Julia's Blog

Oh, government. It seems to be the only thing anyone can talk about these days. However, most people claim they just cannot wait for this election to be over since it has been such a mess and controversy. That being said, I was refreshed during our discussion today to hear about the lack of government involvement in the Internet. The idea that this large part of our society and lives has not been totally corrupted by our government is quite amazing. Of course, we’ve already talked about how easily the government could be watching everything we are doing while connected to the Internet which makes me uncomfortable, but I find comfort that the government has not taken over Internet regulation. The First Amendment allows us to read and write just about anything we want on the Internet, which reminds me just how lucky we are to live in the US where this freedom is genuinely protected. Despite the emotional roller coaster this election has been for me, tomorrow I will have a smile on my face, because today I was reminded that not everyone is granted the same freedoms and rights as we are and our election day should be a celebration regardless of the outcome. Over the summer, I spent two weeks in Cuba, where I realized just how large a part of my life the Internet because there was such so much extra time in my life when the Internet was no longer a part of it. Free wifi in Cuba does not exist. In fact, wifi costs about $2 an hour, which doesn’t sound like a lot, until I discovered the average monthly wage in Cuba is about $17-20, meaning only one hour of wifi is over one-tenth of a worker’s monthly salary. Basically, I was reminded today that the lack of Internet governance in the US is something to be largely celebrated, and can also remind us to stay positive in this tumultuous time, as there are many worse situations we could be in.