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In February, 2000, Thailand, Japan, and the US were attacked by a wave of hackers. Users of the Internet found out how weak our networks really were. Most of us were used to using daily news sites, like CNN and Yahoo!, but in the beginning of February, users found that access took longer and longer, and customized news services did not renew for three or four days. Several days before these global attacks, some Japanese governments sites, which did not have "firewall" protection, were changed into sites protesting the Japanese military Nanjing Massacre. The attack itself was a surprise, but it was more of a surprise that there were no firewalls in those government sites. Data from rental Web sites in Thailand, thousands of credit cards numbers, showed up in public sites in the US at about the same time the hackers attacked in the US. These networks were originally volunteer-based networks, and there is no fee for us to use them. But "free" means there is a risk--we are not alone in this new cyber space.
It is interesting that in the mid-1980s a writer used the term, "Cyber Space," to mean "illusion of sympathy." In recent market-oriented articles, companies only stress the speed of the chips, high resolution, good quality and the interactive nature of their computers.
I think, however, that we have to clarify the much-used word: "interactive". Does the Internet provide real interactive communication? I do not think so. On the Internet, a conversation continues only until a person wants to leave. I can cut the line anytime I want, and no-one has to know who I am, where I came from, or where I went. In some ways it trains children to view people in the same way as they see the characters in the TV games they play. As a Christian, using PCs and the Internet, I wonder if these two tools can really be used to train our children. Anything which takes time in the world of PC is defined as "bad". Faster is better, and "high resolution" comes to mean "high quality". Is small and light good? Doesn't this value system seem frivolous if we start to apply it to our values concerning life and death, family, and human relationship? Should our church permit this bland new culture? If not, how can we educate our youth and our children to be tolerant? "...Or perhaps you despise his great kindness, tolerance, and patience. Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent." (Romans 2:4) Repentance takes time. Each of us needs to pray and take time to reflect on our own actions and ideas. We should thoroughly examine the value systems of the Internet; we should teach our children that people also need to take time to think about their actions and ideas. Children are able to easily master Play Station and Dreamcast, as well as the Internet. Pastors and parents have lost their confidence when it comes to these new forms of entertainment. It is pity that we can hear so many extreme points of view. One side says that all this new technology is good and other side says that all PC communication is bad. Both sides take an unmoving stand in order to protect their own advantages, but they often do not consider others who belong to weaker social groups, like children or the handicapped. An open but careful attitude towards IT would be an intelligent stand for the churches, I think, because the weak are easily affected by the powerful forces of the market. @
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