Prince

This topic has probably been covered before and in better words, but I just got to thinking about the Internet, and what a major force it has been in my life for the past 12 years. And not just in mine, but in other people's lives as well... A very convenient communication tool and a resource of all sorts of information, yes, but what about the more subtle, less encouraging aspects of it?

I know this topic gets done to death in the media every once in a while, but the focus is never really on a personal level. Back when I first started getting online around '94, I used to go to the town library and download pictures of naked women, save them on my floppy and admire then at home, on my 256 colour monitor that made the pictures look all distorted. Now, I can get a full in-motion pussy on my screen in HD. Wonder of the times.

You can go to Wikipedia and type almost anything in, or to Google's image search, disable the filters and find any kind of sick shit imaginable. And really, nothing much surprises us anymore, does it? People are looking for bigger and better ways of getting their kicks, and the Internet caters well to that need/desire.

Nah, I won't go into what this effect perhaps is doing to us as a society, because it is far too easy to overlook the more personal aspect that way. But the nature of the Internet seems to be, despite its way of improving communication, desensitizing us to many things that we dislike and/or disapprove of. Perhaps knowing that any "sick" fantasy that we can think of, can be subtly catered to by being researched and discussed with others, people who will not only understand/tolerate your fetish or mere curiosity, but perhaps even welcome it.

After all, where were the "furries" and other modern sexual subcultures prior to the Internet? I'm sure they existed, but acting on your slightest whim or curiosity has never been easier. Nor more "okay".

The Internet's been a very heavy part of my early adulthood, spanning the entire decade that I've been in my 20's, for many reasons, most of which aren't that unhealthy. But the unhealthy effects are also there, and while I don't really pay much mind to them, it's easy to acknowledge that they are there. And unfortunately, I think most of the methods we use online to protect our young ones from the sick shit out there, aren't going to amount to a whole hell of a lot down the line.

I grew up growing chickens and playing with golden retrievers, living a very sheltered existence, and had a relatively happy childhood. More naive I could not have been, but the persistent human curiosity is all the fuel needed. To put it more melodramatically, the Internet isn't out to get you, it's spreading its thighs and letting you come to it.

The desensitizing factor is the remoteness. It's like TV, not really real. The friendships are real as long as they last, but when they do not last, it's a hell of a lot easier to move on than it would be had it all happened in 'real life'. The Internet allows the more socially inept of us to carry on facades that re-enforce on the unreal aspect of it all.

Isn't it really the most extreme manifestation of the First Amendment? Anything goes, just come and get it.

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tecoyah

Fascinating Manifesto......well done.

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abaya

Great piece, I agree with you on all points and have posted about this stuff myself, elsewhere. It's good to know that others feel the same about the Internet. Where it will take us, nobody knows...

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Sweetpea

interesting thoughts, thank you for sharing Prince.

If I may respond,
I think the internet, like all things in life... can be used for positive or negative. As with all things... It's up to the individual what they use it for and how they let it affect their lives.

For me, the extent of my use of the internet is playing online scrabble (quite a vice hehe) Tfp and searching for new kinds of music.
And I've met a lot of wonderful people through the internet, some of which are now people I deeply care about, who are involved in my daily life and who I also see and have a relationship with in real life.

As far as being able to move on from a friendship made over the internet more quickly than in real life, I don't really feel that way. The one friendship I had that disolved was equally hurtful had it been fully in real life. In fact, in real life, it might have been easier to avoid the person.

I think, for some people, they view the internet as a place of 'fantasy'... a place to be the person they Cannot be in their real lives for whatever reason... But I don't use it that way... i'm completely and totally myself, i don't seperate my interactions on here from real life and act any differently than I would if i were sitting across a table from you eating lunch.

I guess that's the difference of how I view the internet, at least how i use it ... it IS real life... connections you make on here can easily be carried into 'real life' and for me, they have been.

I'm not sure where you were going with this thread. but those are my two cents.
In short... if people want to use it to desensitize themselves and use it to search for things that they wouldn't in their real lives... that's their perogative... However... it can also be used to make connections and to help you grow as a person. It's all about how YOU wish and choose to use the instant power of connection.


sweetpea

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*Nikki*

Nicely put

Cynthetiq

As far as the items you metion oddities and sick things, I used to spend many hours sometimes days in libraries and museums for that very reason. Because in my youth that's where the information was stored. Now, I don't have to even take off my fuzzy slippers.

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