Blog Topic #4: Customize This!

My blog is powered by Blogger, which provides plenty of options for customization. I did not go into customizing with my own graphical elements, just used their templates and the options to chose colors, fonts and a bunch of gadgets. I did change the color-font combination that came with the template. I also added several gadgets, my favorite being the slideshow and the daily doggy... It is pretty amazing what you can do with their free customization options to create a functioning, impressive blog (not talking about mine...) that can even earn money for you.

Blog Topic #12: Net Neutrality

Limiting the free flow of information is not new. It is one of the key tools of dictatorship to control the masses. Protecting free speech is essential in a democracy. If a few (who have the money) have the ability to control what everybody reads, watches and what search results are presented online, democracy suffers. Our reality will be distorted because we will only know whatever the highest bidder wants us to know. Screening sources and content is a form of censorship and can lead us into dangerous territory. Ironically, it would not be a dictator or the government, but whoever has the money, who decides, what we know...  it is already happening with unlimited (and undisclosed) political ads and campaign contributions, but I think it is even more dangerous on the web, because people consider the web as an unbiased, open source and we are not even aware that we are being manipulated. When I see a political ad, I sort of know I am being manipulated. When I search the web and certain things pop up and others don't, or if I get certain news but not others, I don't even know that I am being manipulated... I do think we need stronger regulations to protect our constitutional rights.