The Power of the #OWD 09:

Would you like to take a survey about the Internet?

That question must have been uttered more than one hundred times over the span of 30 minutes by Elon University Interactive Media Graduate students. The reason? One Web Day.

Without any hesitation, students– mostly freshman, took a five-question survey addressing specifics about the start of the World Wide Web, its founders, Internet use on cell phones, and the number of Web users, to name a few.

Laptops in the hands of those who appeared to have some affiliation with Elon, along with appropriate signage at the College Coffee event provided some indication that this was legitimate, but the uniformity of the group’s clothing (black One Web Day shirts), seemed to provide extra reassurance to the surveyors that they could trust the strangers asking them questions.

That black One Web Day t-shirt also signified that we had some authority and knowledge on the issues we were requesting answers to. Some students questioned my partner Bahar and I about the purpose of the survey and the correct answers, but that was few and far between.  Our sheer presence offered reassurance that we could be trusted.

That same argument could be made for the use of the Internet. Although used for gathering information, there is no certainty that the Internet is a trustworthy source to share information through. In fact, there are several who would argue the Internet is an unsafe place and we should proceed with caution.

The Web has provided its users with the tools to access a fortress of valuable content–minus the homemade dance videos on YouTube. One Web Day gave us the chance to inform our peers about the importance of accessibility, privacy, security, and openness of the World Wide Web. However, One Web Day should not be the only day that these issues should be discussed among its users. Just as the Web is always evolving, so should the actions to make the Web a secure, accessible place for all.