From my daughter's bedside: Glad and sad and mad

Most nights we read Dr. Seuss books to our daughter, they really are quite brilliant. Oh, the places you'll go is one of my favourite books and a must read at any age and one that can be reread as a reminder.

I spend quite a lot of time online but these days most of it is on Steem which is part of the reason I am likely so bullish on the future here. I figure if someone like me who is not a huge fan of the online world enjoys it, as the ecosystem grows, many others will learn to love it too.

What turns me off the online life is that the social dynamic and conventions that allow for good discussion is often replaced by amplified anger. The distance between people is always large from behind the screen which means there is very little charity or concession in the views of others and a great deal of personal attacks. Rarely would this behaviour happen if the same conversations were held over a coffee in a cafe.

The screen distance also supports various levels of anonymity and that tends to facilitate a whole host of other behaviours which wouldn't be exhibited if there was the consequence of close proximity. There are good sides to this but I find that too often it is used as an outlet for people's frustration at life and bitterness at the world.

I believe that the internet is creating disconnection and weaker relationships which is increasing rates of depression. This then cycles back into the digital world to further isolate participants and feed a spiralling down of social skill and emotional awareness and control. This process keeps doubling-down on itself exponentially, polarizing populations and decreasing the chance of resolution or solution to the many challenges we as a species face.

As automation develops, we will continuously and increasingly will have to face and question our individual relevance in this world and we can already see the beginnings of it through the many online screaming matches. Some believe that the ones who get the loudest and angriest are the victors and then call themselves passionate.

Never confuse anger for passion. One is born from love, the other fear.

Passion is eternally the problem solver looking to improve. Anger is a feeling of impotence and inadequacy, a fear of becoming irrelevant. Screaming to be heard, crying for attention. This is why I think there is so much anger online as those who are passionate are spending their energy performing what they must, not online screaming about what can, can't or should be done in their opinion. They are weaving a fabric, not pulling at threads.

The passionate raise questions though, they disagree and stand ground when they think they must but, there is no animosity in the act, no competition, no name calling. It is the angry who resort to personal attacks as they realise they are not going to get what they want unless they pull their adversary down.

What is interesting online is that even if people who do this feel they are victorious, what have they won? All they have managed to do is satisfy the demands of their ego, the attention seeker within. While the angry wins, the passionate learns and uses any new found perspective to develop and improve.

The angry are a tool, easy to learn, easy to use because what they crave is validation. This is why groups of angry people can be weaponized and pointed at a target by a controlling authority. They are the social tools of political agenda.

The internet and its engineered environments are the perfect breeding grounds for not only developing the tribe, but also introducing them to the enemy. All while people feel it is they who make their own choices. Every time we get angry at each other, they win. And they log the exchange for future leverage and manoeuvring.

But, we all think we are clever, smart enough not to be fooled and pulled by such obvious manipulations... While we scream at each other online, ridiculing, threatening, polarizing...

Irrelevant.

We keep getting angry and shouting at each other feeling like we are relevant while doing zero of consequence. Stooges played off against one another while those who have control of the puppet strings keep adding more to their collection, weaving them into the ropes that bind us.

Oh, the places you'll go? While sitting behind that screen screaming at strangers?

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
_{(posted from phone)}