Should information be shared freely? That is, should content (text, images, videos, etc.) be shared without external control? Shared at no additional cost?
Or, should information be controlled, manipulated, and limited–in the name of profit and/or ideology?
There is no purity in this debate. All information has a cost, and often it is quite expensive. Producers of information may choose to give it away, others may feel they cannot do so. Others control, limit, and manipulate information for greed and to gain or retain power. Disinformation and misinformation flourish in these situations.
No information outlet is totally free or unbiased.
Human beings make choices about information. How they seek it, how they choose what to pay attention to, how they act on it and use it. Collectively, we are gullible and inconsistent. We like to be part of the in-group, we dislike admitting we are wrong.
People who control, limit, and manipulate information take advantage of these traits.
See more of the debate:
The Dream was Universal Access to Knowledge. The Result was a Fiasco (New York Times, David Streitfeld, August 13, 2023) *$*
Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17)
Association of American Publishers
See also —
Propaganda and deception in politics
Algorithms increasingly control our lives; is that a good thing?
Questions? Please let me know (engelk@grinnell.edu).
