Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Moral Panic


I was going to spend this last post discussing how well I think the blog assignment worked and what steps could be made to make it better but came across two other topics I wanted to discuss. Firstly it must be said that this was a great idea for an assessment and a lot more fun/relaxed than your regular essay. However, I think it could have worked better if it was done in a forum/message board setting rather than blog. The reason for this is that I think that a message board facilitates discussion better than a blog and is easier to navigate around. I don't think there was as much feedback/discussion about posts (I'm guilty of this myself) as there would have been on a message board.

Another topic I wanted to briefly mention is the role that new technology has played in helping to spread moral panic in regards to the present 'terrorist' threat. It seems that the internet in particular has played a major part in this story. It probably played a big part in capturing those involved, in particular those such as cyber_ hoary whose military gear purchases were pulled up on Trademe.co.nz. Blogs such as Aotearoa Indy Media, Kiwiblog and the Herald 'views' section have also provided a forum for the public to share their (uninformed) views and spread panic/conspiracy theories. Points made in Bomber's post on the Indy Media site made the front page of Stuff.co.nz and seemed to be more concerned with self-promotion and scaremongering than contributing anything positive. These comments then get circulated like Chinese whispers and the next thing you get is a Herald comments page where the majority of posters are grateful the police have saved them from a 'terrorist' threat that may not have existed. My point here is that it is dangerous when public opinion is formed from information gained from a blog on which anyone can post.

The final issue I wanted to address is what happens to new technological devices once they reach the end of their lives and become outdated. The answer to this can be found in the latest issue of Vice magazine. 80% of the worlds electronic toxic waste ends up in the southern Chinese town of Guiyu (see photo). The result is that the air is heavily polluted by chlorinated dioxins and furans from burning cables to extract copper, the local river contains 2,400 times the recommended level of lead and is black from print toner which is highly carcinogenic. This toxic waste is taken apart by children who breath in toxic fumes in unventilated rooms and the locals wash their clothes and food in the river. My point here is that this is a negative effect of new technology but I guess this is a problem that has existed since at least the Industrial Revolution.

Cheers Luke and Kevin. Great course!

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