Poll: Is the internet a good thing for humanity?

[The_Great_Galendo]

The internet is neutral.

It's a tool. You might as well ask if a hammer is good for humanity. I can use a hammer to build a house or I can use a hammer to murder my neighbor.

This has to be pretty much my opinion. It's a tool, and you can use a tool for everyone's benefit or everyone's detriment. The internet makes it easy to share information and opinions, but it's also the ability to share that information that can be harmful, especially on such subjects as harassment and racism.

I get what you guys are saying, but I think you're wrong. The thing is, most tools aren't actually "neutral". Yeah, hammers can be used for evil...but it's way easier to use them for good, and if you wanted to do something evil with them like, say, killing your neighbor, there're plenty of other tools that would do a much better job. Put another way, if hammers disappeared tomorrow, the "neighbors murdered" statistic would barely budge, while the "homes constructed" one would see a drastic decrease.

Or for a more extreme example, look at penicillin. Sure, it's a tool. And I guess it could be harmful because, I dunno, overdose, maybe? But the benefits for humanity are huge, and the downsides almost nonexistent, so I'd say penicillin, despite being merely a tool, is definitely a good thing for humanity.

The Internet does have its cons, I'll admit, but I'm pretty certain that it falls firmly on the "good for humanity" side of the scale.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

While it has it's problems, the internet is generally beneficial... just as long as you avoid the darker parts...

 

[chadachada123]

Like I said, it's hard to tell which is which on /pol/ anymore. That's why they're the laughing stock of 4chan.

But it still proves my point.

So you're someone that doesn't have the capacity to joke around with friends. Good to know. Many friend groups (especially guys), however, aren't so bland.

Then I guess I like being bland beause I don't refer to people I like with racial and gender slurs.

The "cumdumpster" thing is a continuation of when all instances of "feminist" automatically word-filtered to "cumdumpster," and is treated as a term and little else. All bronies on 4chan are called ponyfuckers, all women are called cumdumpsters, all fans of anime are called weeaboos, the list goes on. Users quickly learn to take their labels and roll with it. Seriously, half of the time I see "cumdumpster," it's from a female identifying herself as such.

That a woman would do that to themselves depresses me greatly. Same thing for anyone targeted by words like that. I see nothing to embrace about being accused of raping animals or being a prostitute.

I can assure you, I am far more moral than the vast majority of humans.

If you did, you wouldn't seek to act like a dick.

Regarding /pol/: Proves what point? That some parts of 4chan are nuts? You can say almost the exact same things about R&P on this very site as you can /pol/, except with a very thin shell of formality.

Regarding words: I don't see anything to justify here. Just like the movements for lesbians to embrace the word dyke, users of 4chan embrace or otherwise tolerate whatever label is given to them. It's just a norm there. As far as ponyfucker/horsefucker goes, that's a label /mlp/ chose for THEMSELVES to differentiate themselves from the standard "brony" that takes the whole MLP thing beyond a simple hobby.

I've already told you, I don't "seek to act like a dick." You're mincing words now. Have you ever seen a decent comedy film before? Chances are, it was pretty freaking profane, assuming you have a sense of humor shared by men. 4chan just keeps that level of profanity and essentially-playful jabbing more-or-less constantly. It's relaxing, stress-relieving, fun to let off steam in this fashion. That's not to say it's for everyone, of course not. On the same token, it also doesn't mean that I actually harbor any sort of negative feelings towards the common user of 4chan, that I'm actually being a dick towards any of them. It's just the way things are said there.

In summary, you could say that it's "consensual, mutual dickishness" on 4chan. We all agree to be dicks to each other, and it's understood to be in jest. This is hardly immoral; as immoral as two guys agreeing to spar or have a rap battle.

 

[chadachada123]

hmm, anyone get the feeling that the defense of 4chan comes off very similar to how one would defend an unusual culture to someone seeing it only from the outside? The explanation of oddities, the meaning and rules behind terms, the history... hell, I would even go so far as mention the acquisition of the "culture" by outsiders as part of misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the source.
Though, this is 4chan, so that seems a little deep for the discussion.

I really do feel that way right now.

It's similar to my friend who lives in Australia (for the past five years), where "****" is used for all genders, all people, and especially towards (male) friends. She visited recently and called a female friend of hers a ****, which illicited several gasps until she remembered where she was and explained to them that it's just the norm Down Under. Same with the UK and "fag."

