iMPrint Magazine - Editor’s Blog

Hello, readers. You will be interested to know, I’m sure, that today is one of the most important days in the short history of our online magazine. I am pleased to announce the first-ever edition of iMPrint In Depth, a special series in which iMPrint will examine, in detail, the issues and debates that matter to you as a college student. Through articles, blogs, video and online chats with experts, we hope to shed some light on some of the topics you really care about. Our first such topic will be net neutrality, the controversial principle holding that all websites, no matter their size or stature, should operate and function on a level digital playing field.

We selected net neutrality as the first topic for In Depth for two reasons. First, we believe that net neutrality is incredibly important to all college students— all things considered, the Internet is probably a more essential part of our lives than it is for any other age group. Despite this, many of us have trouble defining net neutrality, let alone intelligently discussing the nuances of the concept. This is not entirely our fault, however. The information presented in the media regarding net neutrality is often extreme and confusing. While some net neutrality advocates claim the end of net neutrality would lead to nothing short of the death of the Internet, opponents say online growth is impossible if net neutrality continues. The issue is almost never considered at length. Either you’re for it, or against it. Explaining what “it” is seems to be of secondary importance.

That’s why some of our writers have studied the topic extensively, talking to all of the Internet bigwigs in order to give you what we consider a comprehensive view of a very complicated issue. You don’t have to just rely on our take of it, either. On Wednesday, April 25^th at noon EST, you’ll be able to personally chat with one of the nation’s leading experts on net neutrality— Save The Internet’s Tim Karr— in our brand new “live page” feature.

Our second reason for investigating net neutrality is its importance to us as a digital magazine. As an up-and-coming online publication, the future of the Internet affects us in obvious ways. If net neutrality had not been in effect when we first launched two and a half years ago, there’s no telling if we could have even gotten off the ground. The battle over net neutrality has important implications over our future growth, too. Given this, we believe iMPrint is the perfect venue to explore the issue of net neutrality in a way that makes sense to you and me— the typical college student.

I encourage you to take advantage of all that In Depth has to offer. Read the stories, watch the video, join our chat— and most importantly— leave your own imprint on the site, posting comments and questions wherever you see fit. Remember, we are the first digital generation, and our voices should be heard in the conversation about net neutrality. I hope iMPrint In Depth is a valuable resource in helping you find that voice.