Has Internet become a Medium of useful knowledge or more of a medium exploited for stupidity ?

[ROCKMAN X]

I personally think that Social networks are kinda waste of time because i have more work to do my in real life than to checking,poking,tweeting,commenting,taking posting silly photos or just wasting time around.

Internet is really informative and provides me with extensive details&news about stuff i'd normally have to go looking for or simply would be impossible to find and the same time i see the same medium being exploited for such silly dare i say childish purposes in such large scale which begs the question

What Internet has really become today ? a chimera of some sort ? because back in my day we used to simply discard silly thoughts and ideas and now internet is like a giant platform for dumping those silly thoughts&ideas.

 

[aoshi]

I would most gladly look at pictures of members than read through a wall of text on the internet.

But we do get what we need of the internet. If we want text book material or links, we do.If people want to have fun sharing pictures, I am fine with it. We can take what we want and ignore what we don't want.

 

[sylvanas]

The internet has both it's pros and cons. It's been a vast source of knowledge. Social Networking isn't a complete waste of time. It's a way to reconnect with your old friends and it's a chance to actually involve urself and their lives and gain valuable insight. However, addiction is another thing. Many people tend to overuse sites to tweet, comment, or take a picture of the most idiotic of things. These type of people do exist in the world, so we can't help it.

 

[ROCKMAN X]

Social Networking isn't a complete waste of time. It's a way to reconnect with your old friends and it's a chance to actually involve urself and their lives and gain valuable insight.

Yes it does help you to get in touch with old friends for sure.. but that's about it using it daily is just a waste of time IMO i'd rather update my profile and stuff monthly because in real life i don't think every bit of daily though needs to go online like :-

"MY boyfrind problems No105" "Oh MAH GAWD today was overtime in my office and guess what ? The clients were bitchy as hell" yada yada its just bullcrap,insignificant people should keep this to themselves IMO

Most of my "Good" high school friends rarely update their Facebook and most of my "Bad" friends are doing the same crap they were doing when they were in high school.

And i just don't understand the craze of pictures..... i means its like a 5 yr old just taking snaps every 2 seconds and posting it online..photos are meant to treasure something meaningful or memorable.

However, addiction is another thing. Many people tend to overuse sites to tweet, comment, or take a picture of the most idiotic of things. These type of people do exist in the world, so we can't help it.

IDK I just don't get why people take their time for doing something so unproductive that's all.

the only social networking site which really is productive IMO is LinkedIn.

 

[ROCKMAN X]

I would most gladly look at pictures of members than read through a wall of text on the internet.

Yeah i used to think the same when i was in kindergarten Picture books FTW ! and then i realized that there are some awesome stories to be read in form of novels.

 

[Jak]

the internet is useful for people who can't really get out much
examples:
*i don't like doing anything hand written (don't know how william did it). either if it's for work, play, or school.
*information is rapidly changing. i do find myself enjoying the pleasures of reading a book weather its informational, or a comic or even porn, but if i don't feel up to it, i'll just use the internet
*social networking is useful for me (this is me speaking for me and anyone else who does so as well) because i work from home. and i have to meet deadlines. so i can't really hang out with friends alot. so social media is like a gift from god to me.

do i believe that these graces are exploited to the defective meatsacks that take up precious air? of course. but they'd do the same in "the real world" as well.

 

[aoshi]

Yeah i used to think the same when i was in kindergarten Picture books FTW ! and then i realized that there are some awesome stories to be read in form of novels.

This is the kind of BS that needs to stay away from internet. You're obviously dumping your hate on social networking sites.

If you hate images or visual medium, why are you on a video-game forum that solely is about visual medium with anything and everything is about images? Why don't you go to a novel forum and dump your hate on "images" there?

Devs behind video games constantly work on concept-arts, character models, take inspiration from mythologies, Yeah, they are for kindergarten....Meh.

 

[Loopy]

I'd have to go with both. Sure, there's some dumb stuff on the internet, and some preverted stuff too, but there's also good and useful information; and the internet is a way to exchange ideas and knowledge with people from all over the world. So, for me, the good things on the internet outweigh the bad. ^_^

The internet is what you make it. If you want to read asinine tweets and facebook updates, then do that, but don't complain afterwards. Use the internet for whatever you want, and let other do the same....unless of course you're using it to send dodgy images or for criminal activity.>_<

 

[sylvanas]

Yes it does help you to get in touch with old friends for sure.. but that's about it using it daily is just a waste of time IMO i'd rather update my profile and stuff monthly because in real life i don't think every bit of daily though needs to go online like :-

"MY boyfrind problems No105" "Oh MAH GAWD today was overtime in my office and guess what ? The clients were bitchy as hell" yada yada its just bullcrap,insignificant people should keep this to themselves IMO

Most of my "Good" high school friends rarely update their Facebook and most of my "Bad" friends are doing the same crap they were doing when they were in high school.

