The Internet: Are we Better or Worse?

[Non Banjoble Tokens]

Apr 13, 2010 18:42:40 GMT -5 FrankGotch said:

The internet is the greatest thing to ever happen to the human race thus far. Long story short instant information, and mass communication are the two biggest keys to world peace. We still have a long way to go, but we are making progress at lighting speed.

And porn! .......

[Spankymac is sick of the swiss]

The one major complaint I have about the Internet, and I'm not sure if this translates to other areas of the world, but it's completely decimated the English language. For some reason, when typing a simple "haha" or the like would turn into LOL for no reason, or when people are too lazy to type "if I remember correctly" or "got to go, good bye", both of which took me about four seconds to type each, it turns into stuff like "IIRC" and "G2G, k'bye!". And crap like that is starting to bleed over into people's actual conversation. That bugs. me.

[Orange]

Apr 13, 2010 17:43:57 GMT -5 chazraps said:

The internet is the best cooked crack in the world.

I'm a musician who really wouldn't have as near as much a career had it not been for the internet. If you want input relating to this, let me know.

You're a musician? Cool, me too! And the internet is a huge tool for musicians now, because a major deal isn't the only way to get your name out there anymore, there's so much faster ways to reach EVERYBODY over the internet and get your music to them

[Apricots And A Pear Tree]

If we did not have the internet, I would not know any of you!











......With some of you that's not a good thing.

[Orange]

Apr 13, 2010 20:21:16 GMT -5 Spankymac is sick of the swiss said:

The one major complaint I have about the Internet, and I'm not sure if this translates to other areas of the world, but it's completely decimated the English language. For some reason, when typing a simple "haha" or the like would turn into LOL for no reason, or when people are too lazy to type "if I remember correctly" or "got to go, good bye", both of which took me about four seconds to type each, it turns into stuff like "IIRC" and "G2G, k'bye!". And crap like that is starting to bleed over into people's actual conversation. That bugs. me.

I N0 RITE! PPL THAT TLK LIKE DAT SRSLY BUG ME I'm really sorry but I had to do that, however I must say I agree with you. I try not to use too much internet 'speak', I may use LOL or LMAO every now and then, but I actually like to spell out the words instead of abbreviating them.

[H-Fist]

The ability to move information quickly and, for the user, cheaply has been huge. Email attachments and uploaded documents have been a great upgrade over fax machines.

The ability to develop and promote a business online has been a real boon to people who loathe the corporate model and prefer to burn their own path.

Democratization of publishing and writing for mass consumption has been a positive and a negative. By broadening the numbers of opinions in the public discourse, we obviously have improved the breadth of debate. But at the same time, in a largely democratized space, we face the challenge of sorting through everything to find what is actually worthwhile.

A negative is the continued shortening of our collective attention span. The ease with which music, video, games and other interactive files and application can be found can keep us entertained and locked in for long periods of time, but at the same time we get used to instant gratification. The erosion of our collective patience leads to a print media, TV media, and presentation of culture at large that focuses on bright lights and bells and whistles, as opposed to content.

The net also makes it so people can do so much more without leaving the house. Rent a movie, find tons of food options, do research, buy almost anything, and see almost anything. Maybe some people like that, but I feel somewhat left out when I explain that I really don't mind walking to a mailbox or the library.

And that's another thing: libraries and independent book stores are hurt by the net. Why should someone go to a used book store when they can browse amazon or abe's books from their home? The attitude that time is saved neglects the consideration of a cost/benefit of actually investing the time. It's another erosion.

A time when the net won't have as much influence? Sure. Universal broadband/high-speed internet is a long-term goal of the US government and the communications interests. There's money to be made, and so it shall be done. But once that's accomplished, there comes a time when low demand (no one is a "new" customer when it's universally available; moves and transfers will happen, but...generally speaking) causes price drops. Anyhow, the role of the net will change once the companies collude and realize that changing their billing methods from transfer speed to transfer volume (how much info was sent/received in a billing cycle) will make them money. People who spend hours and hours futzing around on Youtube or playing online games will have large bills, but people who are strictly business (email, document transfer, text-heavy research) will have tiny bills, the equivalent of local landline phone service compared to the unlimited nationwide cell plan with unlimited messaging and a reach-around plan. The business models will evolve again to purchasing a material product to be sent through the mail/FedEx. People will use the convenience of the net, but the permanent material product will regain some footing when it becomes clear that there are financial and real benefits to having something as opposed to logging in to it. I could be totally wrong. But it is a possibility down the road. And I'm not one to say no, as I don't recognize the fallacy inherent to induction.

[darthalexander]

It has it's good sides and bad, without a doubt.

It has pretty much killed off letter-writing. I used to love getting actual letters in the mailbox, but since the net came around that went. I also find that if I go down to actually write something - notes, a letter (by hand) - my hand ends up getting sore really quickly.

People have gotten ruder - a lot ruder.

A lot of misinformation has been spread because of the net, not that's it's anything new but it seems a lot of people are quick to believe anything they read. More so than before.

