Ways in Which the Internet HASN'T Helped

Some of the same as above
- Allowed radical groups to spread their message and recruit members.

- (I'm on the fence about this one but it has been suggested to my by colleagues) It is a tool that can be used as surveillance.

-Malicious advertisements that harm operating systems, causing people to spend money on repairs.

-The proliferation of pornographic material from rape videos to pedophilia.

-The ease of access to pornographic/graphic content, kids can get access to it easily (not stealing grandpas Playboys like most of us have done or tried to do)

-Disinformation tool

-Has made quite a few people sedentary and takes them away from more productive endeavors.

-Online gambling, now people don't even have to leave home to squander all of their money away in a casino.

-The use of IM speak has practically made some of our youth illiterate.

-The addiction of escaping reality and living as a different persona (self induced Multiple Personality Disorder)

I'll stop there but IMO the pros FAR outweigh the cons.

I would like to add that with the 'freedom' of the internet,world government is keeping tabs on the populace!Profilers can analyze bahavior,a persons character reflected in what we write!Even pc games these days require online activation and records your stats and your conversations with others!When your out and about 'they' dont know what your thinking or doing,but in front of your pc or mobile they know exactly where you are and what your up to

Originally posted by ShAuNmAn-X

-Disinformation tool

Perhaps, but only possible weapon for this is to keep telling people logically and rationally what is true and what is not. It is the only way to combat such information. Eventually, even the dumbest will learn to listen to those people they should in the first place.

-The use of IM speak has practically made some of our youth illiterate.

I agree on this on some level but how do we make a difference between illiterate and development of language itself? It does develop, although there are institutions that try to control such development in nearly every country.

-The addiction of escaping reality and living as a different persona (self induced Multiple Personality Disorder)

It might cause this somewhat, but another fact is that perhaps majority of humans fall into influence of people who basically create most of their allowed patterns of behaviour. Now that we have an escape route for that, multicultural developments begin to rise outside of internet because of internet itself. This happens in several ways, internet being just one of the affecting factors that do this. This causes more freedom of thought and behavioral patterns. Behavioral patterns in particular are not usually mentioned when we speak about freedom of speech, but is instead somewhat included in term freedom itself. It can manifest itself in many ways, of course.

Alter ego's are a common occurence even in normal, so called real world. Great majority of us behave differently when in company of different people. This is natural behaviour for all humans, there simply does not exist any people who give the same impression and picture of themselves no matter what company they are in. Therefore we should already have an increased rate of self induced personality disorders, that we do not have. Obviously, internet is yet another channel for it to develop, but defence mechanisms are there already by evolution itself.

Originally posted by rawsom
Now that we have an escape route for that, multicultural developments begin to rise outside of internet because of internet itself.

There is some truth in that. Since I have started posting on the Internet, under un-assumed identity, I have had occasionally had opportunity, in 'real-life' to discuss conspiracy-related subject that I have spoken of here. Specifically, 9/11, the Kennedy assassination, and the implications of the movie "Zeitgeist".

I have drawn courage from the fact that I have previously expressed my views, as myself, in what should be considered a very public manner. This allowed me to expressed not only that which I have learned, here (and other Internet places), but also that which I would have been hesitant to express face-to-face with someone, without fear of besmirching of 'public image'.

It's strange, but the Internet is a sword that can cut both ways. Sadly, 99% of the users (by my estimate) seek it as a place to hide, to express without 'really' expressing. Stand by your posts, fellow ATS members! With all you can.

Originally posted by Ian McLean
I have drawn courage from the fact that I have previously expressed my views, as myself, in what should be considered a very public manner. This allowed me to expressed not only that which I have learned, here (and other Internet places), but also that which I would have been hesitant to express face-to-face with someone, without fear of besmirching of 'public image'.

For me, internet has given me a ground to learn how to discuss these things without immediately being spotted as crackpot or crazy. There's a very very thin line on that, and sometimes people are simply too closed minded to have any line at all except total ignorance. However, without this and other places I have debated in (all online), I would not have had the needed information to actually even discuss things that are considered taboos.

