by improved understanding and participation of so many people. The internet also open new possibilities with positive as well as negative impacts, up to the users." [Indonesia]

"While the veracity of much material on the internet is open to question, it offers to potential to broaden the number of options available to people rather than narrowing them. The western mass media, increasinly through satelite and cable technology represents a significant threat to cultural diversity. The internet, on the other hand, can be used to challenge the cultural stereotypes of the dominant economies and their media arms. An unregulated, somewhat revolutionary platform like the internet offers some respite from the intellectual and cultural parsimony that has become standard fare in the Western media. The internet also offers the potential for us all to make better and more informed intercultural comparisons, question our own cultures, dominant or otherwise, and come to realise that cultures are shaped by people and can be changed." [Australia]

"For internet to be used for such a diverse concept, we have to determine how many people are connected across the world. Are we talking of breaking cultural diversity in industrialised countries, where 80 percent of internet useres are residing? What happens to the culture of the rest of the world?" [Nigeria]

"I do not believe that internet can destroy the cultural diversity of my people. We are culturally minded people and we hold strongly to what we believe in. It can only open our eyes to learn more on the culture and belief of other countries." [Nigeria]

"I've always been interested in the behavior of various people. The internet has made a great contribution to quenching my thirst in a search to enrich myself with details concerning other cultures. If it wasn't for the internet I know several of us, especially those located in areas with a short supply of books would be disabled. I'd replace "destroy" in the above mentioned phrase with "educates the masses about various aspects of". This is just my humble opinion." [USA]

"The internet allows for all, or at least more, forms of cultural expression to be presented and distributed with less restrictions than other media formats. With a less defined structure and rules on presentation the internet also allows for expression of cultural identity in ways that are more appropriate to the particular culture." [Canada]

"Thousands of ideas online from millions of ppl around the world." [USA]

"If anything it lets people cross borders and opens up a whole new world to them that otherwise would not have been offered in a small community setting. It also lets us become more aware of ideas and beliefs that we were afraid of or embarassed to ask about. How can we understand differ cultures if we do not have access to them?" [United States]

"It both separates and unifies cultures, depending on how you look at it." [ ]

"The Internet is a two-edged tool. Its impact depends largely on the category and objectives of content providers. It can promote cultural diversity through the access of ethnic and linguistic minorities to a new democratic channel of communication. On the other hand, it is true to say that, to a large extent, the Internet is slowly being 'colonised' by multinational companies for marketing purposes. It is up to citizens to take advantage of this relatively new media and create their own spaces to make their voices heard too. It is also up to the Internet surfer to cut through the clutter and get to reliable sources of information and enlarge their cultural perspectives." [Mauritius]

"I think only time will tell. As increasing numbers of people around the globe have Internet access, that access could very well serve to encourage and celebrate the diversity among us rather than to destroy it." [USA]

"It's a double edged weapon so to speak, it's upto the user to make or break diversity." [India]

"Are computers made for every language in the world? Can people communicate and find resources in their own languages? And with pop up ads and banners, are they always from a domestic company or from a company abroad, with the ad in a different language? These are just a few questions to demonstrate my point. For me, if the Internet supports all languages, then people are able to identify with their community. But if the Internet is only in a few select languages, then it is moving people to those languages and therefore impacting and more than likely reducing cultural diversity." [ ]

"Some case reveal that internet can be a tool to help cultural diversity to survive, but I believe example are rare." [Belgium]

"As every other mean depends on the use...it can be used either to promote the cultural diversity of to destroy it. So far it seems culturally centered. But this trend can be changed." [ ]

"I think the answer to this question heavily depends on what we choose to do from here. How we use the tool is up to us." [ ]

"I would say that it is doing both simultaneously, It is destroying some forms of cultural diversity, while at the same time producing new forms. As to what percentage is greater, who knows. And as to the value of what's being destroyed or created, I would also say, relatively unknown." [USA]

"Depends on how people interact via the internet." [ ]

"I tend to agree, but it depends on future access distributions." [ ]

"It can be either as it can be a force for hate or tolerance, violence or peace, misinformation or knowledge." [Canada]