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+ Show Spoiler +Since my last blog was crap, I thought I'd write something perhaps almost interesting.
The internet. It's had a huge impact on the person I've become. It's determined my character and personality more than even my own parents have, and probably as much as close friends have. It's something I don't consider a toy, though I might have before.
Maturing with the internet is an interesting process. I've used the internet extensively for years, and I've learned a lot from it. Not just the trivial information wikipedia donates, but in dealing with people. Specifically, in dealing with people with nearly complete anonymity.
I like to talk to people on the internet. To an extent, even argue. I find it intellectually stimulating. To some, this seems silly. Indeed, it largely is. For the few people on the internet that truly want to talk, there are many more that simply want to get a rise out of anyone they can. There are many more that want to live the life of the tough guy they always wanted to be. To call people little bitches when they don't agree, to call people little bitches when they do agree, and to brag about their non-existent work out routine, sex life, and bravado.
But you know that already. Thru the internet, I've learned to analyse seemingly absurd viewpoints, and discover their rationalities, sometimes eventually accepting them as my own. Thru the internet, I've learned not to get angry at people who have different views, or to run my mouth about how great my own are. In short, I've learned tolerance.
There's something else I've learned. Something I've learned somewhere inbetween the hard way, and the easy way. Thru the internet, and arguing with people, I've learned that a hostile demeanour makes you hard to agree with. It separates you, from the person you're trying to convince. It ensures failure. No one wants to say, "Yes, I'm an idiot. Thank you for enlightening me, I now agree with your points." Yet it's the mistake every human makes when first learning to argue. I'm glad I learned this on the internet, because due to my anonymity, no one I know in person will ever know how big a dipshit I was. They will only see me as someone who's always been polite when arguing. That's something very precious the internet has given me.
This is why I don't take the internet as all jokes. I try to make meaningful contributions, and praise others who do the same. It's because how you develop as a person on the internet, is the same as how you develop as a person in real life. So why waste all your time dicking around?
I treat people I meet over the internet the same as I treat people I know in person. You may say, "well you aren't going to live long if you're arguing with people about everything so often," and you'd be right... Except that people in real life don't tell two dozen strangers about their personal lives and misfortunes, expecting nothing but kind words and agreement. People tell their close friends about these things, and their close friends argue with them if they don't agree. No one gets beat up. If you're offended by a stranger telling you what to do, don't ask a stranger what to do. This is why in threads I ask for help, I do not give much personal information. I keep it general like I would keep it general to people who aren't specifically my friends.
So I ask you, why not take the internet seriously?
 
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I have learned lots about the inner workings of the human mind through the internet. IntraWebz are a great way to analyse human behavior.
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Alot of people see the internet as an alter-ego so-to-speak. Like I'm a wimpy person in RL, in the internet, I'm whoever I want to be. It give you a chance to be who you want to be and not suffer serious consequences (with exceptions). I act in RL the same as I do on the internet. ( give or take a little flavour to my story ex. 6"11 Totally Ripped 
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United States22883 Posts
It ensures failure
Funchucks brought this up before, even though he's probably the king of it on these forums. Casual politics has become much more partisan since blogs started to take off, since dialogue and compromise are not needed over the intarweb.
We get caught up in trying to get a laugh by making fun of people that we often lose sight of the actual goal, which is to convert your opponent.
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Well, the goal is self-motivated too. Someone who dislikes their own ignorance will want to hear out their 'opponent' first, and consider if they should compromise their own beliefs in favour of what's been presented to them. It's really more back and forth conversation, than a debate (which some members recognise my opinion of).
tl;dr.
That's fine, but why post? I would know it it was too long to read by virtue of the fact that no one replied.
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i thought this was going to be about the intern.
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On August 21 2008 08:56 PsycHOTemplar wrote:That's fine, but why post? I would know it it was too long to read by virtue of the fact that no one replied.
I had an urge to wink.
