The Internet Age

[Vimana]

This kind of mirrors the topic about the global society, but instead of focusing on how it affects politics, laws, and global interaction, it focuses on daily life.

I recommend reading this article.

So how much of this is true for you? How is the internet age affecting you? What are you doing to cope?

Personally, I've found it really hit hard for me in education, and not in a good way. I was thinking of writing an article about the ways the internet age messes up education, but I think I'll just list my main points (that I can remember), all of which (somewhat) contributed to me leaving school:

1) It's easier to get distracted (and harder for a teacher to keep an audience, and learn).
2) It's harder to make friends.
3) Things on the internet don't always work.
4) It's much harder to learn how to cope with boredom.

I also think that the internet has affected the standards I have in terms of dating. When I understand the grand scope of millions (or billions?) being connected to a network and a girl perfectly compatible with me being within that number and only an online dating service's match away from contact, it's easier for me to dismiss more minor things with the thought that there is a girl out there that is better-looking and more compatible with me. It's gotten to the point where I have almost no interest in dating a girl unless she shares my interests, which I think is a huge problem. I'm pretty much dismissing great learning experiences in favor of what is more or less an illusion until I actually contact that forever alone girl who shares my interests.

I know I'm a bit younger than the rest of the members of the forum, so this may impact me more, but I don't think I'm the only one whose daily life is being deeply affected by the internet. Hell, my reactions to real-life things are fucking meme-based.

Anyways, discuss.

 

[-CC-]

It's still better than the Skynet Age.

 

[Vimana]

Maybe. At least in that age humans would be more united. I'm not too sure it would happen. I don't know a lot about computer systems, but based on articles I've read about automated war machines, basically what would have to happen are the following, and only the following malfunctions all at once: losing the ability to tell friend from foe, losing the ability to be remotely overridden or deactivated. Statistically it's not that likely that that can happen by chance. It could definitely happen intentionally, though.

 

[Dak]

I would readily admit to being semi-addicted to the instantaneous availability of an answer to almost any question I might have.

 

[Saparmurat_Niyazov]

I love the Cracked website, their satire is spot on. It's so true, though. I've become more introverted thanks to the internet, and I've noticed everyone else has to. At no other time in my life have I seen people completely build up walls around themselves and block everything and everyone out. It used to be when I tried to get someone's attention and they didn't want to talk to me they'd say "Shut the fuck up!", but now they just stare straight forward and purse their lips shut, refusing to acknowledge that someone is trying to get their attention.

 

[Vimana]

Agreed. I am pretty guilty of doing that myself. I also think the internet is separating people a great deal by creating isolated identities for them. With a web that encompasses almost the entire world, music scenes can erupt without signing to a record label, and subcultures can develop on the internet, some even centered around the internet. I say things like "impossibru" in real life, quote memes, and even imitate ragefaces. Each day it becomes less me making a joke to myself and more my natural reaction. Even though the number of people who understand them is quite large, my entire family has no idea what the fuck I'm doing. Sure, it would be cool to meet some random person in public and talk about internet memes, but ultimately this source of entertainment is shaping me into a person that is less like the others around me. I'm not bragging about being unique. I really don't think it's a good thing. I keep imagining a future in which the internet is the only means through which people will even choose to meet one another, tons more cultures (and maybe even dialects of languages) exist than they do now, and all societies in the world are just separated worlds within worlds.

I would readily admit to being semi-addicted to the instantaneous availability of an answer to almost any question I might have.

The only problem is the massive volume of misinformation that exists on the internet. Honestly, I barely even know what to think anymore of events that happen today.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

The only problem is the massive volume of misinformation that exists on the internet. Honestly, I barely even know what to think anymore of events that happen today.

That problem already existed before the internet. The solution: critical thinking.

 

[Vimana]

That is true, but it was not to as great a degree. The thing about the internet is that there are sources for everything, which makes it much easier to defend everything. I ran into a very smart person on another forum who just read the wrong stuff and got his mind clouded up with bullshit. It was impossible to sway him in debate because he could vomit up an entire page of links to support his claims.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

1) It's easier to get distracted (and harder for a teacher to keep an audience, and learn).

This is an additional challenge to people in supervisory roles (teachers, managers, etc), but one that can be addressed with sufficient people skill.

2) It's harder to make friends.

Yes and no. It makes it more likely for someone to get out of practice with social skills, but having a job or some other "getting out in the real world" routine helps to compensate for that. It makes it much *easier* to find people of similar interests.

3) Things on the internet don't always work.

?

4) It's much harder to learn how to cope with boredom.

Not sure what you mean by this, but I assume you mean "harder to learn how to cope with not having internet access". I don't see the threat of "internet withdrawal" to be a disadvantage of the internet so much as an illustration of how much more boring life is without it. For anyone who values learning as a regular part of their life, the internet is indispensable. We're not necessarily less capable of "living without it" though, it's just that the internet changes our expectations regarding the pace of our pursuits.

