Aw, I knew the Internet when it was just *this* big!
I knew that the internet existed when I first truly encountered it in the fall of 1995. I was a freshman in college: young, naive, full of awe in the face of this vast resource. Oh, the possibilities!
I didn't know (at the time) that it was only 6 years old. And it's done a lot of growing up since then.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/on-25th-anniversary-of-web-lets-keep-it.html
And here we are. In humans, 25 is the age where the "reason center" of the brain has fully developed. You're able to make better judgment calls and think more about the consequences of your actions -- this is the reason why your car insurance rates go down when you turn 25 and you're able to rent a car without a surcharge. You're less likely to get into an accident, because you take fewer risks, because you THINK more about what you're doing and why.
The internet may not be aging at the same rate as the human brain, because right now...well, it's got some issues.
As users of the world wide web, we are exposed to the web of the wide world. This is -- even more so than ever before -- a powerful thing. We can reach out to strangers across the world or the people next door.
But with this great power comes a great responsibility. We don't always -- or EVER -- necessarily have to see the consequences of our actions online. We make fun of people, point fingers, get downright vicious with our comments, or in some cases, use this invaluable tool to directly bully people to the point where they commit suicide.
I think that this inability to see beyond our actions - because really, there are no consequences in a flame war, beyond getting banned from the site - has led to an epidemic in society where people no longer respect each other. We no longer care what we say or do, or how it may affect others. People are rude and disrespectful, no longer concerned about the far-reaching implications of their actions. But we need to get back to that. We need to respect each other, even if we don't agree with each other. Respect is the basic foundation of peaceful human existence.
And I think that the internet has (unfortunately) been a part of the reason for this. Not that the interwebs are all bad, or that the whole thing should be banned, or that people should stop using it. Not at all. I love the internet. Some of my best friends are here. I have learned a LOT with just a few quick keystrokes. The internet is a fabulous tool for research, socializing, and fostering creativity.
But like any tool, it has to potential for misuse and abuse. We each have a personal responsibility to use this tool correctly...or at least, not use it for deliberate harm.
As a society, we need to stop and take a step back and review our actions and reactions to other people: online as well as in real life. People on the screen are still PEOPLE. They have feelings and fears and hopes and talents and personal demons, just like you do. Just like your loved ones do. Man, I don't care what your religion is or if you don't have one -- the rule of reciprocity still applies.
I've been the direct victim of a snark group on LJ. I can't tell you how much rage I felt - I was shaking as I fired my own vitriol back at the person who posted the link and those who dared try to further demean me. I have been the victim of real-life bullying, as a child and as an adult, and I learned to fight back in many ways. Today I am a stronger person, and I will not suffer in silence. I do not tolerate this behavior, and neither should anyone else. I have been pushed to the brink of suicide by bullies once, long ago, before the internet was a gleam in Sir Tim's eye; if I were a youngster growing up today, I'd not only have to face bullies at school but also online. This shit has to stop, because it becomes a neverending cycle that only spirals downward. Some victims lash out and become perpetrators; other victims become withdrawn and suffer lifelong emotional damage; perpetrators continue escalating their behavior and increasing the number of victims. This is the type of world wide web that we don't need.
It's time to grow up a little, internet. At the very least, don't be the bully in the playground anymore.
I know, this is hard. But these are conversations we have to have, especially with children whose lives have ONLY known the internet. For those of us who remember what life was like 25 years ago (*twitch* Yeah, I feel old now, too, kthx), we take certain things for granted, like being polite to people and not openly berating someone because they are different.
Or is that just me? Am I the only person who feels that disrespect for people has become the "new normal" for society? I know it's a scary place out there, with crazies and weirdos and unsavory people. I mean, you still have to be careful. But that doesn't mean that you have to be rude. Yes, I've fought snark with snark, but in the end it was diplomacy and rational discussion that brought the issue to a close. Back in high school, I asked another student who was berating me about my weight and my looks, "So, what do you get out of teasing me? Does it make you feel good, or is it just a power trip, or what?" Of course his response was to say something else designed to hurt my feelings (that I've since forgotten), and I shrugged it off with an eyeroll and a dismissive wave of my hand. He never bothered me after that.
So, internet, you know I love you. But this behavior has to stop, because these hurtful things are doing more damage than you think: the effects are reaching everywhere, from domestic violence and assault to muggings to barfights to Washington D.C. You are one of the most powerful forces out there -- but you need to learn to control it.