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I've noticed that people tend to not take the internet seriously if they just hang out on fun or game websites and chat with other people and maybe look at funny pics/vids or download music/movies. Only. Then they tend to think that internet is only entertainment.
But that's just one aspect... there's so much on the net.
And I think that most people who are extremely disrespectful to others on the net are still teenagers who enjoy the "anonymity" of the net because it allows them to talk as much trash as they want to.
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The internet affected me a lot as a person too. I think I've learned something from every community I've been a part of. Be it Starcraft, MTG or MySpace, there have been at least some experiences worth thinking of from each of them.
Becoming better at English, attaining skills that helped me get a job and get better grades in school, learn how to express myself better through writing are among the more valuable ones.
Other than that, the Internet has changed stuff like my taste in music or political and religious views. Yey!
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On August 21 2008 08:52 Jibba wrote:Funchucks brought this up before, even though he's probably the king of it on these forums. Casual politics has become much more partisan since blogs started to take off, since dialogue and compromise are not needed over the intarweb. We get caught up in trying to get a laugh by making fun of people that we often lose sight of the actual goal, which is to convert your opponent.
shouldn't the actual goal be to learn?
or teach I guess.
but everyone's egocentric in some way so learning should come first
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The fact that most people don't take the internet seriously is a big problem. They are ignorant of the consequences of their actions, and thus do whatever they want. If everyone were more mindful of their actions, we'd be better off for it.
Then there's also some people who are fully aware of the consequences of their actions, but still continue to act badly because they have the safety of anonymity. These are the people who are truly immoral, but may act moral in real life only because their actions will not go unpunished.
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Some people just wanna watch the world burn  But if you have a brain at all, you know the thing that makes the internet great are the people who do take it seriously. Every moderator and admin of TL takes their position seriously, and tries to be a role model to other posters. None of them ban people 'just to get a reaction,' and it's why TL is a fun place to post. The people who pretend to be holocaust deniers and the like aren't what makes the internet fun. I mean seriously... what do they expect the reaction to be? A couple people will think they're serious and berate them, and everyone else will ignore them, or delete their comments. Wow, wasn't that crazy? Endless fun. Almost as crazy as joining a channel on b net, writing "FUCK," exiting b.net immediately, and giggling to yourself about how offended or confused they must be.
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Good read OP.
The internet used to be fun for trolling. But then I discovered that RL trolling is 10x better.
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I have no idea what you're talking about....
So here's a bunny with a pancake on its head.
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do you really mean that the internetisseriousbusiness.com?
no link because its a rickroll and i don't want to get banned.
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On August 21 2008 11:06 teh.pwnerer wrote:
Good read OP.
The internet used to be fun for trolling. But then I discovered that RL trolling is 10x better.
True that.
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Well because if everyone treated the internet as serious as real life the internet would in fact not be very different from real life, sort of removing the point of hanging out here?
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Why not take the internet seriously?
In terms of being open, honest, consistent, and polite? Because there's little incentive. People you live with, you'll be pleasanter around because they affect your life. People who won't know what screen name you'll be using tomorrow, you really don't care one way or another. So it's not a big wonder why people are less "serious" on the internet.
People you happen to see in real life also - how do you treat them? It's not unheard of for people to shout random insults at other people whom they never expect to interact with again.
There's also the expectation of reciprocation - or rather, lack thereof. Johnny spends half an hour thinking out what to say, pouring his soul into writing a quality post. Jim spends 3 seconds to decide that Johnny's post is too long to be bothered to read, and simply replies "you're a fag." Johnny is less likely to spend time thinking about his posts next time. Sure, it could happen in the opposite direction, but it's less likely to, because it's so much easier to just say "you're a fag."
+ Show Spoiler +
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Internet is an escape from the daily grind of life. I don't come here to be serious. I come here to blow off steam, entertain myself and pass some time. Being relatively anonymous on the internet is what makes it so great. I'm serious from 9-6 and then in class after. There's no need for that here.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/6622/pancakebunnyce6.png)
