If Not Now, When? [Paying Attention to the Internet]

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I was reading this thread [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.948731-All-you-have-to-do-to-be-considered-a-cuckold-now-Have-a-job] when I came across an all too familiar sentiment.

"Blah, it's something on the internet. Ignore it."

My question is this: Why shouldn't we pay more attention than ever?

It's not just the place where you get your porn, video game news, and random stats to prove your point. It is an event unparalleled in Human History, one that will be unrivaled for years to come. It's so crucial to our lives that our leaders are declaring it a basic human right [https://www.wired.com/2011/06/internet-a-human-right/].

It's a big deal.

Yet, as we are humans, we use it for darker purposes all the time. It is the place of the Dark Web. It's the rally center of hate groups and extremists. People who want to defile the weaker of us and the most innocent of us.

Why do we still relegate the internet as a place that we can ignore? It's not like these ideas aren't making it out into the real world. Every soundbite that other media has becomes amplified into a deafening cacaophony in the Real world, thanks to it reverberating around the internet.

I've never heard of cuck used so much before in my 3 decades of life combined than I have in this last election year. SJWs, feminists, libtards... I'm scrounging my mind to come up for terms for Conservatives but all I have is the "Regressive Right". But the main point is that this internet, this vast place of knowledge and facts is really just making us all duller.

We aren't even creative with our insults any more. We just rehash whatever is the term of what we hate now. We don't take time to understand how we're all saying the same things: "I'm tired of feeling like I'm not being heard, and that I should just step back and not be seen to make what feels like the entire world be comfortable".

The internet has become nothing more than the catalyst for even more self centeredness than I've ever seen, and that's saying something. I don't want to restrict anyone. That's not my nature. It's not what I'm about. But it's worrying to say the least that reachable people close their minds readily to believe fabrications because it justifies something within them.

Isn't it time that we pay attention the the Internet more than ever seeing that it's not just random losers on the net, but people who went out and changed a vast majority of the world when everyone else thought they were just lone kooks behind keyboards?

 

[Saelune]

Dude, its just a joke.

I mean, seriously. Not like communications matter. The internet is just a joke, just like the television, the radio, the telephone, the post office, trains, cars, etc.

Its just a joke.

(For those who do not get my sarcasm, I am relatively agreeing with the topic's point)

 

[stroopwafel]

There are a lot of bitter, angry, frustrated and anxious people and the (relative) anonymity of the internet have given all these people a venue to spew their garbage who would otherwise be too shy or cowardice to speak out. Most of the hate talk(whether it's misoginy or minority bashing or whatever) is also quite insincere and such an obvious surrogate for personal frustrations. I guess some people just find it catharthic to implode behind their computer screens.

One thing is for sure though and that is one the internet you're not going to change anyone's mind. Personally I also find it a waste of my time to engage with miserable shits. Any 'discussion' that is distinctly toxic or negative I avoid like the plague.

I do agree that the internet becoming a huge propaganda/misinformation machine with definite real life implications is a worrying trend though.

 

[Saelune]

There are a lot of bitter, angry, frustrated and anxious people and the (relative) anonymity of the internet have given all these people a venue to spew their garbage who would otherwise be too shy or cowardice to speak out. Most of the hate talk(whether it's misoginy or minority bashing or whatever) is also quite insincere and such an obvious surrogate for personal frustrations. I guess some people just find it catharthic to implode behind their computer screens.

One thing is for sure though and that is one the internet you're not going to change anyone's mind. Personally I also find it a waste of my time to engage with miserable shits. Any 'discussion' that is distinctly toxic or negative I avoid like the plague.

I do agree that the internet becoming a huge propaganda/misinformation machine with definite real life implications is a worrying trend though.

I think people have their minds changed pretty commonly. I just think it is far less obvious than internet arguments would suggest. I have had my mind changed by internet arguments, I just was rarely the one actively in it.

That is what motivates me to persist in seemingly stubborn and useless arguments. As much as I'd love whoever I am arguing with to suddenly stop and say "Wow, you're right..." really I am trying to sway silent bystanders who see the argument.

 

[Kyrian007]

The internet can be a great tool for getting information. Through trusted, reputable sources and reliably fact checked results with academically accepted sourcing and a bibliography.

What needs to be ignored is social media. Random comments from anonymous voices with agendas bouncing around inside a users echo chamber where everyone only sees the comments and propaganda they agree with and "like" and vastly overestimate how much of a "majority" they are.

Message boards and social media are great for communication. But argument... where some clueless moron can link a breitbart article as "proof" of some point he's making; then a just as clueless moron can "refute" it by embedding an msnbc op-ed or Moore documentary clip? Yeah, social media just needs to stick to basic level communication. Because its awful for substantive discussion.

 

[Zhukov]

We regard things that happen on the internet as less important because you can't punch me over the internet and we can't fuck over the internet.

