Culture, Freedom and the Web

Benker describes the internet as playing an integral role in cultural production. The internet continues to grow at a rapid rate and its growth stimulates "a more participatory and transparent cultural production
system" (274). Benker's definition of culture is a general one that I believe is quiet accurate. We exist in culture and it inevitably dictates our behaviour. The important thing to note is that the relationship is very mutual; we are influenced by culture, and we simultaneously influence it. "Culture is created through communication among human beings", and the internet is a canvas where changes in culture can take place (284).

Another thing that the internet provides for its users is cultural transparency. It offers users numerous meanings for a single thing. The Barbie example that Benker uses does well in not only showing how this cultural transparency is apparent but also how it does not, in fact, function as a tool to control. By being offered with numerous meanings for Barbie when she is looked up on the internet, users learn that she "can have multiple meanings and that choosing meanings is a matter of political concern for some set of people who coinhabit this culture" (287).

The power of the networked environment continually increases as more and more users learn to utilize it for discourse and exchange. The art community is a good example. With an increase in tools to share work, there is an increase in work to be shared; Flickr and Deviantart are just a few. Sharing work stimulates discussion and debate about various epistemology and methodologies. The complicated nature of art is accurately mirrored by the complex network that exists around it on the internet. The ability to spread work via the internet forms a culture that advocates this practice.