Erik Arndt
Professor Brown
English 1B
February 20, 2013
The
Internet: Creating distance among people far and wide
People all over the world get up and turn on their
computer before anything else, and why? To check their mail, see the latest
post on Facebook, maybe check the news or even to just to twitter about a dream
they just had. The internet is great for many things and lets people around the
world stay in "contact" with each other, but does it really? The
internet brings the world to our fingertips, but man is not united; instead in
this golden age of information makes more people isolated every day.
The world has never been this well connected before.
People around the world talk all the time now through many different social
network devices but how does this affect the individual behind the screen? "
After
drugs and alcohol addiction, if the world is facing any new type of addiction
disorder, then that is Facebook addiction. This is a kind of Internet
addiction, but social networking site influences such that people goes mad
behind it" ( Das, pg. 225). people
believe that being social and having friends now can be entirely done online.
People don't want to deal with real life situations, struggles or challenges.
People want to get the same benefits but not do anything in return for them.
How often do you call a friend? or how about visiting family? Now that the
internet has come people don't need to go visit friends or family they can just
go online and see what everyone is doing. " A survey
conducted among 1000 people across United States to find people‟s addiction to
social networking sites, finds 56 percent users check Facebook at least once a
day. And 29 percent can stay only few hours without checking their
account" ( Das, pg. 225). Social networking sites have become a serious
problem in this new age, and it's creating a lot of barriers (not just
distance) between people. Another fun problem arising is when you think your
phone is vibrating but it is not, it's called " phantom-vibration
syndrome" (Biali). This is a bad
sign for anyone who thinks they hear or feel something when it's not really
there. Besides these problems sitting at a computer (which some experts say is
about 8 hours a day for most adults now days, which can lead to health issues)
we have people who use the internet/ social networking sites to steal
information, hurt people, and to take advantage of people in any way possible.
In this fashion people prowl the web and look for people
to steal from social networking sites are perfect for this. "A report by
Daily Mail shows “crimes associated with the networking site have increased by
as much as 7000 percent in some area –
including cases of murder, rape, pedophilia, bullying, assault and burglary”
("Facebook – crime," 2010)" (Das, pg. 225). To most people
that's a huge jump in crime rates. We as a people should see this information
and try to fix this problem (probably by not posting everything on the web),
but because the internet makes us feel safe we think that will never happen to
us. It's a vicious cycle that keeps biting people because they refuse to see
the signs.
Another huge issue in the internet era is content, and how
people perceive it. Facebook has a lot of different content on it, some funny
and some very inappropriate. There are some lines that should not be crossed
but people do so anyway some such as " ...images
currently appearing on the site include a joke about raping a disabled
child, a joke about sex
with an underage girl and image after image after image of women beaten, bloodied and black-eyed
in graphic domestic violence..."
(Bates). These terrible ideas and images appear online (and in this case
Facebook) all the time. The company will not get rid of these images because
that would be censoring and they seem to believe that in this case should be
debated and make people change as a whole (on this topic I do agree with, to
change the internet you have to change the people not always the site). But
these problems seem to stem because people who do these things anonymously.
People will do anything as long as they won't get caught
doing it. The internet is great for people who believe this and actually do
this. Granted many people act or are forced by companies to be anonymous for
their own safety.
"Internet
search companies say they protect their clients’ privacy by encrypting personal
information and by using numbers
instead of names to give their users anonymity. The problem is that anonymization is not always effective. AOL user
number 4417749 found this out
the hard way in 2006 when AOL decided to publish online a list of 20 million Web searches, including hers and those of
657,000 other users." ( Lloyd).
Most people understand that they need watch what they say and
do online. This is why privacy and anonymous listing is around. All of my
arguments have flaws, social media creates a lot of problems for people
(divorces, theft, and even psychological issues) but on the flip side it does
allow people to come together around the world and see other perspectives. Now
crime is rampant and needs to fixed online, but crime also happens offline too.
Yes people have always stolen and will always do so but the internet takes it
to another level (just as the gun did with armed robbery). Lastly content
should be monitered or at least be at least tasteful but everyone has their own
taste and as I say "to each their own".
Despite all the logic and all of the resources we have
available to us we are misusing the internet. People have a right to use the
internet as they see fit but people need to show some kind of moral backbone
when they post or talk about their views. Civilization has come so far in the
last couple of years. We need to stick to those ideals and prove that we can
carry the mantle that is the Human Race. Whether online or offline people
should try to be tactful but strive to bring change to their world.
Works
Cited Page
Bates, Laura. "Does Facebook have a problem with
women". The Gaurdian. February 18th, 2013.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/19/facebook-images-rape-domestic-violence?CMP=twt_gu
Biali, Susan. "Too much time online makes you moodier,
lonier and obsessed". Psychology Today. July 31st, 2012. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prescriptions-life/201207/too-much-time-online-makes-you-moodier-lonelier-and-obsessed
Das, Biswajit, and Shankar Sahoo Jyoti. "Social
Networking Sites - A Critical Analysis of its Impact on Personal and Social
Life." International
Journal of Business and Social Science 2.14
(2011)ABI/INFORM Global; ABI/INFORM Global. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.
Lloyd, Seth. "Privacy and the quantum internet".
Scientific American. October 2009. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=prviacy-and-the-quantum-internet
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