Annotated Bibliography Example: Internet Access as a Human Right

Number one: The present-day intellectual society has seen various technological advancements. It is, in this regard, that the media and, more specifically, the universality of the Internet should not be ignored. Therefore, measures towards ensuring that Internet access is treated as a human right ought to be put in place.

Number two: Notably, the internet is embedded into the lives of very many people as a major channel of information access. Thus, states should take up internet regulation by putting measures to ensure that Internet providers conduct their tasks at affordable rates.

Annotated Bibliographies

Pettitt, C. (2016). Media after Kittler. Media History, 22(1), 139-142.

In this article, Pettitt attempts to give a detailed account of the history of communication technologies as presented by Friedrich Kittler. Kittler begins by diving the onset of communication technology into two major eras: the writing era entails printing and scripts, while the technological era involves digital and analog technologies. Further, Kittler addresses the significance of the transition from orality to written media and, most importantly, to technical media. Kittler notes that the technical media is developed through the code of modern mathematics and that its processes are faster than human interactions. Overall, Kittler suggests that with more technological advancements the more information can be stored. Thus, he concludes by identifying that digital technologies are more durable and safe.

Feldstein, S. (2017). Why internet access is a human right: What we can do to protect it. SSRN Electronic Journal.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has in the past years advocated that offline rights such as the right to free speech should in equal measures apply to online users as well. However, repressive governments are slowing down adoption of the Internet. Therefore, this article aims at investigating the role played by advocacy groups in promoting Internet awareness; advocacy groups have developed responsive mechanisms to promote standalone rights for online expression. For instance, they propel public outrage on egregious actions such as a ban on mobile internet services. In addition, other groups such as Access have created awareness on Internet shutdowns.

Lucchi, N. (2015). Internet-based communication: Rights, risks and opportunities. European Journal of Risk Regulation, 6(01), 121-128.

According to Lucchi, the internet is gradually developing into a significant tool for life-related needs. Majorly, it has played an immeasurable role in promoting the right to communicate and access to knowledge. Therefore, it is essential that internet access is made easily accessible for everybody. This involves making it affordable and eliminating all unnecessary restrictions. Hence, all regulatory mechanisms regarding the internet should be consistent with the fundamental human rights and liberties.

Tully, S. (2014). A human right to access the internet? Problems and prospects. Human Rights Law Review, 14(2), 175-195.

This article focuses on proposed internet access as a human right. The internet carries a range of political, economic, social and cultural benefits. Notably, internet access is currently a feature in possible pre-existing rights including the freedom of expression. Thus, the state should strive towards ensuring universality in internet access. The article also suggests that the state should also put restrictions and limitations on internet content to ensure that the necessary safeguards are met.

Wicker, S., & Santoso, S. (2013). Access to the internet is a human right. Communications of the ACM, 56(6), 43.

The author acknowledges that a significant number of people spend plenty of time on the internet. Therefore, taking it away becomes a violation. The United Nations Human Rights Council passed a non-abiding motion to condemn states that intentionally denied their citizen's right to internet access. However, some countries including Russia, China, South Africa, and India were strongly opposed to the motion, giving a reason that other sources of information such as written materials were more appropriate. Nevertheless, a majority of states agreed that free internet access is one of the 2030 agendas towards sustainable development.

Wang, X. (2016). A human right to internet access: A Confucian perspective. Asian Culture and History, 9(1), 6.

In this article, Wang provides a possibility to implement internet access as a human right in a Confucian society characterized by a system of social and ethical philosophy. However, Wang notes that the Internet is unsuitable for Confucian culture because a liberal version of freedom is rooted in it. Thus, this concept is not only alien but also hostile to the Confucian community which bases much of its focus on the sociality of a person. Wang goes further to identify that just like the right to democracy, people should have a derived right to internet access.