The Power of the Internet
The internet has changed the way everything works in the modern world allowing people to obtain any kind of information within seconds of typing it in a web browser. It has become humanities reservoir for information and news. Despite having many positives, the internet has made people much more gullible and acceptance of information or news without any research or questioning. This has brought a trend of people creating fake or misguided advertisements, news stories, or even manhunts where many people fall into the mindset of “since many people believe it then it has to be true” which is one of the main problems when it comes to the internet.
Although these lies are usually harmless, there have been instances where people have been targeted by big internet forums for something that they did not do. The clearest example that I witnessed was when the tragedy of the Boston bombing occurred. People started to look for the culprit due to the images that the media had released of the possible suspect. When someone posted a picture of someone that looked similar to that of the video released by the media, the internet forum of reddit and 4chan went into full attack mode. People started to post personal information of the person that was thought to be the culprit and even sent death threats to his families. This put an incredible amount of stress on the person who was being targeted and drove him to commit suicide. The internet becomes a very dangerous tool when everyone feels that their actions have no repercussions because you don’t have to show your face or voice when you say something. This is one of the more severe instances where the crowd mentality and acceptance of false information has led to suffering.
In the case of the tragedy of the Boston Marathon Bombing, there was a single picture that was linked to a missing Brown student that was said to be one of the main suspects of the crime. There was only physical resemblance, but absolutely no evidence indicated that he was one of the criminals. After internet forums started to theorize that he was guilty, the media started to report on the "information" that was being posted online as fact and news. It even got to the point were people were saying that his name was heard in the police radio when there is no evidence of such. The picture was a screenshot of a video and showed a man in a white cap carrying a backpack.
On the lighter side there is the instance was when someone spread misinformation by posting a picture with her head shaved and a poster stating “I support Justin Bieber” “#BaldforBieber”. This immediately started to spread through news sources and other internet forums and people started to shave their heads in order to support Bieber’s cancer when in reality he was in perfect health. Thousands of pictures were posted of fans with shaved heads even of movie stars such as Matt Damon. It only takes a couple of people to get something to go viral especially if those people are able to spread that information to thousands of people like a media source or a YouTube sensation with thousands of subscribers.
In this cancer hoax, two users decided to shave their heads and hold a poster stating that they were shaving their heads to support bieber and his fight against cancer. Very quickly the pictures started to spread, and other people started to follow the trend in order to support bieber even though they had no idea if the information was true or not. They went with it just because two other people said it was true. The media even started to report on it as if it was fact and several movie stars also shaved their head in response to the misinformation that was being given.
This trend of believing anything that is posted on the internet will lead to no good and more circumstances were people will be hurt and will fear for their life. It is necessary for people to realize that anyone can post anything on the internet and everything should be questioned several times before it is accepted as a fact.
Fabian, great post! This is a subject that, although not talked about very much, is a huge trend in today's society. It can be seen everywhere, from Facebook and Twitter accounts, to newspapers, etc. It is very sad to know that we live in a world in which individuals are uneducated and ignorant enough to believe these stories without in-depth research about it. What really gets to me the most are those people that share articles on Facebook just because of the titles or headlines. Once you click in the articles it is easy to see that it is 100% fake!
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the Boston bombing, this certain trend played a huge role. These were many hoax that came up and that ignorant people were believing without actually researching. There were also theories of conspiracy which were then turned into pointing out certain object and parts of pictures. In reality, no one knew what exactly was going on other than the forces involved and the bombers themselves. These misleading news not only shifted the attention from the bombers to the government but also created a distrust and fearful atmosphere in the country.
Something that I would have added to your paper was a bit more emphasize on the good that the Justin Bieber hoax did. Sure, it was fake and ended up with people shaving their heads for no reason, but it also united individuals all over the country and even the world for one common cause. It is amazing to see this happening from a simple internet trend. An instance as such could be the Kony2012 campaign that took over the world back in 2012. This campaigned focused on the brutality and abuse going on in South Africa in regards to a commander of a terrorist group, Kony. Super stars, including Kevin Hart and Lebron James, united in this matter and asked their followers to become involved. It started a worldwide epidemic and the support only grew stronger by the minute. It was later on found that the whole thing was a hoax as Kony had passed away years prior to the video being released and South Africa citizens felt disrespected by the attention.
Fabian, you did a great job explaining your idea and really made a good point about how the internet can influence people so quickly. After reading it, I realized that I am guilty of the same thing, often believing the internet as soon as I find what it is I was looking for.
ReplyDeleteThe bombing example was a great picture as of the negative effects which this can have. You showed how beliefs spread quickly based solely on the internet, and the negative effect that it had on the individual through his death. This really struck home as to what the negative effects of the internet can be,
The Justin Bieber example was also good, as it showed the same idea but in a more positive light. I think you may have benefited from elaborating on this example a little more, as the positive and amusing aspect could have concluded the paper a bit better. Other than that, it seemed to be a very informed and well written paper.