It is good that it has allowed people to meet that possibly would never have had the chance to meet before.

There's lots of stuff out there to enjoy - no matter what your interests are you can usually find it.

[Bo Rida]

Apr 13, 2010 19:03:18 GMT -5 ritt works hard fo da chickens said:

In fact if anything the internet allows people to break off into their own little idealogical groups and have to deal with other people outside there thought range less and less.

That is an issue with the internet, people who would have often kept their socially unacceptable thoughts to themselves or tried to fight them but now they have like-minded people that make their beliefs seem more acceptable.
Of course when I say socially unacceptable I'm referring to things like people justifying child porn or encouraging anorexia or self harm rather than harmless geeky things like a love of wrestling.

Another thing is that any event can now be filmed by camera phones and uploaded to the internet, that can be used for good or evil though.

[Slammywinner]

I think as an information resource, it's been invaluable, obviously. but I think the cultural impacts haven't been very good. While I find some communities such as this one are typically positive in approach and people get along, they tend to be few and far between. Since it's impersonal and you won't likely meet anyone on the street or even cross their digital path again, people have no censor. It's like flipping someone off in traffic, but rather than short and aggressive, you can post long, rambling hated filled YouTube posts instead. The most popular clips and sites are pornographic or very, very stupid. (A monkey peeing in it's own mouth???) Not to mention it's so easy to access information, I've nearly forgotten how to remember information. I'm online 6-12 hours a day between work and play, so I see less real people, and stop nurturing other hobbies, like watching TV and sitting on my back porch. That's usually what I think of when I think of the internet...that and Google.

[AriadosMan]

The Internet will be the doom of the human race if it continues in its current format. It empowers whackos and weird cultists by giving them an opportunity to find each other and publicize their weird beliefs. Groups with aberrant philosophies need no longer moderate their discourse or attempt to explain their ideas to the mainstream, they only need to find each other, set up their own digital echo chamber, and blabber to each other. Not to mention the fact that the Internet has arguably killed people's ability to discuss problems in an adult manner without trolling/flaming.

The Internet is the Wild West. However, there is no sheriff to shoot the James Gang dead.

[hollywood]

In what ways have we benefited from the Internet?
The Internet has been a huge boon for humanity in many ways. It's provided an unfiltered, uncensored source of information on a global scale that was never available before. It's benefited individuals, academic institutions, businesses, even countries.

It's provided an incredible networking capability for people (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) to connect with others holding similar interests. This makes it exponentially easier for aspiring musicians, filmmakers, writers, and so on to link up with others and collaborate.

Academic institutions, while also struggling to cope with less-than-reliable sources (Wikipedia) have also benefitted from the incredibly inexpensive means to provide and receive a virtually infinite source of information.

Businesses have also greatly benefited--the ones who embraced it have, anyway. While also benefiting from an inexpensive means of getting their names out, they've also got another means of selling their products. Now people can just log in to the Net and order online--for delivery, pickup, or whatever. Even pizza delivery services are making use of this. Hell, just look at pro wrestling...without the internet, there never would've been an ECW or ROH. Or any of the other successful indy promotions.

And look no further than the country of Iran, which many people say lost its stranglehold of information entering the country thanks to...of all things...Twitter.

If there's any one thing the Net's done that seems to be universal, it's eliminated the "gatekeepers." Not just with information, but with nearly everything.

Have we been hindered in any way because of it?
The internet's biggest downside is what tends to be the biggest flaw in all of technology--it isolates us. Many people spend hours alone updating their Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other accounts. Others play games for days.

Even something so simple as an iPod can be guilty of this. Just think of family vacations before the internet. Families played those old, mini "car games" or (God forbid) talked to one another. Now, everyone plugs in their iPods, or Nintendo DS's, or their laptops.

(Granted, this is a simplistic, and perhaps idealized view, but it does help prove a point.)

Some would say, if not the internet, then we'd use something else. And they'd be right. But that something else would inevitably be another form of technology. Which brings us full circle.

However, personally, I feel the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives.

And, can you see a time in the future when the Internet won't have as much influence on our lives as it does now?
Someday, yes. I think so.

We already take it for granted. Today's youth don't even remember a time without it. So, many don't quite appreciate the impact it's had. A time will come (if it hasn't already) when the internet will simply be another means of communication, like telephones.

The biggest thing keeping that from truly happening yet, though, is how it seems to constantly reinvent itself (so to speak). Innovative people are constantly finding new ways to make it work for them. Do new things. New ideas. New directions. So it could very well be that it will continue to amaze us for a very, very long time.











Then again, the only reason it really took off in the first place was because of the porn industry.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Apr 13, 2010 20:21:16 GMT -5 Spankymac is sick of the swiss said:

The one major complaint I have about the Internet, and I'm not sure if this translates to other areas of the world, but it's completely decimated the English language. For some reason, when typing a simple "haha" or the like would turn into LOL for no reason, or when people are too lazy to type "if I remember correctly" or "got to go, good bye", both of which took me about four seconds to type each, it turns into stuff like "IIRC" and "G2G, k'bye!". And crap like that is starting to bleed over into people's actual conversation. That bugs. me.

