The Negative Effects of Humanity ’ s Greatest Creation
Gonzalo Fernández
The internet is arguably the most important invention of humanity , and along with it came social networking . This digital revolution has allowed us to communicate instantly , improve academic performance , and further express ourselves , but it also comes with its cons . While it has helped us progress technologically and has a lot of good aspects , the internet is still poisoning our society and its way of functioning properly , further preventing the utopia we so desperately desire .
There are a lot of things on the internet . Cooking recipes , comedy , scholarly articles , online shopping websites are all found on the web . But the internet has that sense of dualism , that yin and yang philosophy in which it has dark stuff too . There is pornography , fake news , cyberbullying , and violent videos for example . These negative aspects are what is preventing our society from advancing socially and poisoning the minds of future generations . Pornography is an adequate example . According to research from an online encyclopedia controlled by social scientists called Marripedia , pornography can have effects on the behavior , emotions , body , perception of reality , and lead to addictions . The encyclopedia states , “ Pornography significantly distorts attitudes and perceptions about the nature of sexual intercourse . Men who habitually look at pornography have a higher tolerance for abnormal sexual behaviors , sexual aggression , promiscuity , and even rape ” ( Marripedia ). And , ‘“ Pornography presents sexual access as relentless , “ a sporting event that amounts to innocent fun ” with inconsequential effects on emotions , perceptions , and health ”’ ( Marripedia ). Such effects damage our society in a way that our views can be altered and cause inappropriate behaviors and unhealthy habits , just from watching pornography . It ’ s quite scary that because of a small portion of the internet , millions of people are in an unhealthy state of mind concerning sexual intercourse , thus avoiding the progress we seek as a community . Maybe that ' s why objectification of women and sexual misconduct have been evermore growing problems recently . Furthermore , fake news and misinformation are also a huge danger that the internet provides to our society . A recent example of this is the endless tense political landscape of the United States . Because of President Donald Trump ’ s false rhetoric of ‘ fraudulent elections ’ on Twitter and networks such as Fox News playing along with it , millions of Americans actually believe that the election was stolen . Consequently , on January 6 of 2021 , Trumpist rioters stormed the Capitol building while in a session of formally certifying the election results due to Trump ’ s rhetoric and incitement of insurrection . False but powerful narratives on the internet like this have launched an assault on American democracy . If misinformation as unbelievable as that can cause an assault of that magnitude against the U . S . government , one has to realize the power the internet gives to fake news and if we are abusing our freedom of expression on the internet . It divides our society as a whole , and as Abraham Lincoln once said : “ A house divided against itself cannot stand ”. This is a very serious threat to the progress of our society , and the internet is making that threat more and more present .
In conclusion , we as a community have to analyze these side effects of the great technology we have . We have to take advantage of the internet but do our best to eliminate its flaws . But before that , we have to communicate this message . Raise awareness that the internet is not what we think it is before it ’ s too late .
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