It’s difficult to overestimate the evil and underlying immorality rampant in the world today. How is that for a grand, encompassing sentiment? What's with the proclivity to take the short-cut, to steal and otherwise acquire what one desires through illicit means?
Like many things, this tendency is magnified by the Internet. Just as our Narcissism and shallowness leap to the fore on various social networking sites, our human urge to sabotage, undermine, and steal is magnified by the stealth and convenience of the online world.
I’ve always felt that community and religion help keep those aspects in check—community because it’s easier to be exposed and humiliated for such behavior, and religion because of the ever-present punishment of the Great Inferno.
But the anonymity and scale offered by the Internet reduce the chances of being caught and religious belief isn’t as much of a deterrent to the tech-savvy for some reason. Thus, our sinister natures come to full flower in the constraint-free world of the Internet. It’s an infinite red light district of scams, boondoggles, con games, vandalism, voyeurism, and sex.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but when no controls are in place, it makes it much easier to run roughshod over positive social norms. It does make me wonder the degree to which our character is inherently malevolent and destructive. It would seem, when left to our own devices, a predominant choice would be mayhem.
Our evolved intelligence and cleverness only makes us more destructive per capita than any other beast. The Internet and how we use it does accentuate our essential beastly nature.
In other words, just be on the lookout whenever you log on.
Like many things, this tendency is magnified by the Internet. Just as our Narcissism and shallowness leap to the fore on various social networking sites, our human urge to sabotage, undermine, and steal is magnified by the stealth and convenience of the online world.
I’ve always felt that community and religion help keep those aspects in check—community because it’s easier to be exposed and humiliated for such behavior, and religion because of the ever-present punishment of the Great Inferno.
But the anonymity and scale offered by the Internet reduce the chances of being caught and religious belief isn’t as much of a deterrent to the tech-savvy for some reason. Thus, our sinister natures come to full flower in the constraint-free world of the Internet. It’s an infinite red light district of scams, boondoggles, con games, vandalism, voyeurism, and sex.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but when no controls are in place, it makes it much easier to run roughshod over positive social norms. It does make me wonder the degree to which our character is inherently malevolent and destructive. It would seem, when left to our own devices, a predominant choice would be mayhem.
Our evolved intelligence and cleverness only makes us more destructive per capita than any other beast. The Internet and how we use it does accentuate our essential beastly nature.
In other words, just be on the lookout whenever you log on.
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