Over the past few months, a little bill has made the rounds in D.C. You may have heard of it. The Stop Online Piracy Act.
Now, the bill has some good intentions. Its supposed aim is to bring the power back into the hands of those who create various forms of copyrighted materials so that these owners can continue to create content.
It even has a cute little name, “SOPA.” How can anything that sounds this much like a children’s television show character be a bad thing?
As it turns out, it’s pretty bad.
As Wikipedia and Reddit gather followers to their movement by blacking out their sites in protest of the bill, the internet has been in an uproar.
“It’s a violation of our First Amendment Rights,” some say.
“It will destroy the internet as we know it,” others claim.
Regardless of how it’s being expressed, many people are stepping out in support of the anti-SOPA (and its adorable little sister PIPA) movement.
The issue that I have with the movement is the bandwagon mentality and general laziness of our generation that it is highlighting.
Take a glance at your Facebook timeline. I’m sure there are several people clamoring about why they’re upset that the government is tampering with their rights, and the incredible injustices they face by being barred from their beloved social networks.
I love that the internet as a whole can come together for a purpose. I honestly didn’t think the web was organized enough for something of that nature. The real issue I have with the movement is why everyone is so upset about the bill.
You shouldn’t hate SOPA because “it will definitely shut down Youtube, Twitter and Facebook!”
You shouldn’t hate SOPA because “everything we read will be censored!”
These are not only exaggerations, but they’re popular ones, and they are distracting many from focusing on the real issues of the potential laws.
You should hate SOPA for several reasons, but none of them include because it would inconvenience you in a stupid social platform that informs others of your daily activities.
The problem is that many of the internet-dwellers of today love the bandwagon. If it’s trending on Twitter, it must be important. If it’s all over Facebook, you’d better be involved.
Instead of yelling about something you’re not sure about, go read the bill (or an unbiased summary of it, if you don’t speak legalese.)
Don’t let some Facebook friend guide your choices, and don’t let the Wikipedia blackout make you think that enough is already being done.
As one blogger wrote, “Rhetoric is efficient, but you should know what you’re opposing and why you’re opposing it. It’s difficult to read and understand, but if you care about the Internet, free speech and personal freedom at all, you owe it to yourself to understand and oppose SOPA.”
Now go hang out on Facebook. Enjoy the freedom that you still have on the internet. And the next time you’re wondering why everyone on Twitter is whining about a new bill, go read it.
