C5: Internet

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Another world

Need we go on? Cyberspace is indeed becoming a whole other world with all the delights and dangers, fear and excitement, of our own very real one. It is out of control and going everywhere fast. It cannot be condemned because it so incredibly valuable in just as many positive as negative ways. Like our world, you can't possibly hope to control all of its population.

Cyberbattles will be fought against aggressive evangelists, perverse pornographers, computerwise criminals, real racists and cruel enemies for years to come. People will continue to look for on screen relationships in the safety of their own home and not risk real contact, and sooner than you think, new and unbelievable developments will make all these issues seem nearly nothing by comparison. Worlds evolve - that's reality. But Judaism has always been a guide to living in the world, and in the new rulerless Kingdom that is the Internet, the values and morality that the Torah teaches can still guide us.

Jewish websites

There are now thousands of websites of Jewish interest, covering nearly every topic you can think of. The question of factual accuracy is still there though - you can't believe everything you see on a screen. Here is one interesting one that you may want to browse:
http://www.ort.org/jeworld/jeworld.htm. Then click on the icon that says maven. This is an educational resourse with entries on many many Jewish topics.

There are literally thousands of sites of Jewish interest on the Net. The JAMSZONE leaflet of JAMS regularly lists new and interesting ones, and many more are easy to find for the avid Net surfer.

Edutainment

There is a fierce debate as to whether the Internet can really be used for education, or whether it just has entertainment value. The spped of access encourages users to flick through data very fast without really absorbing it. Also, the act of continually staring into a computer screen is similar to that of watching TV. This gives the user a mind set of entertainment and relaxation, as opposed to education. Most schools are investing in internet facilities so that their pupils are up to date with and able to use new technologies, but it is questionable whether the Net can be extensively used as an educational tool.

A fun waste of time

Many people talk about how much fun they have surfing the Net, but they also admit what a waste of time it can become. The Internet is still treated as an exciting toy by a lot of society and only time will tell if its power will be used for useful and sensible purposes.

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