Conference Questions Internet's Role

A who's-who of executives, technology gurus and economists debated the implications of a wired world last week, joining Harvard educators for the University's third

Internet and Society conference.

The broad theme of the three-day event was how entire societies relate to cyberspace.

Industry giants like Intel, Apple, Sapient and Microsoft sponsored the conference, which brought more than 600 people to Sanders theatre and the Science Center.

One of the keynote speakers was Candice Carpenter, the CEO and co-founder of iVillage.com: The Women's Network.

She focused on the role of online communities and the changes they've caused in society.

Her speech illustrated her belief that the Internet is much more than a way to transfer data; it is a way to create relationships and even to change the way society works.

For example, she said that children are at the center of many debates surrounding the Internet.

Though she admitted just a few clicks of a mouse can lead a child to Internet pornography, Carpenter said that the Internet is best left to its own censorship.

As an example, she said that the Internet allows an adolescent boy to learn that he is not alone in being gay.

"The whole world is available to a small child in Alabama," she said.

Carpenter said that while parents play an instrumental role in the education of their children, they are also liable to pass on prejudices and limitations that can be remedied by access to the Internet.

"[Kids] won't be limited by their parents the way I was limited by mine," Carpenter said.

She later highlighted the importance of personal interaction between people on the Internet.

"To me, what is most provocative is real people. They're at the core of real life. I think the web is dominated by information that is cold- not in a pejorative sense. If you peel under, and join in the action, I think you can have a tremendously emotional experience."

In addition to the keynote sessions with Mitch Kapor, the founder of Lotus founder, Peter Neuport, the CEO of Drugstore.com, and Andy Grove, Intel's chief, the conference hosted panels ranging from privacy paranoia to on-line development in Jamaica.

Dorothy Shore Zinberg, a lecturer in Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government moderated the Technology, Work and Gender session.

She focused the discussion on an international perspective of the business world, as well as how culture affects the way women are involved in business.

The panel included an economist and a young female founder of a start-up Internet company.