Let's be serious, since people started with this whole "lets make new technology" thing, there has always been a counterattack to it. When people invented the printing press, it was apparently the work of the devil. Television turns people into mindless zombies, since the one-way communication provides us with answers but we don't get to formulate our own questions. In every "A.I." movie you've ever seen, the machines have a propensity to harm or enslave humans. So instead of these common sources of hyperbole, I'd rather look at the internet phenomenon of sharing information.
Look around you and see what people use their computers for. The quiet girl next to you is writing on a political message board, feverishly bashing Obama's new economic plans as "RomneyFan505." The guy with the backwards hat on is obviously checking his fantasy baseball roster, checking stats after a young pitcher just had a great debut. The three kids with laptops in the back of the library are playing World of Warcraft, and have been for the entire five hours you've been there.
I've heard it said that the internet will democratize the world. There are approximately 100 million active blogs, which should mean most people who otherwise would not be heard are now getting a chance to put their ideas "out there". The opportunity to learn and share information is far beyond that of any previous generation. Our "information age" is supposed to lead us toward an educated utopia
But the truth is, the internet may already be responsible for a great amount of social discord. The internet is an interface for communication, a third party for otherwise face-to-face interactions. The problem with this interface is that it breaks down a great deal of contact. How is TYPING IN BOLD, CAPITALIZED LETTERS a substitute for the physical expression of anger? How come the 2/5, 1R, 1RBI of a box score is acceptable as an alternative to going to a baseball game? The answer is that the internet has made it acceptable for us to hide.
An email begging forgiveness is nowhere near as effective or meaningful as the person doing so in person. The three kids playing WoW all have slight builds and acne down to their toes, so their online avatars are well-muscled creatures of enviable proportions, their names something heroic like "Knightslayer", "HellsHammer", and the like. Most forms of the internet are a way of masking our identities and "being who we want to be." This is the reason that video blogs have not caught on as well as weblogs: seeing our own appearance does not allow us enough of a disconnect to properly express the controversial opinions we may espouse.
If everyone has these strong opinions, then why is the internet even necessary? All it takes is some sort of personal fortitude, a belief in yourself, to truly express yourself. Some may say "information is evolving, and this is the new form it is taking." To me, that's a coward's way out. Seeing a picture of the Grand Canyon is not the same as seeing the real thing. In the same vein, having an in-person discussion is not the same as messaging back and forth, and definitely winning a race in "Gran Turismo" is not the same as winning a real life drag race.
So what is this ramble about? I'm asking one thing of any reader: use the Internet to learn skills and for self-analysis. If you can express your opinions online, use that practice to express them in person. If a fighting MMORPG engages a repressed urge for activity, use that energy to play soccer. Or football. Or even hopscotch. Don't hide. Do go out and use your abilities. Do be proactive. Do make yourself heard, through people's ears and not their eyes. Because the axiom "Knowledge is Power" is flawed. Confidence is the true currency of our world
-DR
(did you really think Cool Katz speaks like that?)
