The U.S. Military blocks internet ties to home!
The Washington Post reported that the Defense Department has blocked soldiers’ internet access to a total of 13 sites, including MySpace and YouTube. Why? Fear that these sites will take up too much bandwidth.
Let’s look at these implications for a moment. By blocking access to MySpace/YouTube, they are pushed away even more from the rest of the world. They are out there fighting for their country, why not give them some free time?
Let’s examine more closely what MySpace brings to the table, that no other site does:
MySpace Benefactors:
- Allows open communication around the world
- Provides a 24/7 anywhere-accessible platform for the following:
- To keep in touch with family members
- Meet new people
- Rekindle lost friendships
- Exhibit creativity in creating a unique L&F
- Access to current, top 100, and underground music in just about any genre
- Ability to upload video files for the world to watch
Why keep soldiers away? It’s shocking to see this.
It’s amazing, how MySpace has managed to reach several different audiences. Although, what’s Facebook’s response? Why doesn’t facebook create a section for those in war?
August 13th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
I think this has more to do with keeping soldiers from reporting news to their friends and family back home that the military might not want getting out, than it does with bandwidth concerns.
Of course, that’s a pretty silly concern, in my opinion. Soldiers have always self-censored when communicating with the folks at home. If you’ve ever looked at soldiers’ letters from WWII, for example, you’d get the impression that the war wasn’t really so bad, because the troops didn’t want to scare their wives, siblings, and parents with the true horrors of what they faced on a daily basis.
I suspect that the same is true of most of the troops using MySpace and YouTube to communicate with people back home in the US.
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:03 pm
You’ve brought up some good thoughts there. I suspect some are worried about the troops depicting what is truly happening, and of course to some this is NOT good.
Thanks for stopping by.
August 24th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
I agree that there is a version of self-censorship rolling around our overseas troops, however there may be more under the quilt. Oftentimes U.S. soldiers are mandated to have periods of internet darkness when one of our guys is KIA or otherwise. Reason being the military wants sufficient time to notify family and loved ones.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:52 am
no, no, no…..Leave it to armchair warriors to come up with all the worng reasons.
I lived in Iraq for the past 4 years…note the term “lived”. I was a contactor and only left a few times in those years.
MySpace eats bandwidth like you wouldnt believe. millions of people who want to be self-famous but have only bare minimum internet savvy (barely enough computer literacy to turn it on) and they all get on facebook and myspace and use those widgets that not only take huge amounts of time and space to load…but eavery single one of them is also a small marketing took that collects bits of demographic info (non-identifying, of course ;-)) which takes up more space.
After using the militaries computers..its amazing they didnt block that years ago. It takes forever to load. And soldiers only have limited amt of time in front of a puter in the MWR.
They have email…they can send that way. And no–soldiers DONT self censor these days. Having gotten out of the army myself recently, I know this. They put the most retarded sensitive info on their blogs and what not. You forget, once they signed that contract, they also signed away part of their constitutional rights. They no longer have a right to self-expression. Everyone is told that over-and-over all thru every year of their enlistment or comission.