Internet: Friend or Foe?

I have experienced both positive and negative effects in social media spaces on the internet. The internet has been a great place to connect with old friends and to keep in touch with current friends. There are many spaces where you can find support groups (Black women, domestic abuse, immigrants, poets) and where you can connect with people who share your experience and point of view.The internet can be a wonderful place of support when you are dealing with a specific issue or going through a rough time in your life. There have been times when  felt like I was the only one who thought a certain way, only to serf the web and find others who not only saw the same thing, but could expand my knowledge on the subject. Even the fact that you can search for dates, (no, I haven't done it), shows how the internet can bring people together-people that may have never met if not for the internet.

I have also stumbled into some sites that were offensive, hurtful and angering. Even as I did research for my bibliographies, I was often bombarded with racist rants from people who spurt the same ignorance..Blacks are violent, Blacks are lazy, Blacks are draining this country. ....blah, blah, blah.
Sometimes I respond to these rants, sometimes I don't. Sometimes, (if allowed), I report it as abuse, sometimes I don't. Either way I'm left to simmer deep inside and wonder why people are still so ignorant.

I don't think a lot of people are held accountable for what they do on the internet because many hide behind false identities or what they do is not known by others. People are a lot more aggressive when they are amongst strangers and only when they get exposed are they held accountable, otherwise, they can do and say pretty much what they want, because whose going to know them. Now, in social circles where you are known, people are extra careful of what they say because they will be held accountable, maybe even harsher than necessary.

My adolescence came way after the internet, so I'm not sure how it would have changed me socially if it had been around. I could see it being a positive experience: making new friends, connecting with St. Paul and North students, meeting new guys, and sharing music. I could also see it being trouble: arguing with peers for all to see, boyfriend stealers lurking about, fights stemming from online argument, embarrassing photos being posted. In any event, I'm glad it came when it did, though researching at the library was no fun!!