This is a very broad topic and
some smart person could probably do a doctoral thesis on this subject. The
internet is an amazing technological gift and I don't think anyone envisioned
the sort of potential it had when in its fledgling state. The ability to
connect people from all over the world in real-time has unlocked an unprecedented
global community.
It's facilitated the Arab Spring, which the jury is still out
on whether that is going to turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing. We've
seen a young woman (Justine
Sacco) vilified for making an off-color tweet in a poor attempt at humor
that cost her job and ruined her reputation. We've seen young people commit
suicide because of cyber-bullying. Harassment and death threats are rampant.
And what is turning into a horrible custom--people jumping on the bandwagon of
something they have very little knowledge of and creating a mob mentality. All
of these things have happened and are happening, and it's sickening. Gamergate, Puppygate, leftwing vs. rightwing politics, I don't even want to get started on
the details, but these things impinge on my daily visit to the web. News
spreads at a viral pace now and people don't bother to take the time to see if
things are true or not, they just take at gospel because everyone else says
it's horrible. It must be bad if so many people say it is. It's as if a
"journalist" from a gossip magazine is running the internet.
Why is it we want to believe the
worst in everyone? The corporate world is not immune either (Examples
of Social Media Crisis.)
And here is the worst part. If
you speak out against something you are inviting the hordes to your doorstep.
In some cases, literally. I'm hesitant to take a stand on any issue now. Who
needs that kind of drama in their life? I know I don't, but I do think about
stuff, and want to take a stand on things I feel strongly about without being
singled out as the target du jour. Free speech should mean we all get to have a
say, and be able to do it in a civil manner.
I don't know how we fix it. This
age of free speech is different than any other time, because the reach is
nearly instantaneous and global. My old roommate used to say, "Why can't
everyone just be cool?" What is it about being insulated by your keyboard
that gives people carte blanche to be A-holes? It's a little like road rage.
It's a lot like pitchforks and torches and burning people at the stake, or a
lynch mob--the worst type of social justice with no trial.
We need a new age of civility, social
rules for the internet. I would rather see people chastised for breaking etiquette
when he or she is being an A-hole, but not death threats, simple peer pressure
to do better, that it's not acceptable behavior. I like what Chuck Wendig says
about trying to be your best self on social media. I would love to see us be
nice to each other, all the time, everywhere. I wish every person could be
treated equally, male or female, gay or straight, black or white or whatever,
all the time.
Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but I
get the feeling we are on the cusp of something big. I don't know if it's going
to be a good thing or a bad thing. I'm reminded of the first age of public
discourse back in fourth century Athens, where orators were pleading with the
public in courts and public events, to change the course of politics in their
day. But that is nothing compared to the way disinformation flies around the
world at the speed of light today. We can do so much with the connectivity we
have now, but that could mean wonderful things or horrible things. This new age
of communication is just beginning, and who knows how it will mutate as it
matures. We do have the power of choice. We can chose to stand up for niceness.
Or we can pile on.
Here's hoping niceness prevails.
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