The Internet: Taking and Giving

A few years ago, I read an article about a new type of responsibility. The author of that article asserted that if you take anything from the Internet, you have a duty to give something back. He cautioned against being an Internet parasite. I found the idea quite intriguing but did not feel duty-bound to contribute anything. As a novice user of the Net, I argued I wasn't taking much. One or two lesson plans, some articles here and there. That was all.

The situation changed drastically when I took on a new job with the technology department. As a teacher educator, the nature of the job compelled me to take massive amounts of resources from the Internet - music, images, videos, lesson ideas, professional development articles - the whole lot. Not only was I taking stuff, I was also teaching others to take as well. Judging from the number of projects my students have generated in the last five years, the amount of content we took from the Internet is staggering.

While I am pleased that they have been able to generate vast amounts of quality content by creatively transforming resources they have taken from the Internet, I am slightly dismayed that I have failed to help them gain awareness about the importance of giving back as they take.

The fault is not entirely mine, of course! We need to remember that contributing content to the Internet has not always been as easy as it is now, facilitated by Web 2.o applications. We take it for granted that anyone with access to a computer and the Internet can publish any amount of content in seconds. In the earlier days of the Internet, this was not always the case. In fact, generating content and putting it on the Internet in the early days was confined to the technorati. They had to be able to write code, which was a highly specialized skill of the elite crouched in their university labs. Prior to the advent of blogs, which is another Web 2.0 application, it was necessary to develop skills in web authoring before one could publish on the Internet. Complex technical expertise required by Web 1.0 in order to publish content impeded giving.

However, in the last 5 years or so, the avenues for contributing to the Internet have increased exponentially. Different platforms allow us to share documents and multiple types of media content as easily as we can send an email. Hit the "upload" key and we’re done. Facebook, Digg, Scribd, You Tube, Podbean all facilitate publishing and sharing. Giving has never been easier. In fact, it has become so easy that it is astonishing how rapidly the issue has shifted from "contributing" to "contributing quality content". There is as much bad content on the Internet as there is good content.

But first things first. I will create opportunities for my students to publish on the Internet. I will encourage them to continue publishing on their own, and also help their students to do so. They need to be aware that everyone has a responsibility to share even as they take from the Internet. The time for sharing has come. In the past, we could only dream of sharing. But now, web technologies have evolved to a level where we can effortlessly make it happen.

Just create something and click "upload". As responsible netizens, we give, even as we take.