Seven Digital Deadly Sins: Ethical Issues in the Digital Age

Seven Digital Deadly Sins is an interactive website with film and text exploring the topic of the seven deadly sins and how moral and ethical issues affect the modern, technological age.

Important, Philosophical Questions About Technology

The National Film Board of Canada and The Guardian have partnered in order to present Seven Digital Deadly Sins, an interactive site which consists of several videos that explore the topic of how the longstanding concept of “7 deadly sins” applies to modern life. The films focus on discussing how pride, lust, greed, gluttony, envy, wrath and sloth each apply in various manners to the digital age, with 21st century technology creating a new set of moral rules and ethical dilemmas. The interactive documentary enlisted as many well-known faces as there are deadly sins, interviewing authors Gary Shteyngart and Jon Ronson, musician Billy Bragg, comedians Josie Long, Ophira Eisenberg and Bill Bailey, actress Mary Walsh. This eclectic group of individuals each offer a particular story and discussion about the seven deadly sins and their manifestation in the digital world. The documentary offers an interesting exploration of these topics, and it ignites an important discussion about how humans are living in 2014.

A Forward-Thinking Type of Documentary, for the Digital Age.

In addition to its celebrity contributors, there are also certain stories contributed by other individuals who have been affected by the Internet in a radical way. A hacker details his somewhat dangerous criminal history, and a couple who experienced viral success after their wedding invite was circulated online are both profiled, among others. Some of these stories are filmed (presumably the work of the National Film Board of Canada), while some are written (presumably the work of The Guardian). Seven Digital Deadly Sins also encourages the active participation of its viewers in commenting and discussing these issues as well as sharing their own stories. The site is one of the more ambitious attempts at hosting a documentary online in an interactive, participatory manner, and the fact that the subjects covered make viewers question their own relationship with technology makes it even more appealing. This site is definitely worth visiting and exploring

Will Hagle:

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