And i just don't understand the craze of pictures..... i means its like a 5 yr old just taking snaps every 2 seconds and posting it online..photos are meant to treasure something meaningful or memorable.IDK I just don't get why people take their time for doing something so unproductive that's all.

the only social networking site which really is productive IMO is LinkedIn.

Now that's something u can't help. U will always find people like that who snap pictures of the lamest of things and people who always update their statuses of everyday life. The best alternative is to ignore them. If u don't like social networking, then stay out of it.

The internet is what you make it. If you want to read asinine tweets and facebook updates, then do that, but don't complain afterwards. Use the internet for whatever you want, and let other do the same....

True. The internet is definitely what u make of it.

 

[Meg]

The Internet is like every form of media in that it can be used to inform, persuade, or entertain us. I can look up articles on databases that will help with research, but I can also watch funny videos on YouTube.

You can read a history book or an action orientated comic book/manga. You could listen to Mozart (which has been proven to have mental health benefits) or you could listen to Lady Gaga. You could play a complex puzzle game that makes you think, or a mindless shooter.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

The Internet is no different. And honestly, no one is forcing anyone to spend all day on Facebook. You don't want to do it? Then don't. You don't want to look at people's updates? Then don't. But it is still a form of entertainment that many people enjoy. There's nothing wrong with that. Plus, social media has many practical implications as well. It's a great PR tool. You can stay in touch with people who live far way. And so on.

 

[aoshi]

I will jus say one thing.

"Necessity is the mother of inventions".

Some of people really do need these networking sites to stay in touch. People who live away from thier families and get to see them(in person) once a year or so can use these sites,stay connected and feel as if they weren't miles apart.

 

[LysseC]

As any instrument in life, internet can be used well or poorly.
As a source of information, well, internet is like a miracle gifted upon us. I can find things on the net I would never be able to find so quickly, or ever, without it, both for my work and for my hobbies. Moreover, social networks helped me getting in touch with people who share similar interests to my own, people whom I could've never met otherwise.
As for photos and meaningless posts on FB or Twitter, I understand your disappointment. There are people who use social networks to appear more interesting than they are. However, sharing photos of an event to which many people and friends took part together, like a holiday with friends, or a birthday party, can be interesting because it was a moment shared by many people.

 

[ROCKMAN X]

If you hate images or visual medium, why are you on a video-game forum that solely is about visual medium with anything and everything is about images? Why don't you go to a novel forum and dump your hate on "images" there?.

Missed my point by a tangent, do you really think i implied that i hate photos or visual medium ?

Too many have gotten lazy, so lazy they use text abbreviations for nearly every word thought up instead of spelling it out.
Stupid tweets about things nobody cares about & yet they have a million followers.

I think the world wide web is both good & bad

Yes exactly and that's what made me wonder if internet is being exploited more for unproductive stuff.

 

[darkslayer13]

the internet is all things. granted it is mostly porn of all things and most of what is left is pictures of cats but that little bit of space that isn't taken up by those two things contains everything you could possibly want or need (except whatever manga i want to read at the moment ) the point is if you are looking for something useful it is there and if you are looking for some thing pointless then it is there ( and people do need to do pointless things, if you only do what you have to than there isn't really a point to it)

when it comes to social networking it is an extension of the person using it; idiots will produce idiocy, intelligent people will also mostly produce idiocy but occasionally will do something intelligent. people will use it to keep in touch with friends, to record important moments in their life or to just broadcast their life to a world that doesn't actually care. all of those actions have their own purpose and are valuable in their own way.

 

[Vergil'sBitch]

Grumpy Cat...
Sorry, I love Grumpy Cat (and according to some surveys, watching videos of cats can make people more productive...)
I like to think that my facebook page is a mixture of humor, seriousness and general VeeBee~ness.

There are gems in amongst the cr*p, but you have to look, but that's the net.

 

[MephistoCarnival]

It's a tie.
Internet has a huge potential and power of expression.Internet can gather people together,can sign petitions for a cause,spread news,teach people how to communicate with different people,how to open your mind to new social matters and so on.
For example,I've been on Tumblr for a long time.There are people who fight for different causes like social justice and against sexism,homophobia,racism and such.There are actually interesting articles and world wide problems to take in consideration.And Internet is a way of spreading a message be it negative or positive.To wake people up,in some cases.
I know that since I made an account I've been more interested in such aspects.And It's a good thing.
Internet can teach many things,it's a way of gathering information. And of course a way of entertainment as well.
Something to make you happy you know: like meeting people with the same interests as you,who like what you like and so on.

