Journal Journal: The sadness of the Internet
I'm approaching 30 years of age and I've been a computer geek since I was about 10 years old when my pops bought me an Atari computer with MS-Basic. It wasn't until I was 16 or 17 when I was heavy into Bulletin Boards did I get my first taste of what the Internet might be like. It wasn't until my Sophomore year of College that I had my first real taste of the Internet. Then, a few years ago, after I had begun experimenting with a great new OS called Linux, did I encounter a new drug known as IRC. After 6 months of hanging out in the same channels and chatting on IRC with ALL of my spare time, did I realize a few things:
1. I had become addicted to IRC.
2. IRC had become a substitute for my real-life relationships. I had both friends and enemies on IRC... all of which were people that I had never met in real life.
3. I was taking people's opinions on IRC way too seriously... again from people that I had NEVER MET.
After being stripped of my AOP status in one of my favorite channels, I realized that I needed to quit IRC... COLD TURKEY... And quit I did.
As I began to recover from my addiction, I began to analyze my whole relationship with IRC. Through this introspective analysis, I came to realize several things:
1. The Internet is very impersonal.
2. Communication is very narrow when it comes to the written word. It is hard to get full comprehension of someone else's meaning from a primitive language such as english.
3. And finally, should I really care what someone else thinks about me and my opinions? Especially someone whom I've never actually met?
Well, I've conquered my addiction, but it is a common occurrence for me to see others on the internet that are suffering from what used to ail me. I think it is sad that others haven't realized the things I have realized about this medium.
In short, just because you don't agree with one or two opinions of others on the internet, doesn't warrant any amount of hatred. After all, how can one hate someone he or she has never actually met?
1. I had become addicted to IRC.
2. IRC had become a substitute for my real-life relationships. I had both friends and enemies on IRC... all of which were people that I had never met in real life.
3. I was taking people's opinions on IRC way too seriously... again from people that I had NEVER MET.
After being stripped of my AOP status in one of my favorite channels, I realized that I needed to quit IRC... COLD TURKEY... And quit I did.
As I began to recover from my addiction, I began to analyze my whole relationship with IRC. Through this introspective analysis, I came to realize several things:
1. The Internet is very impersonal.
2. Communication is very narrow when it comes to the written word. It is hard to get full comprehension of someone else's meaning from a primitive language such as english.
3. And finally, should I really care what someone else thinks about me and my opinions? Especially someone whom I've never actually met?
Well, I've conquered my addiction, but it is a common occurrence for me to see others on the internet that are suffering from what used to ail me. I think it is sad that others haven't realized the things I have realized about this medium.
In short, just because you don't agree with one or two opinions of others on the internet, doesn't warrant any amount of hatred. After all, how can one hate someone he or she has never actually met?