Obviously 4chan takes it to an extreme, since EVERYONE is called a fag with no inherent positive or negative connotation (ie, musicfag, Amerifag, Eurofag, straightfag, gayfag, etc), but the comparison is still fair. Words just carry different weights to different cultures/groups of people, even within a language, hell, even within a country.

 

[thesilentman]

All you people saying 4chan stand back and look at the big picture. The Internet is an amazing tool for many reasons, which can be under the banner of education and communication.

 

[Heronblade]

It has its drawbacks, but overall, yes.

If there was a way to eliminate the sick regions, such as 4chan and twitter, without compromising our general ability to use the actually helpful aspects of the internet, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But as it is, we'll just have to live with it.

 

[Commissar Sae]

The internet, like so many other things is a tool that can be good or bad depending on how we use it. Yes you will get the scum of humanity showing up and puking their bile all over the place. You also get some of the best people alive online and they can do some pretty great things together.

Recently saw a Ted conference about this one guy who basically opened up lines of communication between people in Israel and Iran. The goal was to show how despite all the scaremongering from both governments the people living in both countries are basically good and don't want a war. Stuff like that is why I love the internet. It lets people who would normally never be able to communicate talk directly instead of simply accepting what they are presented in local media.

 

[danon]

I have a kind of radical sollution for those who doesn't like 4chan. It has only one step and it's don't visit 4chan. That's the method i use anyways it's kind of extreme but usually works.

 

[chadachada123]

It's similar to my friend who lives in Australia (for the past five years), where "****" is used for all genders, all people, and especially towards (male) friends. She visited recently and called a female friend of hers a ****, which illicited several gasps until she remembered where she was and explained to them that it's just the norm Down Under.

Someone should have told her, fine youwant to talk like that down under, do so. This is not Down Under. You call people things that they consider an insult, they will get insulted. That's how it works. You call me a ****, I don't care where you hail from, I'm walking the other way and likely spitting on your shoes before I go.

You'd respond to a misunderstanding in language with fulfilling the American definition of the very word used? Very mature.

No, she used a word without thinking after five years in another country, realized her mistake, explained said mistake, had friends that aren't childish enough to hold a grudge over a vocal quirk, and that was it.

Yep, most normal people I know let off steam by telling the world how they're going to hang black people or cut up women.

1) You keep referencing /pol/, which I openly admit is not normal. Even 4chan hates them.

2) Other than a few weird guys that get off to gore, or posting gore for kicks, very few people on any part of the surface web would seriously say that they want to cut up women or something insane like that. I was talking about the language aspect, the "making fun of everyone" attitude. You're taking a rarity and treating it like the norm.

Additionally, you're acting like everyone on 4chan acts ANYTHING like that in real life. Your husband, your kids, your co-workers, your friends could all frequent the site without your knowledge, and you're calling hundreds of thousands of people dicks just because they speak basically an enhanced version of Australia WITHIN THEIR OWN BORDERS AND NOWHERE ELSE.

You are, in essence, saying that all Aussies are dicks just because they call each other cunts, but on a larger scale (or smaller, whatever, larger in the sense that 4chan has many more words that aren't socially acceptable but smaller in that they are fewer in number).

You're acting very pretentious about all of this, like you have some moral high ground because you don't ever have fun with language.

Understand that I'm heading for freaking med school soon, and that hundreds of thousands of other users of 4chan are just like me, indistinguishable from the common person, filling every career thinkable. And you're calling them all dicks.

Finally, even regarding swearing within the US, you'd probably benefit in watching this, so long as you're mature enough to take it to heart:

 

[2xDouble]

Well... like many things it has it's light and dark sides. The dark side in this case represented by Internet trolls, Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory, Rule 34, 4chan, and the creepiest most disturbing shit that can be found if you look hard enough or sometimes even without trying.

EDIT: And no, any reference to Star Wars was unintentional.

The Internet: you will never see a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.

You're welcome.

 

[SinisterGehe]

Internet is good thing.For it has connected people, it has freed people.

I thought I am totally alone with my rare neurological condition but behold - I found international support group for sufferers of this condition and we have members from Japan to South Africa, take a round from South America and land to Canada. There is hundreds of us maybe thousands all supporting each other because your surroundings wont or cant.

