New Media: Continuing Questions and New Roles
I liked in this chapter that it combined the distinction of professionalism and how it effects the public's greater participation in a democratic society. The internet is a great place to learn about politics and gain a greater knowledge base for America's political system. However the capacity to develop a well rounded construct is eliminated when everything on the internet becomes personalized.
It is crucial, just as Sunstein says, that "people must be exposed to materials that they would not have chosen in advance." I question the ethical value in advertisers and Google using algorithms to track what specifically might pertain to an individual. In doing so, they perpetuate a society that relies on short term gratification without thinking about a desirable end. John Mill's utility principle evaluates the outcome to an action as the "rightness" of the initial act. I think today especially, everything moves at hyper speed eliminating the opportunity to find an end that determines the "rightness" of these actions. We will all look back in 10 years and think, what have we done? I have no doubt a lot of our world will change for the better, but this sense control over political framing ultimately eliminates democratic values that are pertinent to sharing an accurate depiction of our political systems.
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