5 (of the many) STUPID THINGS ABOUT THE INTERNET
1. Internet addiction. Not addiction to the point where you grow intellectually by exploring the internet’s endless possibilities. Do not kid with yourself. We’re all wired to Facebook, Twitter, Tubmlr, Youtube - take your pick. As if my procrastination issue is not problematic enough on its own, I have an overload of things I want to read/do/waste my life on online (#First World Problems). What is productive about going through photos and comments on Facebook? Hearting pretty pictures on weheartit.com? Then again, you know what they say - the time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. Still, why can’t we just be addicted to homework?
2. The infamous relationship between grammar and the internet. The internet significantly contributes to the degradation of our ability to spell, write grammatically correct sentences, and punctuate properly. Spending a significant part of the day communicating online, we get the need to shorten words, avoid punctuation and ignore spelling. Personally, not putting the “yo” in front of “u” makes me feel like I waste less time on the internet. However, it becomes a terrifying habit very quickly and next thing you know you’re labeled as either illiterate or a person that has no dignity. BAM.
3. People that take everything they read online for granted. The internet is a place controlled by humans; humans that make mistakes, humans that make jokes! Then why do so many people take everything they read online as undeniably correct information? It’s not like they make you swear to write “the truth, only the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”. As a quote by Abraham Lincoln (that I found on the internet) goes “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet!”
4. Space between people in communication. The internet opens the door to a world of fakeness. Have you noticed how different people’s cyber-selves are from their real-life personalities? Have you noticed how people’s opinions are stronger when voiced from the comfort of the home? Have you noticed how loud I can scream with my caps lock on? ANSWER ME, HAVE YOU?
5. Internet debates. There is some very personal argumentation happening via Youtube comments and Facebook statuses. The point? You tell me. Should our sense of pride derive from getting the last word in an internet debate? Having the most ‘liked’ comments? Calling strangers’ names? Do these debates ever promote critical thinking or change anybody’s mind? Perhaps they really are just a power struggle between people who are insecure about their positions and are trying to get some approval. How did people deal with these attention cravings before the internet, anyway?
Can you think of other stupid things about the internet?
2. The infamous relationship between grammar and the internet. The internet significantly contributes to the degradation of our ability to spell, write grammatically correct sentences, and punctuate properly. Spending a significant part of the day communicating online, we get the need to shorten words, avoid punctuation and ignore spelling. Personally, not putting the “yo” in front of “u” makes me feel like I waste less time on the internet. However, it becomes a terrifying habit very quickly and next thing you know you’re labeled as either illiterate or a person that has no dignity. BAM.
3. People that take everything they read online for granted. The internet is a place controlled by humans; humans that make mistakes, humans that make jokes! Then why do so many people take everything they read online as undeniably correct information? It’s not like they make you swear to write “the truth, only the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”. As a quote by Abraham Lincoln (that I found on the internet) goes “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet!”
4. Space between people in communication. The internet opens the door to a world of fakeness. Have you noticed how different people’s cyber-selves are from their real-life personalities? Have you noticed how people’s opinions are stronger when voiced from the comfort of the home? Have you noticed how loud I can scream with my caps lock on? ANSWER ME, HAVE YOU?
5. Internet debates. There is some very personal argumentation happening via Youtube comments and Facebook statuses. The point? You tell me. Should our sense of pride derive from getting the last word in an internet debate? Having the most ‘liked’ comments? Calling strangers’ names? Do these debates ever promote critical thinking or change anybody’s mind? Perhaps they really are just a power struggle between people who are insecure about their positions and are trying to get some approval. How did people deal with these attention cravings before the internet, anyway?
Can you think of other stupid things about the internet?
Marija Trajanoska