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Vague News: Anatomy of a Rumor and the Potential Consequences



Anatomy of a rumor: Wal-Mart’s $99 iPhone and the potential consequences.

According to an article written by Andy Oram,  Editor of O'Reilly Media, the search for self remains a powerful force, driving the flood of social networks, microblogging, and the posting of photos and videos to the Web.  Mr. Oram asserts that "it is no longer an option to ignore the Internet. Therefore, we must use the information with discernment. This mandates us to empathize with the reasons people put information online, and then to adapt our ways of viewing it."

Study: Teen have no qualms about uploading naughty pics  About one in five teens and a third of young adults have e-mailed, texted or posted online nude or semi-nude photos of themselves as per a survey released by the The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

So what does all of the above have to do with Anatomy of a rumor: Wal-Mart’s $99 iPhone and the potential consequences?


Before we attempt to answer that question, one has to be first reminded that the laws which govern our society our based on a Puritanical Code which strictly prohibited any type of sexually suggestive behavior.  A recent headline, YouTube Takes Hard Line on Sexually Suggestive Clips, Profanity ... only reaffirms the 500 year old moral values of the Puritans. 


The second fact that has to be considered is that Walmart is the largest retailer in the world and that much of it's success is due to discount pricing of the goods that it sells.  If, and when Walmart starts to sell the popular and must have iphone at a discount price, common sense tells us that more people will be able to afford a low cost Internet accessible gadget.  Thus, it will be no surprise that more teens and young adults will steadily increase the numbers of nude photos online.

Finally, the anatomy of a rumor and its potential consequences is that our present day version of the Bill of Rights shall be rewritten.  In doing so, the law makers shall take away from you and me a growing trend of our personal freedom of speech and expression.


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