The Internet: Good, Bad or Ugly

Heads up, this is not a post about books or reading or writing, really, although I do reference these activities.

So, if you're reading this blog you've obviously got an internet connection. And if you have an internet connection, you've likely seen a bunch of crappy articles and blog posts about how Facebook is RUINING THE WORLD. The predicted apocalypse in 2012? Facebook. Is. To. Blame.

Freaking Facebook.

This discontent, though, isn't limited to Facebook. There are a lot of people out there who seem to really dislike the internet, and in particular social media. Twitter is ruining our communication skills! We're all going to die alone, tweeting something inane! This is a social crisis people!

Seriously, why would you use the internet? You can never tell who you're talking to on the internet! For all you know your favourite blogger (is it me? is it me? ;) is a creepy ninety-year-old man!

I have a feeling that people who say things like this, beyond being prejudiced against the ninety-year-old men of the world, are borderline luddites, who never really use technology. Yes, Facebook and other social media can be an amazing waste of time. And maybe, just maybe, without the internet I would have found more interesting and self-enriching things to do when I'm in need of procrastination time.

But, man, blaming the internet for kids getting abducted? Or for riots? Or for the emotional distancing of teens from their peers? Wow, guys, I feel like it's necessary to point out that the internet is a THING.

It's not really alive. Sure, we make it alive by writing stuff all over it, and posting information to each other and what not, but guys the internet doesn't have intent.

Saying that the internet is to blame for all of our social problems is akin to saying that a rubix cube is to blame for kids' hatred of maths. I mean, those things are hard to solve! They frustrate, rather than engage! They ruin maths for us for life!

Freaking rubix cubes.

I think it's important to remember that the internet doesn't actually do shit. The internet facilitates shit that people do. PEOPLE abduct other people, people organise race riots and terrifying crimes. They may use the internet to do these things, but I don't think the internet can be held responsible, even though so many seem to want us to put it on trial (c'mon, who hasn't blamed the internet for their procrastination habits on occasion?)

But it's important, when we get caught up in internet-hate, to remember that while the internet can facilitate the bad stuff, it can also facilitate the good. To use a very personal (and relevant, considering this is a writing blog) example, I am fairly sure that I would not be a very good writer without the internet. In fact, I am fairly sure that I would only have written one novel.

Guys, I learned to actually finish novels because of NaNoWriMo. I learned how to revise them because of Absolute Write. I found my critique partners and beta readers on the internet. It's not really uncommon. I think a lot of us writers would really be nowhere if the internet did not exist.

To give a less personal example, there are some really amazing communities on the internet. Like the community that one of my favourite authors, John Green, has built up around his books. Nerdfighteria
. The goal of this community is to decrease world suck. How so? By not forgetting to be awesome.

People do really amazing things for great causes as a result of this community. People also just develop their minds in general -- it's lovely. Not least, I discover some amazing things (also on the internet!) that inspire me by keeping a vague eye on this community. For instance, a few days ago I was watching one of John Green's vlogs and I discovered this really awesome song, by this really awesome girl:

And then I revised the rest of my book to that song.

Yes, there's a lot of bad, disturbing shit on the internet, but there's also a lot of really cool stuff. The internet isn't a good or bad thing in and of itself. It's what we use it for, what we make of it.

Kind of like everything else in life.