The internet, the first-ever medium that has allowed people from all over the world to network and communicate instantly. Of course, before the internet we had telephones and we could write letters but neither of these things seems to have produced the same results as communicating via the world wide web.
Facebook has been central in allowing people to network and share things that are happening around the globe. Before the launch of Facebook most interaction between strangers online happened in chatrooms where people were known by user names that were easily changed. Then facebook happened, we all thought it was cool but we could not have possibly imagined that it had the capacity to change the world as we knew it.
The amazing things that have been achieved because of the accessibility of social media are astounding. Lives have been saved, laws changed and our eyes have been opened to the truths in the world around us. No longer do our news reports come only from sometimes corrupt or government-controlled mainstream media. We can now see what is happening in the lives of people all over the world in real-time.
The information on the internet is contributed to by people from different places of different ages who practice various religions. It belongs to everyone. According to the #connecttheworld campaign "The internet is critical to fighting injustice, sharing new ideas and helping entrepreneurs create jobs. But half the people on this planet don't have access, especially women and girls."
The connect the world project has been supported by Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook. During a speech to the UN today Mark called for greater global internet access. "When communities are connected, we can lift them out of poverty," he said. "We can and must do more." This is not the first time that Mark Zuckerberg has been involved in calling for the internet to be more accessible. He launched the internet.org project in 2013. The internet.org project involved connecting 5 billion people who did not have access to the internet.
Before speaking at the UN on Saturday, Mark made the following Facebook post.
Source: Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook
The internet has become much more than a tool for playing games, sending emails, and catching up with friends. It is revolutionary in more ways than anyone could have ever imagined. It has given a voice to those who previously had no voice. There is a long way to go yet though, there are still too many people who do not have that voice as they have been denied internet access due to legal, financial or other reasons. If you think this is wrong and that we should all have the right to be heard online then please visit http://connecttheworld.one.org/ and make your voice heard. Let's give everyone a voice!