Also, taboo is something that becomes a public reality only after you have had a place to discuss it about privately/anonymously. It just does not become one without that. It won't pop out in existence (to public) by itself. Internet gives that breeding ground. In my own country that can be got for free, without own private access, yet still keeping your privacy. That's a potential of freedom which we should not ignore.

Before internet, only way of achieving a widespread conversation about a subject that is a taboo was to first publish something else, get succesfull and only after that write abotut a taboo to get somebody to listen to you. We have no such restriction anymore. Now we simply need a group of people who are interested about a subject online, and surely enough, somebody finds a market share, gets a hint and begins to sell products about a taboo (books etc).

(edit: I revealed too much but if you are capable, you can get successfull.)

[edit on 13/12/08 by rawsom]

Originally posted by Ian McLean
I have drawn courage from the fact that I have previously expressed my views, as myself, in what should be considered a very public manner. This allowed me to expressed not only that which I have learned, here (and other Internet places), but also that which I would have been hesitant to express face-to-face with someone, without fear of besmirching of 'public image'.

Well that deserved a star Before registering not to long ago, I had been looking for a more interactive expressive way of getting what I thought out there. For my lifestyle and those who I have associated around outside the Internet, Its different. I can't just spout my opinions as thoroughly and in the same manner I do on ATS. It's strange because I don't see myself "being" a different person or having a different persona, It's just the side that hasn't had the time or circumstance to get out without an excuse beyond the "norm". - That makes the Internet a half/reality imo, and reality well...It's not even real most of the time.

Originally posted by Cythraul

Originally posted by TruthMagnet
I think the dark side of the Internet has not yet occured - obviously crimes have been committed because of and using the internet - but I think most of us are in denial of what is coming.

Wow, that's something I hadn't considered. With all this talk of 'Internet 2', it makes you wonder whether a preliminary 'free' Internet, followed by a restricted second Internet was always in the pipeline. Maybe the idea could have been to get the world addicted to one Internet so that when another one - devoid of the positive anti-tyrannical potential - appeared, the world would remain addicted, trapped within a cyber world with no real understanding anymore of how to assert their opinions and frustrations in the real world. This wasn't so much of an issue when the Internet still harboured great potential for liberation (as well as potential for mis-use) but becomes 'Orwellian' when that first 'free' Internet no longer exists.

Cythraul,

Yes - that is exactly it - my eyes 1st really opened to this when I read up on Microsoft's proposed Palladium Protocol project:

en.wikipedia.org...

Which has been changed and obfusucated many times since people 1st got wind of it - which was before we got all the new news on Internet 2.

My personal thoughts is that they always intended the Internet to become a massive control grid - but they underestimated the public's early embrace of it's wild west/libertarian like culture and frontier - and the power it would give the public through freedom of information combined with low cost barriers for use.

Now - not everyone who is implementing this control grid is "in the know" - many have compartmentalized ideas and motivations for taking part in the upcoming tyranny (like copyright issues, advertising issues, corporate competition) - however the end result is a massive Tele-Screen like Orwellian Dystopia - where the Internet is purely and simply an instrument of the state - and eventually a One World Government - for total control of it's citizens.

All it will take is an Internet 9/11 to happen - and everyone will give up their "rights" voluntarily.

When that happens all legal anonymity on the web will be gone - and a chilling effect - as seen in countries like China - will sweep the remainder of the net.

They'll probably even have friendly cartoon cops who show up in your browser too - just like China - to remind you who is in control...

Although this is not inevitable - we are so behind the curve on fighting this - and the general public is so oblivious - that it will be too late once it is implemented.

Unless the public takes control of the backbone of the Internet - for the public good - I am not overly optimistic we can effectively stop this creeping threat to our liberty.

Let us remain ever vigiliant - however - if only to document the death of hope in our generation.