A sad truth emerged when a few misguided souls actually suggested that the Internet be considered for a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year: While there is great potential for the Internet to be used for good, many projects that seemed like good ideas in theory have fallen short of reality on the Web.
Sure, Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites have been used to get the word out about various political struggles, but the idea that the Web by itself qualifies as a peacemaking entity in its own right is nonsense. The Internet is only a tool for good, albeit a powerful tool when in the proper hands. Sadly, a lot of proper hands can't seem to get a grip on the Net, and the potential of the Web to better humankind simply hasn't been realized.
Indeed, the Web is littered with the detritus of worthy projects that began with fanfare and ended with little or nothing of substance – except the disappointment of supporters who rallied 'round only to see their causes evaporate. Whether dreams of putting online technology to use involve improving the lot of urban dwellers, increasing the quality of education, making government more accountable to its constituents, or ensuring better use of the Web for healthcare, many have simply disintegrated into lost bits.
All this is a testament to the questionable motives of some project initiators, as well as a lesson in the need for greater persistence in putting a good cause above what's expedient or immediately profitable online.
In this report, Internet Evolution explores the good ideas that have fallen short on the Web, as well as some great ideas now at risk of being lost. We also discuss what causes this shortfall of good intentions and what can be done about it. What do these failed projects teach us about questionable motives, the need for ethics, and our priorities as creators and users on the Web?
Without further ado, we present Opportunities Lost: Why Good Internet Ideas Burn Out.
So how instead should world-saving organizations be helping educate rural areas?
I at least like the idea that the OLPC units are ruggidized.
Of course, most of the non-American non-European world accesses content via cell phone, so perhaps we should have Negriponte shift focus and have us buying ruggedized iPhones or iPads.
I agree - simply throwing laptops at children is throwing money away - and unguided use of the laptops may mean children are simply wasting time playing games or chatting instead of seeking out useful information and relationships. A much better way to bring the benefits of the internet to remote villages is the Questionbox which Alan Reiter wrote about on IE in 2009.
Well, coltree, I'm viewing corporate obligations in theory, not practice. Just because the reality falls short of where it needs to be is no excuse for dropping the values of free but lawful enterprise.
"And actually, business are obliged to do more than make money. They must follow the laws of the lands in which they make that money. And making that money doesn't preclude planning for the betterment of the societies they hope will sustain their ventures long term."
Wow you must live in the States, there's no law in Oz forcing social conscience on corporations. Our companies are run for pure profit - pillage, rape and burn and white collar crime generally attracts very, very light sentences.
Haven't most of the big boys in the banking sector gotten off scott free after collapsing the world into the GFC.
I have no argument with the proposition that every child deserves an education. At the same time I have some sympathy with Trevor's point which - if I understand him correctly - is that it's pointless to offload laptops or other sophisticated communications devices on families unable to meet the bare necessities of living.
These families need help, but this isn't the place to start. Computers in schools for children attending schools sounds much more realistic.
Agreed, Mary. The freedom to make money is based on following the laws at a minimum and contributing to a larger benefit to society in better companies. The whole point of creating an awareness of what companies like Google are destroying (in opportunities) rather than creating and building will reduce the opportunity for the game players to win at that game.
It doesn't matter how you dress it up, greed and crime are no better in white collars than blue collars; in fact, they are worse. It's up to all of us to call it what it is - which is what is great about this article.
I was not speaking of what should be. I was speaking of reality. Ideally, every child should have an education. Unfortunately, that is not what actually happens.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
Recently, the Obama administration has been of two minds where privacy rights are concerned. On one hand, you have an administration that vowed to veto CISPA and mandated open data for government websites. On the other hand, you have an increasingly out-of-control Department of Justice on a fishing expedition at AP and demanding legislation to let the FBI wiretap private, encrypted communications and levy fines if a company fails to comply.
The apartment and house sharing service, Airbnb, now requires members to verify their identities by demonstrating a presence on the web, and by either scanning a government ID or entering detailed personal details. Other enterprises should take a close look at Airbnb's verification policies.
Facebook advertising is a lightning rod. It seems neither brands nor consumers are 100 percent happy about the social media site's policies, placement, or procedures. But the real controversy about Facebook ads and promotions is over whether they work.
By now, you've most likely heard about the 3D-printed gun that Texas-based Defense Distributed demonstrated last week. But we haven't heard the last about the censorship war that began soon afterward.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Subsidized handsets, rather than locked handsets, should be the focus of regulators. We're not getting good deals, not fostering innovation, and weakening our power as buyers.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
Email This
Page 1 of 8 
