Jul 15, 2010 10:30
Compare and contrast the following two scenarios:
1. A prime minister phones the CEO of a popular social networking service and enlists his support in using the service to foster a public debate on the prime minister's programme of severe public spending cuts. This move is highly publicised, and the prime minister is consequently hailed as 'net-savvy'.
2. Following a spree of violence from a recently-released prisoner, a prime minister contacts a popular social networking service in order to complain that some users of that service have posted messages that appear to support the actions of the ex-prisoner. The social networking service declines to remove the messages on the grounds that the site promotes public debate about current affairs.
Discuss.