There is information shared that would take ages to receive. Raw data from facility to another. Cloud processing,. Great collaborations of people, business, schools, computers going on constantly.

One small person can become great and great people can fall.

Internet is greater in power and influence than split atom. It is the human mind and thought connected. That is why the power should be handled with care. Of course we can tear the whole planet and humanity apart with this or we can start a golden era of good. It is up to everyone to take a stand and vote on this.

Of course with great power comes great responsibility.

Like I say: "Nuclear bombs don't kill people, neither do the people who make them - the killer is the one launching it."
Just as "Guns don't kill people - Idiots with guns get people killed" (Because not every shot is lethal but it can be). Just like paper cut wont kill you, but it can get infected and get you killed that way. It is all in the perspective and scale of observation.

But the current state of humans I'd say that people are just going to get them self's killed with internet - because people on general level are idiots. And anonymity doesn't help the matter.

But I stand to protect and preserve internet, it's freedom and neutrality and every one's right to use it - even if the others disagree with me and I disagree with them.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Understand that I'm heading for freaking med school soon, with a higher intelligence and a much wider vocabulary than the average person, in addition to a deep love of humanity unmatched by most people; that I'm becoming a doctor to help humanity (not only through my career, but also through the large salary that I plan on donating a significant portion of). And you're calling me a dick because I swear on an online forum to people that swear back.

As a fellow student of the medical arts id say that arrogance and pretentious superiority dont sit well with doctors. Part of being moral is to not be an insufferable egomaniac. This whole paragraph stinks of boasting and arrogance. We are not better than other people for having these things. Doing these things does not make you exempt from being a dick in all fields. Sometimes im a dick to people. It sucks when i am but i aim to improve those moments. It doesnt win you any points to say "But im sooooo good being a doctor! I CANT be a dick". Youre not "More moral" than anyone or better than anyone just because you say so or because we chose a certain career path. Nothing about being a doctor makes you better as a person than a garbage man. Humility is the most desirable of character traits in my opinion. Im tempted sometimes to use the medschool defence. But it doesnt fly and it looks desperate. So dont. Honestly its not a good defense.

 

[Whispering Cynic]

This question can truly and finally be answered only when the Internet as we know it ceases to be. Only then can its entire history be reviewed and the overall impact on human civilisation be evaluated. At this point the Internet is still evolving, growing, and changing - it is a platform which can (at present) serve both "good" and "evil/bad" purposes, with potential to grow in either direction... and I think it is way too early to draw any conclusions based on current developments.

 

[danon]

I mean how do you even define what's good for humanity on a general basis. I don't even think that there is a common denominator for that.

 

[chadachada123]

Understand that I'm heading for freaking med school soon, with a higher intelligence and a much wider vocabulary than the average person, in addition to a deep love of humanity unmatched by most people; that I'm becoming a doctor to help humanity (not only through my career, but also through the large salary that I plan on donating a significant portion of). And you're calling me a dick because I swear on an online forum to people that swear back.

As a fellow student of the medical arts id say that arrogance and pretentious superiority dont sit well with doctors. Part of being moral is to not be an insufferable egomaniac. This whole paragraph stinks of boasting and arrogance. We are not better than other people for having these things. Doing these things does not make you exempt from being a dick in all fields. Sometimes im a dick to people. It sucks when i am but i aim to improve those moments. It doesnt win you any points to say "But im sooooo good being a doctor! I CANT be a dick". Youre not "More moral" than anyone or better than anyone just because you say so or because we chose a certain career path. Nothing about being a doctor makes you better as a person than a garbage man. Humility is the most desirable of character traits in my opinion. Im tempted sometimes to use the medschool defence. But it doesnt fly and it looks desperate. So dont. Honestly its not a good defense.

Edit: After re-reading that first post, I concede that it sounds far more egotistical-sounding than I intended. I'll leave the rest of this post anyway.

She just got done calling me a dick for several posts based on nothing. I was only pointing out how she's completely misjudging me.

Besides, that paragraph was not about making ME seem awesome or whatever. It was pointing out that the people she's accusing of being worthless, immoral members of society are doctors, teachers, nurses, and all sorts of other things, and that she's misjudging all of them because of a few language quirks.

Double edit: I'm just gonna take that whole bit out. It's not worth it.