The Digital Age: the Good and the Bad
The digital age is the era of exploration. In a way, the internet has both divided and united us. The internet was basically a project invented by a network of multiple scientists and engineers to connect computers without verbal communication. Now, it is the information superhighway that carries most, if not all, of the data of almost all things. There is a modern saying that it only takes a simple Google search will reveal what exactly you are looking for. Thanks to the internet, we now also have social media as well.
Social media plays a big part in the daily lives of average blokes nowadays. Because of social media, most feel empowered to say and do the stuff they want. There are a lot of ways social media has helped us connect with other people. Because of websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, many people have online jobs. Millions of revenue-generating enterprises are now extremely reliant on these websites to maintain their business.
There is a darker side to this, however. Because of social media, the digital age is also experiencing an age of misinformation. The unfortunate truth is that because everyone is given the freedom to post whatever they want to, even things not fact-checked or are just pure opinions are given ground to operate. Thousands, if not millions, are swayed into a method of thinking that goes against societal norms.
We are living in one of the most dangerous times ever. The digital age has, in a way, led us into a path of possibilities both good and bad. There are the paths that lie ahead of us in an age where both information and misinformation are kings. The world will still spin madly on despite these factoids. Many people will continue the internet despite the different positions and agendas everyone participating inside is pushing every day.
What are the positive takeaways we can get from the digital age, despite its biggest flaws?
Key Takeaways from the Digital Age
Creativity
Creativity is one of the biggest takeaways we can get from the digital age despite how it is currently. The internet has become a treasure trove of creativity. You can dig up early 21st-century forums, and you will find multiple pages dedicated to artistic creations. Some of these forums eventually got so big that they migrated out of their original pages to become solo forum pages. Millions of artists love exhibiting their artworks and their artistic processes on their pages.
A lot of content creators can get creative when it comes to their online videos. Even mundane activities get new twists when uploaded online. Builders of PCs, short film aficionados, ordinary pianists, and science geeks have an outlet where they can share their thoughts, talents, builds, and other cool stuff through the many avenues on the internet. Thanks to YouTube, Vimeo, DeviantArt, Instagram, and other social media websites, we all get to share our talents and capabilities even with strangers.
Knowledge
Through the internet, we get to accumulate all the shared knowledge with people from around the world. With multiple websites catering as the repository of knowledge, such as Wikipedia, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar, we get to access most of the information previously obscured by the distance between countries and the differences in cultures. Through this knowledge sharing, we get to clear out our biases and bring down the divide which separates our species.
While there is also the danger that the Internet divides us from each other, its primary goal is to have a shared archive of all the good things about humanity. Thanks to the Internet, we also have a shared record of what peoples, cultures, and nations have done in the past, horrific as they are so that we can learn from our past mistakes.
Connection
Lastly, we go way back to the original purpose of the internet. The internet is ultimately a way to connect people across long distances. Similar to how cellular phones were invented, the internet was originally made to transmit information between two computers. Now, even someone with a smartphone can communicate with a loved one from another country, even if he or she is in an opposite time zone.
Connection, as a principle, became even more important when the world shut down because of COVID-19. As the government of various countries shut down their borders and restricted citizens inside their homes, it was only through the internet that people had the chance to continue the work that they do. It is also through the internet that normal life was allowed to continue.
The internet is both a blessing and a curse. It is up to us to utilize it in whatever way we want whether for the better or worse. It is a great reflection of the movement and flow of the collective soul of humanity. Hopefully, it portrays a great picture.
