How has the internet affected you as a person?

[Ice Car]

I made this topic on another forum so I'll just copy/paste my response so I don't leave out anything and I don't have to re-type all of it.

I'm wondering if any of you have been affected personally by the internet, as in maybe your personality changed, or maybe you hate people more than you did before... And if so, what was it that caused you to change this way?

I'm sure I'll get some interesting replies in this thread.

Me? I suppose you could say my innocence was shattered very early, I guess. I learned all the swear words and became a real asshole when I was younger and exposed to the net. Later on in about 2010 is when I started getting more into browsing the internet and became more engrossed in it. It became a second life of sorts. I enjoyed browsing teh interwebz. At some point I realized how much of an unfunny jackass and my self esteem dropped accordingly.

In 2012 I started to really hate humanity and I hate a lot of things now that I didn't before. I know things I never should have known and I've become a more bitter, pessimistic and cynical asshole now, and that translates into real life when I cuss out people who like things I don't like if it starts bothering me. I've adopted "I hate everything" as my motto or whatever wherever I go because my friends always note the sheer amount of things I hold animosity towards and find me a sour individual, and it's true for the most part... I hate memes for one. If anyone ever tries to show me a meme or quote a meme to me in real life I have to try and prevent myself from punching said person in the face.

My sense of humor had changed-- though I'm not sure if it's because of the type of humor I'm exposed to on the internet, or if it's come with maturity as my sense of humor just evolved, but I can't find myself laughing at "normal" jokes anymore and I don't find joy in any common activities.

Things that trigger this sort of stuff are... Just in general, the internet. The stuff you read and the internet culture sort of brings these changes on you. The anonymity people have make it far easier for people to "troll" and in general be such assholes you'd think nobody would ever like this individual or be friends with them in real life. Shock sites and the sort. Encyclopedia Dramatica's Offended page (a favorite of mine).

So that's my story... I guess. What's yours? Got any more cool stories for us to read?

[small]I... I did not just quote a meme. No I didn't...[/small]

 

[Marter]

It has made me a much happier person and also exposed me to a lot of things, both good and bad, that I otherwise would never have seen.

Also, some of y'all are okay, so I'm happy about meeting you.

 

[SaetonChapelle]

I think a part of me has actually become a bit better!

I have had a lot of disappointments with people thanks to being on the internet. What with all the angry comments, the negativity, and the learning of how vicious people can actually be when they believe they are anonymous.

That being said however I have learned a lot of things. Thanks to the internet I have gained knowledge. Also, when I was a young girl, I was reading fanfiction. This fanfiction actually opened up my eyes to various different information that was not previously provided to me by my parental figure. This information generally that of various sexuality that existed, and how accepting the outside world could actually be in regards to sexuality (my home being a very tight nit Christian area at the time. This however has drastically changed). I found that not only were there very close minded people, as I have seen in my home area at the time, but there were also those more accepting, and those people were able to morph my views on various subjects.

As stated by another, my humor has also changed, although I believe that to not only be due to the internet, but also the social groups I have grown up with since and after high school primarily.

I have also learned the great art of debate, and found that I enjoy it quite a bit. Thanks to the internet I have not only gained the abilities, but have found many debate partners to assist and go against me.

 

[370999]

The internet is a medium of communication, it hasn't really "affected me", neither has the local libary. It has allowed me to gather more information on my niche interests which is kool and the gang.

 

[JoJo]

I've learned a good deal from the Internet about the world around me, particularly Wikipedia and various news sites. I think I've become more tolerant of other people too as a result of the different viewpoints I've been exposed to online, I now actually understand how a lot of a people I disagree with think, which is always helpful. I don't particularly care about the rampant trolling or hate, at this point it's largely background noise.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I often wonder what my life would be like without the internet. How many doctorates would I have by this point? How many instruments would I be able to play? Would I be an incredibly athletic outdoorsy type?

Instead, I find myself awake at 3am drinking Mountain Dew and venturing into the weird part of YouTube, browsing various forums, or playing Guild Wars 2.

