The Internet has changed a lot since the days when you had to go to the library to use it and it was referred to in instructional videos as “the information super highway.” But that doesn’t necessarily mean it has matured. In fact, one could argue that it has gotten even stupider, which is due in part to the ease with which any moron with a smartphone and opposable thumbs can endlessly shout their opinions into cyberspace.
You might have observed, as I have, that the Internet has become entirely oversaturated with opinions. You can’t browse for more than two minutes without stumbling across beliefs people are offering up completely unsolicited. I might be mistaken, but I don’t believe anyone asked you whether or not you think Obama is going to take your guns, Uncle Gary. And for future reference you might want to try turning off caps lock and proofreading next time. Assertions that our president is “A MUSLUM COMMIE CRIMINAL” aren’t especially compelling.
And it’s not limited to your uncle’s rants about gun control on Facebook or debates in IMDb’s comment section about whether or not the Star Wars prequels suck (they do). It includes “legitimate” websites that will publish basically anything if they think it will get them clicks. It doesn’t matter if the author is prejudiced, uninformed or a chimpanzee who has figured out keyboards. If the article is even remotely interesting or controversial (angry clicks are still clicks) someone will publish it, and not all websites have an especially rigorous editorial process.
Now, that is not to say that I think this is an entirely bad thing. As a person who likes to put their opinions on the Internet, I think free speech is pretty neat, and the Internet has made it easier than ever to exercise that. All I’m saying is that I could be a chimpanzee. You really have no way of knowing. So before you share an article or get your feathers all ruffled about some incendiary headline, just remember, it might be a chimpanzee. Perhaps that chimpanzee has some valuable insight about being a primate or living in the zoo, but if it’s trying to tell you the key to having a functional relationship in the age of “hookup culture,” or what have you, maybe you should reconsider before you take its advice.
Even if you look at primates of higher cognitive function, not everybody is an expert on everything because of course they’re not. Being smart doesn’t mean you can be an authority on just anything. Stephen Hawking would probably be a terrible fashion blogger. But not everyone is aware that they’re not an expert on everything, and neither is the Internet, so they are allowed to say these things, sometimes even for a sizable audience. And a lot of times we trust them, because why would a website publish something if it weren’t true, or at the very least, coherent? For clicks, people. They publish things for clicks, not to inform you or improve your life or make you really think. Obviously this is not the case for all sites, but for most, the number one priority is web traffic, and sometimes that means producing quantity over quality.
I do realize that I am very directly undermining myself by writing an opinion piece about the questionable validity of opinions on the Internet. Especially considering that I admitted that it’s perfectly possible that I am a chimpanzee. If that is the conclusion that you wish to draw about me, that’s fine because it means you’re trying to be a smarter consumer of opinions. A little bit of skepticism is healthy. Because chimps have learned sign language. It’s only a matter of time before they master typing as well.