/soapbox
I didn't know (at the time) that it was only 6 years old. And it's done a lot of growing up since then.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/on-25th-anniversary-of-web-lets-keep-it.html
And here we are. In humans, 25 is the age where the "reason center" of the brain has fully developed. You're able to make better judgment calls and think more about the consequences of your actions -- this is the reason why your car insurance rates go down when you turn 25 and you're able to rent a car without a surcharge. You're less likely to get into an accident, because you take fewer risks, because you THINK more about what you're doing and why.
The internet may not be aging at the same rate as the human brain, because right now...well, it's got some issues.
As users of the world wide web, we are exposed to the web of the wide world. This is -- even more so than ever before -- a powerful thing. We can reach out to strangers across the world or the people next door.
But with this great power comes a great responsibility. We don't always -- or EVER -- necessarily have to see the consequences of our actions online. We make fun of people, point fingers, get downright vicious with our comments, or in some cases, use this invaluable tool to directly bully people to the point where they commit suicide.
I think that this inability to see beyond our actions - because really, there are no consequences in a flame war, beyond getting banned from the site - has led to an epidemic in society where people no longer respect each other. We no longer care what we say or do, or how it may affect others. People are rude and disrespectful, no longer concerned about the far-reaching implications of their actions. But we need to get back to that. We need to respect each other, even if we don't agree with each other. Respect is the basic foundation of peaceful human existence.
And I think that the internet has (unfortunately) been a part of the reason for this. Not that the interwebs are all bad, or that the whole thing should be banned, or that people should stop using it. Not at all. I love the internet. Some of my best friends are here. I have learned a LOT with just a few quick keystrokes. The internet is a fabulous tool for research, socializing, and fostering creativity.
But like any tool, it has to potential for misuse and abuse. We each have a personal responsibility to use this tool correctly...or at least, not use it for deliberate harm.
As a society, we need to stop and take a step back and review our actions and reactions to other people: online as well as in real life. People on the screen are still PEOPLE. They have feelings and fears and hopes and talents and personal demons, just like you do. Just like your loved ones do. Man, I don't care what your religion is or if you don't have one -- the rule of reciprocity still applies.
I've been the direct victim of a snark group on LJ. I can't tell you how much rage I felt - I was shaking as I fired my own vitriol back at the person who posted the link and those who dared try to further demean me. I have been the victim of real-life bullying, as a child and as an adult, and I learned to fight back in many ways. Today I am a stronger person, and I will not suffer in silence. I do not tolerate this behavior, and neither should anyone else. I have been pushed to the brink of suicide by bullies once, long ago, before the internet was a gleam in Sir Tim's eye; if I were a youngster growing up today, I'd not only have to face bullies at school but also online. This shit has to stop, because it becomes a neverending cycle that only spirals downward. Some victims lash out and become perpetrators; other victims become withdrawn and suffer lifelong emotional damage; perpetrators continue escalating their behavior and increasing the number of victims. This is the type of world wide web that we don't need.
It's time to grow up a little, internet. At the very least, don't be the bully in the playground anymore.
I know, this is hard. But these are conversations we have to have, especially with children whose lives have ONLY known the internet. For those of us who remember what life was like 25 years ago (*twitch* Yeah, I feel old now, too, kthx), we take certain things for granted, like being polite to people and not openly berating someone because they are different.
Or is that just me? Am I the only person who feels that disrespect for people has become the "new normal" for society? I know it's a scary place out there, with crazies and weirdos and unsavory people. I mean, you still have to be careful. But that doesn't mean that you have to be rude. Yes, I've fought snark with snark, but in the end it was diplomacy and rational discussion that brought the issue to a close. Back in high school, I asked another student who was berating me about my weight and my looks, "So, what do you get out of teasing me? Does it make you feel good, or is it just a power trip, or what?" Of course his response was to say something else designed to hurt my feelings (that I've since forgotten), and I shrugged it off with an eyeroll and a dismissive wave of my hand. He never bothered me after that.
So, internet, you know I love you. But this behavior has to stop, because these hurtful things are doing more damage than you think: the effects are reaching everywhere, from domestic violence and assault to muggings to barfights to Washington D.C. You are one of the most powerful forces out there -- but you need to learn to control it.
/soapbox