Is the Internet good or bad for Human society?

I was around and heavily into computers way before the internet. As soon as the "world wide web" became active, I felt it was a turn in the wrong direction. Now, we almost can't believe anything we see or hear on the internet. It causes countless people unneeded anxiety, confusion, paranoia. Our whole infrastructure is dependent on the internet, our money and and most of our military equipment is dependent on satellites (GPS) that are networked into the internet. Everything, our phones, our TVs, our utility grids, our businesses are dependent on the internet. Here's a scenario; what if an EMP knocked all of this out. Do you think our society would EVENTUALLY be better without money (greed), the internet and all this technology? It all causes much more stress than what I remember when all these things didn't exist and you actually picked up a phone and talked to someone instead of texting them. Don't get me wrong, the internet has wonderful and almost magical Star Trek like capabilities, but I honestly don't think our global society is able to handle the overload of mostly inaccurate information. I think it's responsible for most of the problems we have today. Ignorance is bliss. If you all had to weigh out the pros and cons of the internet and all this technology that is turning us into drones, what would you say? Is the internet good or bad for us humans?

I view the internet as the powerless masses of people's only -hope- against the PTB and their Media. I just think at how utterly screwed the Conspirators would be, if everyone was online during November 1963.........

reply to post by my3911


It is neutral, it depends on how it is used.

IT IS JUST A TOOL

Like a telephone
A computer
A chainsaw
or a Hammer

All can be used for good or bad, to build or destroy.

It is simply the new medium, this is why I get frustrated with laws holding the internet medium accountable or fictional accounts accountable, instead of the individual that committed the crime.

If I send stolen good through the post, I dont get my postal rights removed, if they can prove it was me i get arrested.
But for some reason if I used the internet to download illegal material, without proof they disconnect and fine me.

Politicians making laws about things they know nothing about. Simple as that.

Agreed, it is a tool, but a global tool that is affecting people on a global level. My question still remains; When you weigh out the pros and cons, to include what it has done to our society, is it beneficial or harmful to Human society and our evolution? Do we really want to evolve into Borg drones?

Just know that technology is the greatest double-edged sword, for "them" and for "us".

Yeah, technology let's us absorb WAY more information faster than ever before... and it is in a way "leveling the playing field" so to speak as knowledge = power. But the human mind IS predictable... so the more technology thrown our way, the more knowledgable/powerful we become, the more of a "threat" we become. Because technology is so sophisticated, it can literally remember EVERYTHING. So, with all the data mined from all your past habits which have/are being catalogued, your thoughts/patterns can/are predicted, therefore if you were TRULY a threat you'd have been flagged a long time ago... so it's already too late to do anything really LOL

reply to post by my3911


It's all realtive, and it's all variable; the internet will take the same evolutionary path as mankind, in terms of the way I perceive its current effect on global consciousness, I think it's a positive thing. I don't think generations are getting any stupider, perhaps less academic; PROBABLY far more insightful.
The internet is the best thing to happen to mankind in the past century.

reply to post by posthuman

The internet is the best thing to happen to mankind in the past century.

Maybe since people have been.

For the first time, it is getting --impossible-- for genocidal control freaks, to keep everyone like mushroom. In the dark and fed s***.

Originally posted by Nastradamus
Just know that technology is the greatest double-edged sword, for "them" and for "us".

Yeah, technology let's us absorb WAY more information faster than ever before... and it is in a way "leveling the playing field" so to speak as knowledge = power. But the human mind IS predictable... so the more technology thrown our way, the more knowledgable/powerful we become, the more of a "threat" we become. Because technology is so sophisticated, it can literally remember EVERYTHING. So, with all the data mined from all your past habits which have/are being catalogued, your thoughts/patterns can/are predicted, therefore if you were TRULY a threat you'd have been flagged a long time ago... so it's already too late to do anything really LOL

I 100% agree about becoming a threat. But, may I add that it's causing us to be more vulnerable and more of threat to ourselves then if we were without the technology we are so dependent on today. Too much information can be harmful, especially in the wrong hands with a brain that isn't wired correctly. I think our society as a whole is too under-evolved to handle our current technology and the overwhelming information that invades our minds and lives everyday.