But it also can be a bad influence.Mostly because people abuse and use it wrong in some cases.Like Facebook.Originally,facebook was just something for people to talk with friends,to say something about themselves etc.
But no,now it just became a luxury.You're more important if you have over 100 likes at one picture and so on.Also,people abuse it because they spread to much hate towards something or someone,which can offend others.
Or just for useless babbling.Staying 24/7 on a socializing site etc.

Also a place for manipulation or just a form of online agressiveness.Through advetisements for example.Or fake so called 'prizes' or seeing sexual content without your consent.

It can be both good and bad,but it's good when you know when and how to use it.

 

[DanteStyle]

I'm neutral.
I use social networking to keep in touch with family and friends who are not in the same country as I am, also to promote my services and stay up to date with people I work with and volunteer groups I'm part of.
And then I come here quite often, sometimes it's for the love of the game, sometimes it's for the people, because c'mon, there's a lovely bunch of people on this forum.
The rest of the internet I only use for research purposes or to find like-minded individuals to have a random chat with.

And then there's the bad side of social networking eg. deviantart, youtube, etc.

 

[Vergil'sBitch]

And then there's the bad side of social networking eg. deviantart, youtube, etc.

*cough* >.> Some people on there need banning from computers, not sites *hints at recent problems*.

 

[V]

It's both, and more.

You can't ever have everything, especially when it comes to humans. Create something new like the internet and as soon as it catches on it'll be used as much for frivolous or sinister things as it will for useful things.

I'm not so much bothered by being forced to look at people's dinner, or their children photographs on Facebook as I am by governments desperately trying to control everything. For a wonderful 10 years the internet was quite "free", but not any more. Now you can be arrested for saying something out of context on Facebook, making a terrorist joke on Twitter, etc., now prospective employers try to look you up on Facebook to see what you are 'really like', (aka snoop) and companies get to legitimately steal the photos of people who use their services... and soon they'll be trying to find ways to filter what you can see or what gets to be allowed on the internet or tiering access, if they are not doing this as we type. The very thought that people can be anonymous, can find unvetted information on the internet, that child might see a piece of porn, or can publish any opinion or material they like must scare governments and certain other people sh*tless.

But I don't recall the internet at any point being some bastion of the significant as opposed to the insignificant. The very first web page I looked at when I first ever used the internet - Catlord's Tekken site in 1998. And it was filled with all kinds of random crap back then as much as not. It's always been filled with it, but what was important was that nobody was telling you what you should or shouldn't see on it back then. The randomness and potential uselessness of what people do on the internet is part of what "freedom" is (and I'd much rather have that than the vision of it being suggested by those in power)

What makes people so addicted to social networking is a good question. I have no idea because Facebook bores me to death. I only remain there in the hope I can promote my business on it, and to use the chat function to speak to my significant other during their lunch break at work because sadly no other sites like Skype function there. I think the novelty of Facebook wore off within weeks of me joining it, and Twitter even faster than that. Unless I was a celebrity or some person of note, why does anyone care what I had for lunch or about my kids or about whatever? And they usually don't. Maybe I don't have as close knit family or friends as some people but I do know people on there obsessed with documenting just about everything on there. And it turns out they are the people with a lot of money to show off or people with nothing else to do. And they don't seem to care that Facebook could take those pictures or that it's still set to quite public. If I had to guess besides it being a convenient way to communicate these days (though my family still can't be bothered to send me a 5-second FB message or email, lol) that there's some kind of chemical reward in the brain every time someone gets a 'like' or a 'message' on there from a post. Logging in to see if anyone's "said anything". Maybe our modern lives are just this dull or I am not getting it at all.

Or maybe it is people just plain showing off.

I have never been into showing off, I even find it a little difficult showing pictures of my artwork because I figure "who will even want to see this or want to buy it anyway?" in the back of my mind, but so many people now seem to have no problem whatever with showing off what they have just done all day on social media, so... it is probably just "me" and a few others who think it's kind of lame. Most people seem to think it is great.

 

[ROCKMAN X]

*cough* >.> Some people on there need banning from computers, not sites *hints at recent problems*.

I'm afraid to say that i have seen people way worse than then those,people who ponder everyday and write blogs on how the world isn't their ideal communist racist utopian land.

At least i can simply shrug off kids/teens/idiots on youtube/deviantart for the idiotic and immature twats they are,they don't even come close those other KKK wannabees and other extreme leftists who openly practice racism&hate speech on the false pretext of "Freedom of speech".

Seriously i personally don't think there is any justification for hate speech whatsoever and people who do indulge in organized racism online should be banned from using internet.