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The Internet is bad for morality, developing countries say
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Most people in developing countries think the Internet has been a great influence on education, but not on morality, a new Pew Research Center survey has found. - photo by Chandra Johnson
Most people in developing countries think the Internet has been a great influence on education, but not on morality, a new Pew Research Center survey has found.

In a survey of more than 30,000 people in 32 developing nations like India, China and Uganda, a median of 42 percent of respondents said the Internet had a bad influence over morality, while 29 percent said it had a good influence. There was no majority in any of the countries that found the Internet to be a good influence on morality, Pew reported.

The study didn't specify how the respondents defined morality, nor did it ask any follow-up questions about how the Internet specifically impacted moral values or if using the Internet could change those values.

This is the first time weve asked this question and we didnt know what we were going to get, so we didnt have a follow-up ready, said study co-author Jacob Poushter. In many ways, this survey told us what we already knew: That the Internet is a mixed bag for a lot of people its seen as good for education, but when it comes to morality, people are still wary of it.

While Poushter said the survey results may lead to further study about the Internet and morality, experts say the Internet has such influence on so many aspects of modern life that many people in other parts of the world are likely wary of it for a variety of reasons, including the Internets centralized position in Western life.

The Internet is amoral. Its just a means of transmitting information, so the question is, how is it being used? California-based psychologist Jim Taylor said. There are plenty of other things that can influence our sense of morality, like schools or faith groups, but because the Internet has the ability to reach us so frequently and were always connected, it has an unusually significant impact.

Western values

Although Pews survey concentrated on the Internets impact on morality, some experts think foreign suspicion reflected in the survey may not be as much about the Internet itself as it is about alien, western values.

While morality is a very broad term, University of Rochester philosophy professor Randall Curren says there are certain moral virtues that most cultures consider part of morality, like trustworthiness, loyalty and general benevolence toward other people.

When people are worried about the Internet, some of it is blurring of the lines between core aspects of virtue and social norms, Curren said. The Western influences inherent on the Internet are likely making some people in these countries nervous that this may be influencing their youth in a way thats pulling them away from some of their moral beliefs.

Because so many of the most popular sites on the Internet are from the U.S. with Facebook, Twitter and other popular social sites rooted in American society Irina Raicu, director of California's Internet Ethics Program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, wonders if some nations feel that their morals are undermined on the Internet.

What we could be dealing with here is a clash of values, Raicu said. If you live in some of these developing countries and get on the Internet and see images of women not covered, writing their opinions and contacting men on social media, in some places, that would be seen as a negative impact on morality.

Age and access

Pew found that more educated, English-speaking people under 30 did not feel that the Internet was a negative influence on morality.

Young people see it more positive, part of it is because young ppl more likely to go toward values Internet presents, Raicu said. Theyre not seeing that as a loss of something good.

While the younger generations in many of the countries had warmer feelings about morality online, Raicu said it was important to note that Internet familiarity and access was a major issue in many of the countries surveyed.

Because Internet access is new for many countries, Raicu says many people may worry about technology's potential to change native culture.

We naively used to think that Internet reps American values, so we had those things built in like equality and freedom of speech, Raicu said. But those values are not familiar for everyone. For many of these people, the Internet means theyre being forced to see their culture changing more rapidly and realizing they dont have a lot of control over it.

The blowback against Western influence online is illustrated in countries like China or Russia, that allow access to a state-censored version of the Internet. China has a 63 percent usage rate, but 37 percent felt the Internet was bad for morality vs. 25 percent who felt it was good. The numbers were worse in Russia, where 55 percent felt the Internet was a negative influence vs. just 13 percent felt it was good. In that country, 73 percent of the population has Internet access.

Poushter emphasized that because the nations were still developing in different ways, the cultural winds would likely change.

It may be that the sentiment changes, Poushter said. We know that the Internet is affecting peoples lives, but we still have more to study and more to see about how much its affecting them in the future.

Whatever the country being surveyed, Curren said the Pew study underscored one universal truth.

No matter who they are, parents everywhere are nervous about their childrens values, Curren said. Thats a constant.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.