The Internet will go down in history as something like the letterpress, antibiotics or gunpowder, since it has such a tremendous impact on our civilization.
It is a medium like the book, as bytehertz stated, and like books its content varies so you cant say the Internet as a whole is good or bad.
It makes informations accessable to people all around the world and that is a great thing.
Social Networking today is capable to start revolutions just like the letterpress made the enlightenment possible.
We have to prevent modern day "book burning" / censorship and keep the Internets free, since its such an important medium!

I'd like to say this one last thing; I'm a firm believer in free speech, but I'm starting to think the internet should be regulated to some degree by the FCC or preferably another entity that is fair and honest. Anyone can be traced by their IP address, unless you have the skills to cover your tracks, and I have always believed the internet was created and exploited by TPTB to keep tabs on us. Face Book is a PRIME example of this. It's nothing but a branch of the patriot act. When people cause fear mongering on the internet, it spreads like a virus. People that are nervous about what the fear monger spreads, becomes an indirect fear mongerer, and so on and so forth. I think there should be rules and I think people that cause malicious activity via the internet should be fined or prosecuted. It causes global stress and we all now that stress is physically measurable and it can kill.

reply to post by ColCurious

It makes informations accessable to people all around the world and that is a great thing.
Social Networking today is capable to start revolutions just like the letterpress made the enlightenment possible.
We have to prevent modern day "book burning" / censorship and keep the Internets free

I couldn't have said it more intelligently. The internet is a --miracle-- against tyrrany. It makes me a true believer in supernatural devine providence. Maybe a good guy time traveler decided to give a helping hand.

reply to post by my3911


There are many studies coming out that show that surfing the web negatively affects the human brain. In my opinion, it does so in two ways: first, it changes the focus to now-now-now and completely kills off any parts of the brain that used to be used for long-term thinking, goal-setting, and even relationships for that matter, because it changes relationships from a long-term setting where deep things are discussed and people really get to know each other to a short-term "oh look there's my golf buddy, oh I won't remember him tomorrow because I will be doing something else"

Not only do I believe that the internet effects the ability to use critical thinking and certain other thought processes I mentioned above, it also has the documented effect of allowing someone to sit at their computer and communicate with people in cyberspace (often not even the same people, but just whoever is in a forum at the time) and this has the illusion of social contact when there really is NONE. In reality, you are being withdrawn, you might even forget how to socialize well over time.

Also, the reward mechanism for clicking on links and obtaining "knowledge" falsely makes everyone think they are being productive, when, in reality, they are not.

Overall, the internet will result in a society that is short-sighted, incapable of critical thinking, incapable of cultural ties that bind us together as human beings, and incapable of forming lasting relationships. This will cause society to slowly crumble away.

In conclusion, the internet is definitely bad for society the way it is being used now. There are only two cures for this: destruction or eventual adaptation to a society where the internet and technology is used in a much more sane manner.

Yeah!

And Elvis Preseley was of the devil! He -ruined- all those young people!

OK... last thing I'm going to post here (unless it's a reply). IT'S BAD TO PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET. And that is exactly what we have done with the internet and our infrastructure that is dependent on it. One high altitude EMP would take care of the entire US and then it would have a domino effect across the globe. I hope our military and financial institutions have considered shielding critical equipment with lead, or we will eventually lose all of this. The last EMP didn't effect us much, because we weren't so dependent on digital technology. It only affected telegraphs and a few other non-critical systems if I remember correctly. But now everything is dependent on it. The last EMP was ~100 years ago, but a lot has changed since then and EMP events are cyclical due to our Sun's nature. So I think it's just a matter of time.

EMP

The internet has ruined music.itunes for one I dispise low quality bit rate files that have taken a step backwards from losless quality on cds.

