Shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater is, when there is not a
fire, an irresponsible act. Doing so may cause a panic and, ultimately, could
lead to injury and would at least disrupt whatever show was playing. This act
is not that common, however, because there is a chance that the perpetrator
would be recognized and chastised, and most people are not “brave” enough to do
so in the first place. Yet, with the advent of the internet, similar acts of
irresponsible communication have become prevalent. It is vital that we employ
ethical choices when we communicate online. This idea is one that pervades the
book Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky, and can be observed in his
discussions about Wikipedia, the general way more people are gaining a voice
online, and the ability for the internet to give a voice to those in need.
The main reason a person would needlessly shout “Fire!” is to sow
discord or cause problems. These are the types of people who would go onto the
Wikipedia page of a group or person they dislike and vandalize it. It is not
unreasonable to assume that if there were no repercussions, both of these
violations of common decency would still occur, but a Wikipedia article is far
more susceptible than a theater. Especially because of the presumed anonymity
the internet provides. A vandal may be IP banned, but the real power preventing
lasting damage is the community that would swoop in and fix the problem, like
when Shirky himself fixed “three in about a minute a half” (272). Herein lies
our moral choice - do we graffiti the digital walls knowing one or two clicks
would fix our innocent mischief, or do we scour the archives and look for
articles to rescue? Perhaps most of us would simply fix a mistake we found or
report a problem we encountered and would not be so proactive either way. This
is our prerogative as the ability to impact the information online increases.
With everybody online, we should not be surprised to find people in either
group.
Obvious defamation of public works or events aside, a bigger
question is just what is alright to put online? Finding a lost phone by posting
online is not a bad message to send out to the world, but insulting and
slandering the girl who has the lost
phone is clearly not appropriate. “[D]iscussion by the male participants as to
whether Sasha was attractive enough” (12), in no way related to the return of
the lost phone and was simply a form of attack. Rude remarks and criticizing
comments abound on the binary billboards of the internet. People feel more and
more free to speak with no filter thanks to “user-generated content” (83). This
can promote frank discussion, but it can also allow hateful, hurtful speech to
come out and tarnish reputations and distance people. Even simple exuberance
can lead people to post far more information than they intended and, in
addition to damaging others, they may put themselves at risk. This is an even
larger problem with children, whose trusting natures may lead them to
compromise themselves to the predators that lurk online. Thus, we must strive
to be ethical in our postings and educate ourselves and our youth so that
people are more sensitive about what is appropriate to put online. Shouting “Fire!”
may cause panic, but shouting out embarrassing secrets or private thoughts is
just as harmful.
However, not all is doom and gloom. Shouting “Fire!" when
there is a fire is the right thing to do, and using a megaphone to do so
is even better. This is why we have fire alarms and why the internet, and its
ability to give a voice to the voiceless, is so valuable. When abuse occurs or
human rights are violated, the internet can draw attention and ensure those in
need can receive aid or support. This was the case Shirky described as happened
in Egypt when the government was detaining bloggers whose best method of
gaining their and their comrades' freedom was continuing to blog (185). Many of
the poor practices our leaders or corporations engage in can be brought to light
by such various blogs or “Wikileaks-like” sites of the net. It is not hard to
imagine how differently the myriad revolutions of the last few decades would
have gone without the global communication afforded by technology. More and
more, the internet is the main tool being used in this effort. In this regard,
it is important that society as a whole embraces the positive benefits and uses
of the computer and the networks it connects to around the world. It may be
used trivially to unite those with common interests who want to use Meetup and
“come together” (196), or vitally to reunite those separated after a natural
disaster (293). Online social interaction has the potential to save lives and
improve the world for everybody.
As the internet grows and more people gain an outlet and an
audience, it is important that we dissuade vandals, promote sensitivity and
discretion, and help those in need gain attention and support. The internet is
a tool (267), one that has changed the world similar to the printing press and
the radio, but still a tool nonetheless. Society adapts in response to the
effect of a social tool, but the use of it will also promote a new approach or
magnify an old one (294). However, we are still the ones who are holding the
tool. A fire alarm in a public space is available to all, so we must use restraint
and control ourselves when deciding to pull it or not. Yet the lever is often
out of reach of children or behind a cover and, on the off chance a miscreant
pulls it, some will spray out a dye. Considering the internet has a far wider
reach than a single fire alarm, we must use similar protections so everyone may
ethically exercise their freedom of speech online. Because in this day and age,
“shouting ‘FIRE!’” is just five keystrokes away (with caps lock on of course).
Shirky, Clay. Here
Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations.
New York: Penguin, 2008.
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