About the Internet

The Internet: An Enabler of Connectivity and Turmoil

The Internet was one of the most groundbreaking inventions of the twentieth century. The Internet, a digital infrastructure that enables the free flow of knowledge and sharing of ideas to and from all corners of the world, has allowed mankind to achieve previously unheard-of levels of connectivity. Freethinkers all around the world now have a voice to articulate themselves to an unlimited audience. However, in addition to all of the opportunities that the Internet has brought to global culture, it has also led to a variety of causes that are creating turmoil across the globe, as humanity’s understanding of itself has been subtly changed. The use of the Internet by a growing swath of the world’s population is causing people to act in a fashion which tends to dehumanize them because of the anonymity and cocoon of safety which the communications giant offers. This is illustrated through the growing negative sentiments expressed by a larger portion of online society and the objectification and dehumanization of many aspects of our daily existence.

The Impact of Anonymity on Online Behavior

The problem we face is that, as Caroline Williams put it in a recent article, “we are biased, prejudiced and quite possibly a little bit racist” (26). What Williams refers to are human basic instinctual reactions rather than rationally thought out opinions. Williams goes on to state “We implicitly like, respect and trust people who are the most similar to us, and feel uncomfortable around everybody else” (26) which is exponentially exacerbated in the online community where it is easier to segregate ourselves into the “us” and “them” categories. However, with the advent of the Internet and the anonymity factor it provides, more people are emboldened to express thoughts and opinions which they would never think of expressing if they were face-to-face with another person. In this way, the Internet is fomenting an overwhelmingly aggressive and bold new interpersonal interaction that was not possible prior to this period in time.

The Internet’s Influence on Intimacy and Relationships

The Internet also provides many members of the online community with a cyber-replacement for interpersonal relations of many kinds. One of the more disturbing examples of this is the number of people who use the Internet for sexual satisfaction instead of seeking out a human companion to share this intimate experience with. Noted psychoanalyst Sherry Turkle recently stated “Technology proposes itself as the architect of our intimacies” (qtd. in Knafo 529) in her book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. This quote brings to the forefront the importance that technology, especially the Internet, is beginning to play in our daily lives. Additionally, the title of Turkle’s book is also a telling account of the changing attitudes of “normal” behaviors that are being influenced by technology, i.e. the Internet (Knafo 529).

The Internet’s Role in Fragmenting Society

Although the Internet is not the only factor influencing the chaos we observe in today’s society, a strong argument can be made for its overwhelmingly negative contribution to behaviors which are unique to the Internet environment. Technology is allowing separation from the outside world and human interaction more than any other factor in the last one hundred years. This separation is driving wedges between united segments of human society and causing selfish concerns to override the more pluralistic concerns of being a member of the global community. The “us” and “them” divide in today’s global culture created by the instantaneous communication of the Internet is growing and if something is not done to stem the tide, soon the communications giant will crush us all under its massive heel.

Works Cited

Knafo, Danielle. “Technology, Perversion, and Dehumanization: Response to Discussions of My Paper.” Psychoanalytic Dialogues, vol. 25, no. 4, 2015, pp. 524-531.

Williams, Caroline. ”You Are... An Asshole.” New Scientist, vol. 232, no. 3103, 2016, p. 26.