 

[Jolly Co-operator]

My sense of humor has become much more dry and sarcastic, due to the sites I usually frequent (Or it may have just been puberty; probably a combination of the two), and I've become a lot more open-minded as a person. I'm thankful for the latter most of all. Talking with people online has opened my eyes to lifestyles and beliefs that I'd never taken into consideration, or just completely ignored here in my white-bread small town.

 

[Padwolf]

Well for me it's made me more open to everyone and has made me a bit better! I have also learnt a good deal of things from the internet. It's made me quite a happy person for most part.

 

[sky14kemea]

Yeah, I gotta agree with the losing innocence pretty early.

I've become alarmingly apathetic to things that would gross/creep others out, and I'm probably a more cynical person than I would've been if I hadn't discovered some sites. :/

On the plus side, I have made a lot of friends that I probably wouldn't have if I wasn't here, and there's a lot of cool and funny stuff to watch!

 

[Esotera]

It has given me access to an online encyclopedia that is probably superior to my university teaching materials & covers far more, lets me talk with random people online to debate & discover new points of views, and there's a ton of free culture out there in the creative commons.

Sort of surprised no-one has replied entirely about porn yet.

 

[Antitonic]

I don't think the Internet has affected me as much as work has. Any sort of attitude change can more easily be explained by my job history than my browsing history...

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I have a great outlet for my spontaneity, I can always find people to talk to, I've changed emotionally in a huge way and I don't like TV as much as Youtube.

I've changed a lot but I'm still good old Redlin. Maybe.

*pies*

 

[Duck Sandwich]

The internet has immensely helped me to improve my physical fitness. I've used it to come across a vast wealth of information on diets/workout routines, and also, I've found out about the existence of the last two martial arts gyms I've trained at.

I would say that the internet has changed me as a person, and in almost exclusively positive ways.

I live out in asscrack nowhere. The internet gives me access to information, news, and commentary from all over the globe. More importantly, it's allowed me to engage with people who I would otherwise never have had any form of dialogue with, because they live too far away or just generally are not the kind of people I'd run into socially.

Spending time engaged in internet debate has been eye-opening as well. I've come to recognise ways of reasoning that are problematic and fallacious, and it's also taught me a hell of a lot about how to go about engaging people with polar opposite views than the ones I hold. Sometimes engaging with those people has made me reflect upon and adjust my own views, something that wouldn't happen if I was discussing the issue with a group of like-minded IRL friends.

The internet is like the biggest library in the world. There is a ludicrous amount of information available and it's very easy to get lost in it, and learn a great deal along the way. Some people say being on the internet too much kills your brain cells. I'd argue that it's had the opposite effect.

I'm in pretty much the same boat as you.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I've talked to people that I would've never had a chance to, and consider them my friends.

Also, I've learned some things that no man/woman should ever know in their life time, or ever.

Why internet...why.

 

[Scarecrow]

I think it's made me a better person. I've become more mature, more accepting, and more knowledgeable about a lot of topics. It also introduced me to a lot of my favorite music, and, as strange as this will sound, gave me a more spiritual outlook on life. I've also met many of my best friends through the internet, and in general has helped me find who I really am, as cheesy as it might sound.

 

[capper42]

It's hard to say, because it's been an integral part of my life for a large part of my upbringing. I'm now 21, so really much of the time I was forming me as a person, the past decade or so, the internet has been present, so I don't know what I'd be like without it.

I'd probably have different tastes in almost everything, music, films, TV etc.

Truth is, the internet has changed so many aspects of life, shopping, communication, learning etc. that it affects all of us massively.

 

[Nouw]

Tough to say. I haven't really changed, but rather grown. The person I am has been established, not revised, with the help of the internet.

Well... Because of this site, I learned how to type better

Hell, I learned how to touch-type thanks to this site. No, there isn't some kind of secret typing tutor hidden on this site but rather my visits allowed me to practice. One day, I found myself touch-typing !