What are we talking about today?
Walking down a beautiful road with clear blue sky overhead and summer breeze gently blowing on rich green trees, I found myself wondering in my head: is this even real?
What made you think that way?
As the internet becomes widely available in the world, more content is readily available to each person. Movies show us an alternate world that resembles so much to our physical world. Documentaries show us actual places that are somewhere on this earth. Video chatting allows us to stare at each other while talking in real-time. Sometimes even two people sitting right across from each other prefer to pay their attention to monitor screen instead of the person across from each other. With the internet, we no longer need the physical presence of other people in order to live in this world.
Why are we doing this?
The world is a lonely place (do we all agree?). Human beings are known to be socializing animals (this is scientifically proven, but I am too lazy to find an appropriate source. I apologize). We naturally feel a need to socialize with other people when we are alone. The Internet is now available to supply this need.
What is the result?
By substituting real human beings with virtual reality, we become more separated from real things.
Is this a good thing?
Perhaps, it is for some. Many people have different beliefs. Believing in what is real and what is not real has been a controversial topic, especially when it comes to religion. We read a fiction novel to imagine in our head what it is like to live in an alternative social scenario. Perhaps internet boosts empathy for some people who have difficulty seeing things from other people’s perspective.
Does it matter?
I don’t know. It will open a box to a whole lot of other questions. What is happiness? What is justice? What is real? These are subjective topics that are difficult to settle (I hope we agree on this).
What do I think about it?
I have been living in internet life for at least 10 years. My life has circulated around the function of my laptop. I lived in niches such as YouTube, Tumblr, Twitter, and NPR. I think I know the stuff that I know (like Syrian crisis) because I believe what the internet content says as true. It has widened my perspective on world history, world news, and specific interest areas such as health economics.
What should we do about this?
I think it is better not to dwell so much in the fear of losing a sense of reality by the internet. It is a powerful tool that is really useful. Of course, along with many other things, over-dependency is not a good thing. However, ignoring the internet at all also will not work so well, because there are many shortcuts one can take from information available online.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on the comments section below! 🙂
Ralph with Coffee 