Humans and the Internet

With the internet, we are able to send our thoughts instantly for anyone to access. Occasionally, we find ourselves sharing our deepest secrets, dreams, and emotions, only to quickly remove them. Other times, a heartfelt message to humanity to improve upon our worst attributes makes us seem to be some kind of tyrant. But more often than not, we share our great love for life and one another, constantly seeking to improve the lives of others.

In many ways, the internet has made the world a better place. It allows us to peer into the lives of other people and see that, in so many ways, they are just like us. The Facebook profile of a mother who brought her children to America to escape the war zone she once called home in the Middle East shows much more than a Muslim woman in a Hijab you once saw in a grocery store. A Twitter profile of a successful business man may show you he cares only about money but if you looked deep enough into his life you would see it is because he must pay for his mother’s double mortgage and her medical expenses. The internet allows us to quickly communicate and send medical supplies in times of war, famine, pestilence, and catastrophes. How much harder would it be to help others without the internet?

Likewise, the internet is a watering hole for vicious and poisonous snakes who wish only to watch the world burn for their own gratification. We call them trolls and the troll toll is human emotion, specifically anger and sadness. The internet can also be used to spread ideas of racism, sexism, and a general vitriol for other humans in general. A man in India can scam an elderly grandmother out of nearly her entire life savings with the internet. A foreign government can start a war with the internet. An order to kill can be made with the internet.

So, does that make the internet good or bad? Are humans better or worse off because of the internet?

It is my belief that since the inception of the internet in our daily lives, humanity has neither evolved nor devolved. Humanity has shown the many shades of their true colors, both the dark and the light. We are dualistic creatures and nothing has made this more clear than the use of the internet. I believe that this dualism is a much needed aspect and that our humanity is lessened when we do not respect both aspects of our duality.

Because of that, I further believe it is up to us as individuals to constantly strive to be the best versions of ourselves and to always treat others as we would treat ourselves. We must always strive for Liberty and Justice, Strength and Compassion, and for Individuality and Equality.

So, how can we look at this objectively? In what ways have we as humans treated each other on the internet? I think everyone can agree that we have treated each other with both dignity and respect as well as with vitriol. Is there any connection at all between how we treat each other on the internet and how we live our day to day lives? Let’s take a look at a few examples:

This example is from the organization Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, who is dedicated to spreading kindess throughout communities, schools and homes (@RAKFoundation on Twitter).

This post connects us all. Despite our nations, we are all still inhabitants on a collection of water, oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium in elliptical orbit around an average G-Type main sequence yellow dwarf star. No political or religious opinion changes that very fact. However, we are a collection of many people, so, shouldn’t we respect each other not only individually but also as different cultures and nations?

This is a post from MGTOW — Men Going Their Own Way on Facebook. If you are unaware, MGTOW is a group of men who are discontented with culture’s view on straight men and have dedicated themselves to self-ownership in which they seek to preserve and protect their own sovereignty.

I’m not sure what is trying to be accomplished here other than to hypocritically bash someone who has an opposing (yet eerily similiar) worldview. The MGTOW community does more to harm themselves through a divisive post like this than good. They could much easier made a similar point without the shock value all the while preserving their dignity by merely standing up for men in today’s society, as opposed to bashing feminists.

I found this tweet randomly. The twitter user here clearly shows how humans, who very well may mean well and support a just cause, can act as the scum of the Earth. No matter the evils that have be perpetrated against you, is it ever humane to seek the worst for someone? How has a post like this made the world a better place if that is what is truly wanted?

This type of vitriol does not escape even the news media, many journalist over the years have disregarded their journalistic integrity to unashamedly bash politicians and other public figures since we started using the internet to view our news. Here is a recent example of an article written with the intention to make President Trump appear unsympathetic in regards to anti-Semitism:

Whether you agree with President Trump politically or not, this type of reporting doesn’t do anyone any good. Fox News did the same thing to attempt to make Obama appear as a supporter of the actions of Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, and the Weather Underground terrorists. We need journalists who report the facts as well as pundits to give us their opinions, however, mixing the two and calling it objective journalism is harmful regardless of what political party you vote for.

Don’t lose faith in humanity just yet because Adalia Rose is a person.

If you’re not familiar with Adalia, she is an inspirational 10-year-old with a heart of gold and an unfortunate condition called Progeria. Best known for her positive attitude and videos of her dancing “Ice, Ice Baby” and “Gangnam Style,” she is by far one of the best reminders to not let life get you down available today. She constantly posts uplifting posts, funny videos, and reminders to always look after those who need you.

Hold on, the ride through the lowest of the low of humanity is quite over yet because well, this website exists:

Racism is obviously still an issue in this country. How to solve it is a philosophical debate for another day but are tweets like this the answer? Or do they just perpetuate the same issue?

Despite all of the accusations of “fake news” flying around, the news media has used the internet for good as I imagine they will do for the foreseeable future.

And of course, doctors and scientists have been using the internet to help shape their vision of the world since it was invented.

So, has the internet caused people to evolve or devolve? I don’t think so. I think the internet is a tool and just like many other tools, humans are capable of using it for both good and evil, for anything their hearts desire. However, we can’t ignore the internet’s powerful ability to spread ideas, both good and bad. From terrorism recruitment to soup kitchen volunteer sign ups, the internet has shown it’s ability to run the entire spectrum of human capabilities.

I ultimately believe that humans want what they believe to be the best world for them and their posterity. This will lead some humans to do acts of incredible kindness and others to commit unthinkable atrocities. My philosophy is that despite the apparent evil that surrounds you always try to put yourself in other people’s shoes before judging them. Live your life doing everything that you can to make the world a better place. After all, how can YOUR vision of the world become a reality if your not willing to put it to work.

The real question is: How will you use the internet knowing how you are capable of using it’s power to shape the world?