I Hate the Internet
It’s an open question, I think, whether the internet has made the world a better place. Sure, it’s great to be able to shop at any hour of the day or night, and I like never having to use a phone book, and who can complain about having an endless number of naughty pictures to look at, but I’m not sure those benefits outweigh the damage to civil society that’s been done by unlimited free access to the interwebby thing.
That the online environment has given every loudmouth around free reign to post his or her opinions about anything whatsoever might not really be a good thing. Case in point: 327 Words.
But even moreso, consider the Soundoff section in our local Seattle paper or the “Post a Comment” feature in the NY Times which are essentially, as one acquaintance of mine so aptly put it, opportunities for people to argue with the voices in their heads. Nobody listens to anybody else; they just spew venom in response to a position they imagine someone else is taking whether that person is really articulating that view or not.
In my applied ethics courses, we typically take on contentious issues of the day, like gun control, abortion, immigration policy, and the like. I try to make the point that the most important thing I think students will get from the class is practice in disagreeing constructively. I, for one, like living in a pluralistic society where reasonable people can have different positions on all sorts of topics; the main thing I hope, though, is that students get some practice in being reasonable.
On the internet, by contrast, it seems like people don’t really engage with one another; we just try to drown the other person in a sea of words and if that doesn’t work, WE CAN ALWAYS JUST TYPE IN ALL CAPS!
Of course, it’s completely hypocritical to complain about the internet on the internet; so, enough already.
That the online environment has given every loudmouth around free reign to post his or her opinions about anything whatsoever might not really be a good thing. Case in point: 327 Words.
But even moreso, consider the Soundoff section in our local Seattle paper or the “Post a Comment” feature in the NY Times which are essentially, as one acquaintance of mine so aptly put it, opportunities for people to argue with the voices in their heads. Nobody listens to anybody else; they just spew venom in response to a position they imagine someone else is taking whether that person is really articulating that view or not.
In my applied ethics courses, we typically take on contentious issues of the day, like gun control, abortion, immigration policy, and the like. I try to make the point that the most important thing I think students will get from the class is practice in disagreeing constructively. I, for one, like living in a pluralistic society where reasonable people can have different positions on all sorts of topics; the main thing I hope, though, is that students get some practice in being reasonable.
On the internet, by contrast, it seems like people don’t really engage with one another; we just try to drown the other person in a sea of words and if that doesn’t work, WE CAN ALWAYS JUST TYPE IN ALL CAPS!
Of course, it’s completely hypocritical to complain about the internet on the internet; so, enough already.
posted by Professor Dave at 5:48 PM
6 Comments:
OPINIONS ARE LIKE ASSHOLES.
EVERYONE HAS ONE AND MOST OF THEM ARE FULL OF SHIT.
i will talk softly now.
I think we are seeing uber free speech in it's infant stage. Everyone is talking and no one is listening. At some point voices will unify and spokespersons will emerge and gate keepers will be appointed and we will be back where we were before the internuts.
Well that is unlikely but it will be interesting to see how things evolve.
still loving your blog!
I hate the Internet.
I never come on here.
Your blog site is the best place I have been yet.
Thanks.
Good tidings on being internet free.
So basically your blogging your own, semi informed opinions about how the semi informed masses go on the internet and argue about people's semi informed opinions?
So basically your blogging your own, semi informed opinions about how the semi informed masses go on the internet and argue about people's semi informed opinions?
as hypocritical as it makes me, well said. this is one of the very few in my life that i have been awake this late let online this late without pulling an all nighter. but i agree with your post. i would rather converse with people than listen to them bitch in capital text. losers. i just chalk them off as childish and smile to myself and think that is one of the only things i dont still do as a young person.
but again it is 4 am. my question to you is this though, why in the hell does everything on the web lead to porn? i have my own blog and will be posting this to the world in a short but i would love your opinion on it. i stumbled upon this blog and its pretty cool. the link is dirtyoldchucks.blogspot.com so check it out.
Yeah totally agree with your article.
Also the porn thing is getting out of control. Porn sites do nothing spam our own, using fake ips etc... it's so hard to control.
Take www.fastcarsclub.net as a prime example of what I mean.
Plus all this porn is totally diseasing society - we should go back to the days of top shelf magazines and mail order dvds - in my opinion.
If that ain't enough stimulation for you then you're nothing but a rapist. Period.
Good post, thanks.
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