It is time to address what is surely the central issue of the contemporary era. This is an issue we have been grappling with a great deal ever since the launch of Knowledge Politics, and has come to a head in a viscious confrontation among our researchers as we put the final touches to our first official publication (more tomorrow).
When writing the word 'internet', shold we use a upper case letter 'I', or a lower case 'i'? You may think this is pretty meaningless, and you may be right about this, but I'm starting to think there's something deeper lurking behind this. The use of the upper or lower case, surely, is determined by the extent to which the person thinks that the internet is something 'separate'. Separate from what? Perhaps from the physical world, or from the traditional media. Or perhaps a separate entity altogether, like a new nation-state.
As you can see, I lean towards using the lower case. For me, this is partly an act of willing... I don't want all those people who are not yet connected to the internet to be scared of something that is entirely new, distinct and "outside the realms of comprehension". I want them to see it as just another means of communication. After all, we wouldn't write 'Television', or 'Radio', so why 'Internet'? Especially as the internet is supposed to be the most democratic of mediums, open for everyone to contribute to.
Answers on a postcard please.
RB
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