I'm only half joking there.

 

[Borty The Bort]

There aren"t many people I care about, One is my mother, and the other I will simply refer to as N. The Internet is a great thing. Social media is not.
These two people could get dragged into internet extremist groups at any time, and I can do nothing to stop it. They may follow heavy-left or heavy-right political ideals, just because some fuckwit on Facebook with half a fucking brain "confirmed" their non-existent doubts on, say for instance, immigration and how they must be dealt with, and amplify those doubts to the point they become detached from their former selves, who used to be independent self-confirming human beings who never needed another opinion outside of their own to tell them how to be.

I am fine with both of them arriving at this conclusion of their own accord and from a reputable source, but from some random >75 IQ piss-for-brains who thinks the solution to all the world's problems is by handing everyone a rifle and a target?
Hell no.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

I mean... we have multiple threads dedicated to a dude with a smilie face avatar with at least one discussing how direly important it is that he be stopped. I still dont know who the fuck that is.

I can't say with great urgency we need to take the internet that seriously. It's just confirmation that give everyone all of human experience and people will build their own echo chambers.

 

[sageoftruth]

I too am a bit concerned about the internet. I feel like it is dividing us. You know, with echo chambers and yaddda yadda. Honestly, I don't think many of us are unconcerned about it. If the others are like me though, they probably also feel a little hopeless about the matter. I mean, what can we do about it? I would love to extinguish internet toxicity, but you can't arrest an avatar.

Also, there's the matter of scale. I see or hear about plenty of awful stuff happening on the net, but how big is it on the grand scale? Scale seems to come up in a lot of matters that I think about online. People denounce all kinds of groups on the net, but when is it okay to denounce the group and when should you just chalk it up to assholes dwelling within the group?

In the end, hopelessness and confusion are what's keeping me on the sidelines.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

The reason most people take the internet as a joke is because it is, and the majority of what happens on it is mindless bullshit. What's the internet really for? Porn, shopping, random facts and mindless arguments on forums. And do you think those arguments really matter?

You think you could walk into my workplace, show them a print out of that time I said I thought Pinkie Pie was a more interesting character than Applejack and they'd fire me? You think your parents would disown you for that time you googled the population of Greenbay, Wisconsin? You think the government is going to come after you for ordering cute little blue socks with bunny ears on them off Amazon? You think World War 3 is going to start because someone once said they thought AppleSeed was a better human-ghost-trapped-in-robot-body anime than Ghost in the Shell?! You think anyone anywhere cares you looked at Lisa Ann instead of Julia Ann last night??

Now is there some serious shit on the internet? Sure. But its few and far between, and the majority of people aren't involved at all.

I mean come on! The people you feel divided from on the internet you're already divided from in real life! You don't know even 1/100000th the number of people in person you know on the internet. So you're not missing anything in your personal life by someone thinking Xander is funnier than Buffy, because you never knew that person in the first place!
And lets be honest, you'd disagree with them in real life too. You'd agreed on the mindless shit, like food is good, aliens would be cool, and boy howdy don't you like trees?! But then you bring up anime, video games, music, tv, movies and guess what?! That person who disagreed with you on all of that...still disagrees with you! And you feel divided. And the internet is nowhere to be seen.

I mean is there a better example of internet self-centered-ness than asking why isn't everyone nicer to you?

 

[CaitSeith]

Dude, its just a joke.

I mean, seriously. Not like communications matter. The internet is just a joke, just like the television, the radio, the telephone, the post office, trains, cars, etc.

Its just a joke.

(For those who do not get my sarcasm, I am relatively agreeing with the topic's point)

DAMN YOU, POE'S LAW!!!!

 

[Thaluikhain]

I was reading this thread [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.948731-All-you-have-to-do-to-be-considered-a-cuckold-now-Have-a-job] when I came across an all too familiar sentiment.

"Blah, it's something on the internet. Ignore it."

My question is this: Why shouldn't we pay more attention than ever?

It's not just the place where you get your porn, video game news, and random stats to prove your point. It is an event unparalleled in Human History, one that will be unrivaled for years to come.

And before it were other events unparalleled in human history, and people were saying not to care about those as well.

If I don't care about a problem, or don't want to see it addressed, nobody else is allowed to. It's a rule.

 

[Elijin]

Isnt this sort of false equivalence?

Yes, there are obviously parts of the internet that are serious and should be given due consideration.

The angry angsty places where people with poor social skills say mean things into echo chambers aren't among them. The internet gives everyone a microphone, and every hobby and discussion a venue. Its perfectly okay to dismiss them as 'just the internet'. Just like if you encountered a lot of the things dismissed as 'just something online' in person, you'd also dismiss it as 'just a bunch of harmless kids' or 'just some idiots blowing off steam' and also ignore them.

Dude, its just a joke.