I also refuse to join facebook/twitter etc,its emotional rape.

reply to post by darkbake


Thank you, I'm glad I'm not alone with these views. I think so many people are blind to what it's doing to our society, because they're caught up in all the gadgets that communicate with their "pseudo societies". I'm constantly around technology and have been almost my entire life. I took an interest in electronics at a very early age and moved on to computers. I now work for one of the largest financial institutions in the world, which is constantly taking out the human component and replacing it with computer automation. Maybe they'll hire us all back when the Sun decides to hit us with an EMP.

reply to post by my3911


I think it is a mixture of good and bad. I am glad for the internet....as it is full of very useful information.....and also a lot of information is rubbish. I have learned to sift through it...to get the information I want.

I am very concerned about a lot of the chat rooms and social websites....that many predators frequent....and the too trusting young people that communicate with these perverts...not knowing that they are perverts....to me that is a huge problem.

As I was reading your thread...the thought struck me....that one of our enemy countries...just might try and go into space and destroy our satellites...then what would this electronic society do?

The internet has ruined music.itunes for one I dispise low quality bit rate files that have taken a step backwards from losless quality on cds. I also refuse to join facebook/twitter etc,its emotional rape.

reply to post by paperface


I'm also a music producer by night. I have several songs out there. Believe me! I know how much the internet has affected us musicians and the music industry as a whole. I always say, "Internet killed the rock star." And I agree with you, all that Twitter/Face Book BS is a waste of time, when you could be outside enjoying nature. We forget how beautiful our planet is, while most of us are glued to some kind of LCD screen.

Originally posted by caladonea
reply to post by my3911

 

I think it is a mixture of good and bad. I am glad for the internet....as it is full of very useful information.....and also a lot of information is rubbish. I have learned to sift through it...to get the information I want.

I am very concerned about a lot of the chat rooms and social websites....that many predators frequent....and the too trusting young people that communicate with these perverts...not knowing that they are perverts....to me that is a huge problem.

As I was reading your thread...the thought struck me....that one of our enemy countries...just might try and go into space and destroy our satellites...then what would this electronic society do?

Right! Or so called enemy could simply detonate a nuclear warhead several miles above the US and every electronic device that isn't protected by lead shielding would be rendered inoperable.

Originally posted by darkbake
reply to post by my3911

 

There are many studies coming out that show that surfing the web negatively affects the human brain. In my opinion, it does so in two ways: first, it changes the focus to now-now-now and completely kills off any parts of the brain that used to be used for long-term thinking, goal-setting, and even relationships for that matter, because it changes relationships from a long-term setting where deep things are discussed and people really get to know each other to a short-term "oh look there's my golf buddy, oh I won't remember him tomorrow because I will be doing something else"

Focusing on the 'now' is essentially what we need far more of, it doesn't completely "kill" anything off? Sure, our minds adjust to the fact that there is information stored externally that is already indexed and constantly accessible, but that doesn't "kill" our brains - it frees them up for other tasks. None of my relationships have been short term thanks to the internet, I am Gen Y and I maintain many long term friendships that would have ended long ago if not for the internet, some even began on there.

Not only do I believe that the internet effects the ability to use critical thinking and certain other thought processes I mentioned above, it also has the documented effect of allowing someone to sit at their computer and communicate with people in cyberspace (often not even the same people, but just whoever is in a forum at the time) and this has the illusion of social contact when there really is NONE. In reality, you are being withdrawn, you might even forget how to socialize well over time.

I don't really see any argument being presented as to WHY the internet would diminish anyone's critical thinking.. As far as becoming withdrawn goes, since when does the responsiblity rest on the internet to ensure a person gets adequate, physically present social interaction? I can't believe some of the "critical thinking" I see on here sometimes.

Also, the reward mechanism for clicking on links and obtaining "knowledge" falsely makes everyone think they are being productive, when, in reality, they are not.

Well, actually, most of us are learning something.