“Playboy is not for your Grandmother!”

Would you stuff your May issue of Playboy into the hands of your ninety-year-old grandmother, or can you reasonably assume that naked ladies and articles about penis enlargement might be a tad too much for old granny?

Sunstein argues that the internet largely contributes to the shift seen world-wide to customize what we as consumers, and more so just as individuals, are exposed to. He sees fault with this growing tendency and desire to customize our own personal world, claiming that in order for democracy to thrive people MUST be exposed to “unanticipated encounters and share common experiences.” Quite simply put, Sunstein is WRONG.

The world we live in is much smaller and runs much faster than that of our parents, and much more so than that of our grandparents. And consequently, people are encouraged, and some would argue forced, to filter out information we deem unimportant or without credible substance (as is usually the case in politically slanted information). And while it can be argued that the internet aids this tendency, I believe it should be seen as a virtue of the web and not a vice, because I consider personal choice an expression of our right to have personal preferences.
I agree with Henry Jenkins’ point that the internet’s possibilities are limitless, in that it gives a voice and an outlet to those countercultures that are ignored by mainstream media. And besides, Sunstein went too far with his criticisms attacking TiVo!! (Alas, I admit that I am a Gilmore Girls and Regis & Kelly junkie- thanks to TiVo).