Oh, there's been a big backlash against "net-speak" for years now.

[Bobeddy]

If anyone else feels like adding more to this, by all means feel free.

Either way, thank you so much to everyone who contributed. This'll be a huge help!

[ThePhantom86]

In what ways have we benefited from the Internet?
Instant anything. We can look up anyone in a movie and see what else they have been in. We also have news almost as it happens in many forms instead of just the local news or CNN.
Have we been hindered in any way because of it?
Of course. When the network goes down, whether it be your ISP, some server somewhere, or your own network, people freak out. More so in a business since because the network is the life line of a lot of businesses. When the network is down, money is lost.
And, can you see a time in the future when the Internet won't have as much influence on our lives as it does now?
Only in the PAW (Post Apocalyptic World). The internet is only how old? and it dominates unlike anything before it.

[B.B.M]

Apr 15, 2010 10:53:50 GMT -5 ThePhantom86 said:

And, can you see a time in the future when the Internet won't have as much influence on our lives as it does now?
Only in the PAW (Post Apocalyptic World). The internet is only how old? and it dominates unlike anything before it.

The Internet Started to get known around 20 years ago, but the Internet has been around longer than that.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Apr 13, 2010 20:21:16 GMT -5 Spankymac is sick of the swiss said:

The one major complaint I have about the Internet, and I'm not sure if this translates to other areas of the world, but it's completely decimated the English language. For some reason, when typing a simple "haha" or the like would turn into LOL for no reason, or when people are too lazy to type "if I remember correctly" or "got to go, good bye", both of which took me about four seconds to type each, it turns into stuff like "IIRC" and "G2G, k'bye!". And crap like that is starting to bleed over into people's actual conversation. That bugs. me.

There's actually starting to be a backlash to the backlash about that.

I'll simplify it a bit, but here are some of the basic points:

1) Language has always been evolving and changing, look at any old text, be it from the 19th Century, Shakespeare or even Chaucer, which is pretty much another language. The internet, and in particular texting with it's limited characters, has seen this speed up to a huge degree, but it's still just an evolution.

2) People only use it in informal discussions anyway, like here, with friends. While the media likes to pick up on stories like someone writing l8r etc. in an exam, talk to almost any group of kids(studies have been done regarding this) if you suggest doing that, they'll point out how stupid it is in that situation.

3) Combining the previous points, kids and various subgroups always have their own language and slang, even mainstream words like cool started as dialects of a particular group, which spread into the langauge, but not everything jazz musicians, hippies, slackers etc. used seeped into everyday langauge, so it stands to reason in 10, 20 years a couple of things will be commonly used, a lot will disappear.

[Jason Todd Grisham]

I think most of the internet's benefits have been covered. It provides rapid, real time access to a host of information. It offers new avenues for marketing, gives more people a chance to do more things. And it keeps people in contact with each other over long distances.

Another benefit is mass literacy. At no other time in the history of the human race have so many people written so much. It used to be that writing was for the upper class, or the upper middle class, or some crazy middle class people. But now the written word is much more common. The downside here is that it's also been diluted. Some people just can't type properly. And others are typing with nothing really to say.

I'd say the greatest drawback is information overload. There's so much online that it becomes like crack. You need to find out what you're friends are doing that minute, you post a status and wait to see what other people think of you. You check the forum to see what people are posting. And damnit, what's Shaq doing right now? So much of it is dreck, and it makes it difficult to process the things that really matter, so when we talk about these topics we quickly descend into clichés and anger. We have more information than we require. And it's, frankly, stupefying. The internet may be the greatest invention for a totalitarian state if they learn how to use it properly (see: China, People's Republic of).

When the internet was first popularized a lot of people had a bright and shiny vision of the future where we would grow closer, learn more, be more knowledgeable, yadda yadda yadda. And I do think that in the long run the internet will do a lot for breaching misunderstandings between cultures, races, religions, ect. But in the meantime it hasn't exactly done that (4chan) and instead has transformed how we catalog information in our heads.

Previously to the internet books were more popular as sources of information. A book is a long, detailed, careful argument when done right. If I'm going to read a book on the American Civil War, it's going to be pretty long, chock full of information and how it takes place in a grander narrative. Human memory used to be more like this, where whole passages were memorized and things moved from point to point to point. The internet presents us with one web page, usually not that long. No one reads a book on the internet, no matter how many college professors try to type something up. So we're going through something like the wikification of the human mind. We tend to remember specific facts, and where to find the rest of it. Our brains are beginning to use hyperlinks.

Hell, a lot of the time now I don't even read a whole article, I read the first two paragraphs, skip a few, get to the end. Then I put it aside remembering that I had read it in case I need to know more about it at a future date.

Now, will the internet not have as much influence in the future? Doubtful, it'll probably have more. It will grow more and more ubiquitous, we'll become more and more tied to the machine. Nothing short of an apocalypse would derail it. Things will grow more and more specific, and more and more connected. The future isn't in google, it's in facebook.