 

[Tonka Time]

Dunno about the age around it, but the internet is tits. It's a great tool. And you can use a tool for whatever you want. It makes finding information faster. Fast isn't always good, but in this case I think it is.

That problem already existed before the internet. The solution: critical thinking.

Percisely. You could say the same about Tv, radio, and even word of mouth.

 

[Vimana]

This is an additional challenge to people in supervisory roles (teachers, managers, etc), but one that can be addressed with sufficient people skill.

That is true. My Mandarin teacher would ask random people questions at random times to see if they were paying attention. Needless to say I got fucking fried with embarrassment one day when I was high in class. Needless to say, I never went high again.

Yes and no. It makes it more likely to get out of practice with social skills, but having a job or some other "getting out in the real world" routine helps to compensate for that. It makes it much *easier* to find people of similar interests.

That is true, but there are quite a few college students that don't have jobs. I don't know the percentage, though. And I don't know about "real" colleges, but I know that in community colleges, people usually go in with friends, not make any there. It's pretty damn hard to because there is little room for conversation. People go in for lecture, leave, and then go on about their day.

?

Basically, a function on a website that may be vital to an assignment may not always work properly, a vital website could be down altogether, one might end up coming home after a long day to find out their internet is not working, etc. I know most professors would understand this, but for the most part it makes the process a lot more tedious and inconvenient. For pretty much all of my assignments in high school all I had to do was open my textbook and do the work. In college, if my internet were to go down at night before I got home and I had an assignment due the next day (that had to be turned in online), I'd have to go out and find a place with free wifi or I couldn't turn in the assignment.

Not sure what you mean by this, but I assume you mean "harder to learn how to cope with not having internet access". I don't see the threat of "internet withdrawal" to be a disadvantage of the internet so much as an illustration of how much more boring life is without it. For anyone who values learning as a regular part of their life, the internet is indispensable. We're not necessarily less capable of "living without it" though, it's just that the internet changes our expectations regarding the pace of our pursuits.

I don't mean harder to cope without internet access, though that is a good point. I mean when one is sitting in a class with a computer, there are bound to be tons of things more interesting than the lesson, and as a result, one would probably find something more interesting to do to occupy their time on the computer. I'd even wager that even with the restraint to not go and do something off-task on the computer, the fact that one has that option present would make it harder to cope with a boring situation in which one does not have a computer present to ease things up.

 

[Tonka Time]

I had an online class back in high school. I didn't pass....."fuck this shit, I wanna see if they got the video of that Sea World trainer being killed".

I don't think the internet should be the most widely used method of teaching. At least not for high schools. Though once a person learns self-control it can be a great tool for learning.

 

[Vimana]

That is true. I'd have already burned my Korean book if I didn't have the internet to check all of the stuff it throws in without teaching me.

 

[Panzerhunt]

Vimana you said something about teachers having problems to maintain the attention of the pupils? Explain this, do you mean students at universities etc or students in general? (high school, ... included)

 

[Vimana]

Mostly at universities, but also pretty much any environment where a bunch of students are sitting in front of a teacher with access to the internet. The internet is a very easily concealable distraction. All you have to do is minimize a window, which takes barely any time at all. It's nothing like hiding a cell phone or handheld gaming system. That's what makes it so enticing and hard to stop.

 

[drinkingtea]

I think it's made people a lot less open to non planned social interaction. I'm of that age group that started out not in the internet age but was young enough for most of us to adapt to it so I've seen both sides of things. In the past, people were more likely to hang out with whoever was available. Maybe you were the only one of your friends to own a Venom shirt, but it didn't seem to matter. Now, it's like what you describe with dating but it seems to apply everywhere.

Not only that, but people don't seem to be willing to connect in person unless they've vetted their online persona first. When was the last time anyone went to a concert and said hello to a stranger, let alone exchanged phone numbers (not a potential boink buddy, that is) and went to hang out without knowing who they were on Facebook first? It's becoming pretty rare, which sucks.

As far as attention span goes, mine never worked with a darn. I went to school in person and got a degree. I went to school online and got another degree. I learned as much in both places, but the in person version exposed me to far more things that I wouldn't have directed myself towards otherwise. I have to say, though, I love that I can find some of the oddest information on the internet.

 

[Vimana]

I'm of that age group, but probably a bit younger than you. I've pretty much never gotten to know a person before asking if they had Facebook. But on the flipside, I've met a lot of people who I added, but we got to know each other through texting, online, or real life chatting and not our profiles. I've found Facebook to be more of a ritual in meeting people than a big deciding factor of interaction. The parameters of the ritual seem to vary from person to person, but it seems like in most circles it's customary to add someone on Facebook that you know in any way, and from there you just go about the regular functions of the website with only your closer friends. I don't even communicate in any way with 95% of my Facebook friends.