WARNING: The Internet is a Fake!

Or that may be what people want you to believe, anyway. I'm very curious as to where this belief came about. Here are a few beliefs that I believe are dead wrong.

- Information from the internet doesn't count as real information and the internet should rarely be used (or trusted) to gather accurate information.
- People you meet on the internet are not as real as people who you talk to face-to-face.
- Spending lots of time on the internet/computer is incredibly bad.

Let's tackle the first one.

Information from the internet should not be used or trusted

Why does the belief exist? It likely exists for the most obvious reason; anyone can post things on the internet. Right here in this blog I could say "2 plus 2 actually equals 7". This also comes from the second greatest website on earth; Wikipedia. Anyone can edit Wikipedia, so how do we know the information is true?

Think about it. First and foremost, the articles are monitored for accuracy. Articles, such as the article for George W. Bush, Religion, and Kittens, all controversial topics, will be locked from all but the most trusted members and corrected if biased/wrong information is contained within.

Use your head. By all means, there are a few times when an article contains an opinion, and this is where you must look out for words such as "Some believe", "I believe", and "Probably". Those are generally not caught immediately, but they are removed when they are. If something seems strange, double, even triple check with other sources.

Even a man I think to be very wise suggested that sitting on a computer browsing the internet does not actually help your reading and information-finding skills as much as going out to the library or skimming through an encyclopedia. Perhaps there is a mild truth to this, but I don't see how it's more convenient for me to do the latter, as opposed to popping open a browser and getting the answer. Maybe I'm just

All in all, here's a new concept for you; You can trust Wikipedia! Now let's move on to the next wide-spread belief.

People from the Internet are not Real People

Let's look at why does this belief is held by so many.

Paranoia! This leads back to your mother saying "Don't talk to strangers!". It's funny how in a world where people talk about how healthy it is to socialize and meet new people, it is nearly forbidden to talk to anyone on the internet other than a quick hello. If you tell them your gender, you've already stepped over the line and the FBI is on their way to xxDude208xx's house to expose him for the 40 year old man that he really is.

I say not. I've met a large majority of my Sandswept team over the internet, and I have met some amazing friends through various internet-related mediums. Even better, I've eventually ended up meeting them in person and finding out they're great people, people I would have gotten along with if I had met them elsewhere in my life.

Here's the funny part; everyone on the internet is another person like you! They probably think you're a flaming-bisexual-Nazi-pedo-drug-dealer as well. The internet is a medium for communication. Why do you answer your phone so willingly when at the same time most people cringe at the thought of someone they don't know contacting them via e-mail or IM? If they have your phone number, they can likely have your address as well. Maybe we should all be more afraid of unwanted phone calls?

Now imagine you're a teenager. What if there's a deep breathing middle-aged man on the other end of the telephone line, asking you if you're home alone? My goodness, you would likely hang up. If you're one of those people who don't really believe in prank calls, you might even call the police. The only different with the internet is that it's easier to fake who you are. If chats get uncomfortable, you'd best 'hang up' with the same sense in which you would end a phone call. Every single person I have come across and bothered to get to know past a simple "Hello, who are you?" have all turned out to be who they said they were. Clearly the media (and police, which I do understand is a measure of safety) likes to blow things out of proportion in order to say "Do not trust anyone on the internet."

By all means, don't go giving out your incredibly personal information (full name/address/phone number/school), but the next time I get an odd glance from someone when I mentioned I went to lunch with "a guy from the internet", don't act so surprised.

In fact, let's look at the taboo of internet dating. You might be shocked to realize that you know more about how a person feels and thinks by talking to them on the internet, than you do in person. You first know them on a 'talking' basis, not a 'I saw a cute girl across the hallway' basis. Perhaps you really find the incredibly compatible, not just good looking people, on the internet?

Aside from all that; for those who do fake who they are, shame on them, but most people do not go about acting like someone they're not. The phobia needs to stop, as the internet is a MASSIVE part of our modern life and, wars/economy permitting, will continue to be, increasingly so, for many decades to come.

And mark my words; I'm not faking. This is what I think.


Spending too much time on the Internet/Computer is Bad

Aside from the aspect of exercise (I do hope everyone who has a desk job routinely gets sufficient exercise), why is sitting on a computer, browsing the internet, or playing games such a bad thing in the eyes of so many?

Perhaps it's the idea that is just now changing in the past decade; You have to be active to be doing something productive.

Perhaps it's the philosophy that staring at a TV screen turns your brain to goo, and since it's a screen, obviously it's equivalent to vegging out while watching Star Trek re-runs.

Whatever it may be, this could not be farther from the truth. Firstly, I was raised on computers and the internet. Look at this trash I write. I must have learned it somewhere. School? Hardly. If I hadn't played all the games and seen all the websites busting from the seams with information (Oh hah hah, no pornography jokes here, please), I don't believe I'd be carrying the same brain I do now. Is that a bad thing?

If you talk to most people who know me, relatives and other acquaintances, I've turned out pretty darn well. I've never made any incredibly threatening or stupid life decisions to this day, I'm articulate, and I'm in the process of starting my own business with the potential of making more than most make in a year... All by the time I'm 19 years old.

I sure hope the internet and computers are to blame.

There are numerous studies that show video games and internet browsing increase children's ability to read, write, and react. This is a bit debatable, but I know that I've seen definite differences in children who's parents let them play video games, to parents who don't. Let's just say there's a difference from activity level to the ability to think both outwardly and inwardly. Perhaps I'd go so far as to say some children that aren't exposed to such stimulus are very boring in the way they think, talk, and imagine things?

I agree that all children should get exercise, walk in the woods, take hikes, ride bikes, and run around playing tag. This doesn't mean we should have a fear of computers, computer usage, or the internet. By all means, we should make these places as safe as possible, but an outright fear or 'ban' on these things does not allow people to grow with their society. As a game developer, I have a strong opinion about children playing video games. Holding back a child from playing video games or using the internet in this day and age, something I recently read a large majority of children do, is equivalent, in my eyes, to withholding a child from reading fantasy books, writing imaginary stories, and playing with other children on the playground. Yes, there are parents who do that too. Scary, right?

Another link you may want to check out; 8 myths about Video Games

As a society, I believe we need to shake off this fear of technology and begin to embrace it for what it is. How hilarious do you think it would be if people were afraid of some of the most common household items in existence today; the first telephones or first cars?

...


... Oh... They were?