Living your life according to the internet is probably a bad idea. And yet, how can we not live like that? 90% of news, conversation, and entertainment is given to us online. We completely depend on information that has been filtered through and changed by the internet community.
It's easy to see that the internet is both an amazing and terrifying place. It's a lifesaver for students, and is responsible for making education available in places where it usually wouldn't be. It gives artists an outlet, and social justice a platform. Social media gives us the opportunity to connect and make friends, and people are more informed because of free encyclopedias and various websites.
But, there are also awful things on the internet that we see every day. And not just things that bad people try to spread, but outright lies and twisted stories and photos. If you were exposed to the internet as your only information source you would think that a big chunk of the world thinks this way. But that's not true.
The internet is a strange petri dish of connected and distinct communities. It's full of information that can change your life for the better, and information that can give you nightmares. It's up to us to safely navigate this weirdness we find ourselves so dependent on. Fortunately, it is fairly easy to stay away from the nightmares, and most internet users have at least a basic idea of internet safety.
But before we get sucked in, remember that the internet is NOT REAL LIFE. There was life before the internet, and in a lot of ways, it was different. Better in some ways, worse in others. So remember to take a break from the interwebs sometimes. Real life is still out there waiting for you, all you need to do is log off.