I mean, seriously. Not like communications matter. The internet is just a joke, just like the television, the radio, the telephone, the post office, trains, cars, etc.

Its just a joke.

(For those who do not get my sarcasm, I am relatively agreeing with the topic's point)

Its all just a prank bro! You got so pranked bro, so pranked.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Isnt this sort of false equivalence?

Yes, there are obviously parts of the internet that are serious and should be given due consideration.

The angry angsty places where people with poor social skills say mean things into echo chambers aren't among them. The internet gives everyone a microphone, and every hobby and discussion a venue. Its perfectly okay to dismiss them as 'just the internet'. Just like if you encountered a lot of the things dismissed as 'just something online' in person, you'd also dismiss it as 'just a bunch of harmless kids' or 'just some idiots blowing off steam' and also ignore them.

Yes and no. On one hand, no need to take what they are saying seriously, but if there's enough of them saying the same thing, they become a demographic which might (or might not) be of statistical significance.

 

[Elijin]

Yes and no. On one hand, no need to take what they are saying seriously, but if there's enough of them saying the same thing, they become a demographic which might (or might not) be of statistical significance.

That is a reasonable point, which I feel is somewhat undermined by a lot of the groups in question being unable to organize, due to competence or the instantaneous infighting which breaks out when they have to present any form of summary of their group identity.

So, in my mind it still fits with my point. There are crazy cults out there in the real world too! We mostly ignore them because of the same reasoning.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I agree with your observations, you're not alone there. People will selectively play down whatever they desire whether consciously or not. There is a level of detachment that comes with online activity to those who feel like they're always going to be unaffected, and that makes it easy to dismiss more serious topics and their influences towards others.
You can't make people care though, depressingly, it takes a few variables and experiences to get through to the more self-absorbed types.

 

[Foolery]

The internet is a fucking dumpster fire. There can be some interesting constructive and co-operative stuff that comes out of it, but too often it breaks down into tribalism. This is why I don't bother with serious topics most of the time. I feel like it magnifies shitty behaviour or traits, it doesn't fundamentally change people.

 

[Saltyk]

I disagree.

Does that bother you? Why? You don't know me. I can't hurt you. At best we can share ideas, discuss, and debate. The worst that will happen (if we are at least somewhat reasonable human beings and not obsessive monsters) is I'll call you a moron and you'll call me a mother fucker. And frankly, I've been called worse and shrugged it off.

Is there a problem with the internet? Yes, and I've certainly pointed it out before. It makes it really easy to find someone who agrees with you. Even if those ideas are horrible. We can find people who think that the world is run by shape-shifting lizardmen from Outer Space[footnote]Everyone knows it's really ruled by shape-shifting lizardwomen from the Earth's Core[/footnote]. People who think the patriarchy totally a thing. That women are subhuman money grubbing bitches that you should "pump and dumb". That the Earth is flat. Literally flat and moving upwards in space powered by dark energy to create gravity.

And that includes everyone in this thread. Including you, OP. And including me.

However, I don't think it's that big a deal. It certainly is a problem for some people. But for the average everyday person, it really isn't. While I may shake my head at the crazy I see on the internet, I go outside and meet people who are perfectly nice people. We talk about exercise routines. Trade recipes. Discuss things from current events to movies to what brings them to the area. And you'll find that most people are not some crazed lunatic running around throwing memes at everyone. They're just trying to get by.

It's like anything else. Yes, a minority may not be able to handle it and take things too far. In bad cases, it may even cause them to act out in ways they may not have otherwise. But for most people, it's a minor distraction. They'll watch a cat video and poke a friend on Facebook.

Like with anything else, it's important to maintain perspective. If you really think there is that big a problem, remember that the most vocal people are the ones we hear. 95% of people don't feel strongly enough to even comment.

What's the alternative? Shut down the internet? Where would we go to shitpost and watch cat videos?

 

[PainInTheAssInternet]

I agree the internet should be taken more seriously. I'm not that fond of twitter, but it has been used to organize armed conflicts. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_Revolution] The internet has had and will continue to have a very tangible effect on our world. It's also the way a considerable percentage of the world receives their information and unfortunately a lot of it is not reliable. I think there should be more of an effort to ensure people know how to filter out unreliable sources and such. Being kinder would be nice, but as others have pointed out, people having bad days (or even bad lives) go on the internet to rage. It's hard to know what's going on on the other side of the text.

I don't buy "just trollin'" as an actual reason for shitty behaviour, though. Whenever that comes up, I immediately think about a phenomenon the internet has dubbed Shrodinger's Douchebag. [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Schrodinger%27s%20Douchebag]

Spoiler: Or to put it in comic form

 

[Saelune]

To reiterate...The internet is up there with the wheel and discovering fire on human achievement. Anyone who doesnt take the internet seriously...is just stupid.