In this issue, you’ll learn how the commercial Internet works, what information is gathered about you by advertisers and marketers, and how to take a more active role as a gatekeeper of your own information online.
We discuss how different theories of moral development can be applied to questions about ethical use of media. In our second article, we trace the connections between the ethics of media use and the role that media literacy plays in reclaiming our power as citizens.
There’s a distinct imbalance of power between consumers and online advertisers when advertisers are able to scoop up consumers’ personal data without their permission or even their knowledge. We envision what a commercial Internet centered around user ownership of data might be like, and why media literacy education is essential.
“Big data” analysis is re-making our society, including our conceptions of privacy. We explore the uneven power relationships between consumers, corporations and government bodies in an age of big data.