Maven89
Smash Master
Are you familiar with the story of the Ring of Gyges? In it, Plato used the idea of a ring that turns you invisible to ask a question: would an intelligent man still be moral if he knew he'd face no consequences for his actions? What if an intelligent person had such a ring? The assumption is "No, even the most moral man would realize his own self interests would be to commit crimes, as he'd never have any consequences to it".
Then we have the internet. What at first was just a place for computer experts and the rich has turned into a daily necessity that our society runs through. Yet with this has come the culture of anonymous. And as we're anonymous, no one can figure out who we are. I can say anything, good, bad, true or false, and never have it tied back to me. Anything at all. In a few circumstances, like political oppression, this can be a good thing. But for day to day life, I believe it's bad. It's poisoned our communication. In the 80s, someone who claims people who disagree with his movie opinions are "worthless pieces of **** who destroy our culture" would rightly be ignored and avoided. Today, not only can you not tell who it is that is saying it, but it's the general manner of speech on the internet. There is no need for social necessities. Respect and patience, two traits that allow us as a species to live together, are avoided entirely on the internet. Did someone write a very large post detailing their issues? TLDR
Now, part of this is personal experience. When I was younger I was a huge internet troll, who ran around any site I could purposefully getting a rise out of people. I thought it was funny, fun, and "didn't matter cause it's not me saying it". Never mind that it was, but I never felt the personal connection between my day to day life and my interactions on the internet. I'd listen to someone in person talk about how they like Spiderman 3, go "Personally I was disappointed in the movie, but I'm glad you liked it", then get on the internet and call people who like Spiderman 3 "mouth breating *******". Did I really hate people who liked that movie? No, but I thought it was funny, and I had zero reason to act otherwise. I'd never act like that in public, where people would judge me. But make me invisible, remove all social consequences?
So should the internet rightly judge anonymity to be a high standard? I think no. Maybe once, long ago, when the internet was barely relevant. But with our current online society, and the continuation of social iterations taking place online, I think it's time to recognize that we need social feedback and consequences to maintain not only our culture but also our society. We're already seeing the rise of the "internet" talk. Just look at Donald Trump
Then we have the internet. What at first was just a place for computer experts and the rich has turned into a daily necessity that our society runs through. Yet with this has come the culture of anonymous. And as we're anonymous, no one can figure out who we are. I can say anything, good, bad, true or false, and never have it tied back to me. Anything at all. In a few circumstances, like political oppression, this can be a good thing. But for day to day life, I believe it's bad. It's poisoned our communication. In the 80s, someone who claims people who disagree with his movie opinions are "worthless pieces of **** who destroy our culture" would rightly be ignored and avoided. Today, not only can you not tell who it is that is saying it, but it's the general manner of speech on the internet. There is no need for social necessities. Respect and patience, two traits that allow us as a species to live together, are avoided entirely on the internet. Did someone write a very large post detailing their issues? TLDR
Now, part of this is personal experience. When I was younger I was a huge internet troll, who ran around any site I could purposefully getting a rise out of people. I thought it was funny, fun, and "didn't matter cause it's not me saying it". Never mind that it was, but I never felt the personal connection between my day to day life and my interactions on the internet. I'd listen to someone in person talk about how they like Spiderman 3, go "Personally I was disappointed in the movie, but I'm glad you liked it", then get on the internet and call people who like Spiderman 3 "mouth breating *******". Did I really hate people who liked that movie? No, but I thought it was funny, and I had zero reason to act otherwise. I'd never act like that in public, where people would judge me. But make me invisible, remove all social consequences?
So should the internet rightly judge anonymity to be a high standard? I think no. Maybe once, long ago, when the internet was barely relevant. But with our current online society, and the continuation of social iterations taking place online, I think it's time to recognize that we need social feedback and consequences to maintain not only our culture but also our society. We're already seeing the rise of the "internet" talk. Just look at Donald Trump
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