Jacob LaFlamme

Professor Emerson

November 10,  2017

English 110-C

 

The uses and disadvantages of the internet as a tool for creating meaning or pursuing purpose

 

Thesis:  Danger and opportunity.  Two words that seem to be at odds with each other, yet, in the case of the internet, the words represent the ever-present opinions and possibilities of what the internet can offer.  Although the internet has created multiple opportunities for information sharing that have led to discoveries and understanding in all aspects of society from science to culture, the disadvantages can also create chaos regarding hateful rhetoric, misinformation and addictive-like behavior in the user. Through it all though, I believe that the internet can create more opportunities as a tool for meaning and purpose than the shortcomings that accompanies it on the same platform. The prospects for every person is not only boundless when they have the opportunity to be connected and exposed to new information, but the internet also can level the playing field when it comes to education and power.

• How to use the internet uses the internet, (the unique ability to link, track, search and quantify archives for the purposes of conversation which can lead to bandwagonesque decision making.)
• Multiple opportunities for information sharing and the tools their advantages and disadvantages regarding using the tools for hateful rhetoric misinformation and addictive like behavior
• Accuracy of the data and source of the information being circulated on the internet.
• The possibilities to level the playing field the tools of the internet to increase education and awareness and the balance of influence.

Conclusion.

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Topic Sentence 1.  How the internet is used.  The unique ability to link, track, search and quantify archives for the purposes of conversation and where does it lead.

 

In his social experiment, the journalist, Bill Wasik sought to comment on the “scenesterism” of urban hipsters by creating what he called the MOB project.  His thought experiment is detailed in his Haper’s Magazine 2006 article “My Crowd, or Phase 5: A report from the inventor of the flash mob,” Harper editor Bill Wasik revealed that he created the first flash mob in May 2003.  Wasik describes his hypothesis behind the project was to see, “how all culture in New York was demonstrably commingled with scenesterism, the appeal of concerts and plays and readings and gallery shows deriving less from the work itself than from the social opportunities the work might engender,” (58) His idea seemed up front to look to define how fast a fad would take hold and then fizzle out, but it also provided insight that digital media provides the tools for creativity and togetherness and new forms of expression, but it also enables the multitudes on a scale that might have been previously know, (for example marches in Selma or on Washington D.C. for civil rights justice in the late 1960’s) but with digital media tools, people can come together faster and with less time to consider the purpose and goal and more direction (and possibly misdirection) than before.    Wasik clearly understands that his ‘flash mob’ as it became termed was more about being there than why are we here?, when he writes, “The mob was all about the herd instinct, I reasoned, about the desire not to be left out of the latest fad; logically, then, it should grow as quickly as possible and then-this seemed obvious-buckle under the weight of its own popularity.” (Page XX)

 

Point two. Multiple opportunities using the tools of the internet can lead to positive information sharing and the tools to advantage of society as well as the disadvantages can lead to hateful rhetoric misinformation and addictive like behavior

 

The internet is full of useful tools designed to both capture your attention in a most unforgiving way as well as achieve an online experience that allows you to learn, grow and be more than you could have in a non-digital world. Michael Schulson, a freelance writer and editor at Religion Dispatches magazine, who produces The Cubit, a section covering science, religion, technology, and ethics discusses the irony of the brilliant minds that create digital tools solely designed for compulsion in his essay, User Behaviour.  Schulson asks the question, “Should the net be regulated like drugs or casinos?” (page 1) While I disagree that the internet should be regulated in any form, it is clear that the internet has created tools solely for the purpose getting sucked into a compulsive behavior.   With more information and understanding regarding the workings of the internet, it is important to find a way to discover how the tools of the internet can enhance not just the experience of one person but the experiences and potentially lives of many.  Shulson identifies that software companies have, “staked their futures on methods to cultivate habits in users, in order to win as much of that attention as possible. Successful companies build specialised teams and collect reams of personalised data, all intended to hook users on their products.” His research into the idea of willpower and self-control brought him face to face with  Tristan Harris, an ethical design proponent who works at Google speaking outside of his role at Google, Harris shared that, “Much as a user might need to exercise willpower, responsibility and self-control, and that’s great, we also have to acknowledge the other side of the street,” continuing that, major tech companies, “have 100 of the smartest statisticians and computer scientists, who went to top schools, whose job it is to break your willpower.” At the same time these smartest statisticians and computer scientists can help users to exercise control over the internet. Schulson identifies several productivity tools that allow users to track and share their online behavior to reduce distraction, cultivate better user habits and provide a more reliable source for information.

 

Point three.  How can tools be used to ensure the accuracy of the data and source of the information.

In addition to the habits of the digital media user, it is critically important to recognize the accuracy of the data and source of the information.  As we are painfully aware, Facebook and Twitter, two of the biggest media outlets for digital material was disseminating misinformation throughout the 2016 election process in the United States.  One purposeful intent seems to have been to add to the mob mentality of the internet (SOURCE).  Information disseminated was not proved or sourced and clearly identified how easily digital media can create whole swaths of judgements from misinformation. In his own words, Wasik describes the chain email of the Mob Project to gather, “explicable mobs of people in Manhattan for ten minutes or less.” While he also indicates that this was born out of the psychology of boredom and distraction he also identifies to the user that each connection that he had he wanted to make sure that it came from his original source a known connection if you will. This did not translate and instead the mobs could have been potentially disturbing in nature at best and dangerous at worse. These same tools however have since been used to gather peaceful protests, identify unjust situations, and more.

 

Point four. The possibilities to level the playing field with the tools of the internet to increase education and awareness and the balance of influence.

 

Conclusion.