We should not fear the rise of information technology in our lives. The anonymity of the web gives us unique affordance that are rather valuable. For instance, take into consideration the recent rise of Wikileaks on the world stage. Anonymity has for individuals to speak the truth without fear of punishment or prosecution. Take into consideration cyber activist group Anonymous, a loose group of individuals bound by their beliefs who have been successful attacking unethical corporations through denial of service attacks. When individuals anonymity is protected, they are empowered to cause real change in the world.
The rise of social networking encourages honesty and openness. People fears about sharing their private lives are being dissipated. It enables us to accept one another as who we are and breaks down the boundary between private and public lives which has been known to cause so much turmoil and distress for individuals, trying to uphold a public image that is clean, prim, and acceptable by society, and hiding all those elements of our personalities that makes us unique and human.
Social networking allows for masses with similar thoughts and beliefs to organize. It has the ability to empower people that are oppressed and powerless. For instance, look at the recent developments that have unfolded in Egypt. To them, Facebook has become almost synonymous with freedom, hope, and democracy. Looking at such an event, it is preposterous to say that social networking is dehumanizing us. In fact, it is empowering us!
It is foolish to assume that there are some ineffable, mysterious qualities of human experience that will forever be beyond the reach of science. To do so is regressive. We must believe in the possibility for us to understand the world around us, otherwise, we would not progress in science, art, culture, and technology.
Similarly, Opensource culture is infinitely valuable. It allows individuals form all over the world to collaborate on projects that they are passionate about, pooling their collective knowledge and resources, and giving it free to the world.