The attempts to control opinion in the democracies of this world are commonplace. Newspapers, radio, television, and the web all present examples of efforts to control opinion. Contrasted to this democratic impulse to persuade the citizenry is the old army adage, “When I need an opinion from you I’ll give you one.”
In terms of news broadcasts, TV was an evolutionary step after radio, and cable TV was another step after broadcast TV. The web followed cable TV, promising more opportunities to exchange opinions and ideas. Inevitably, the elite in a democracy attempt to control opinion. On the Internet, that effort is reflected in consolidation of the resource by big names like Google and Yahoo, by video media, and by rating systems that rely on questionable estimates like “Percentage of Global Internet Users”. This last concept bounces like rubber; it is reminiscent of the TV rating systems, shaky estimates of numbers that can’t be proven.
Will communication remain free? Almost certainly it will. It is a futile exercise to attempt to control it because it is a natural right.
Will the web remain free? Hopefully it will. To the extent that it does not, free expression will migrate to other avenues.
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