A Social Dilemma

The internet is a double-edged sword. As much as it helpful to have the information of the world at your fingertips, the ability to meet anyone, and play games that can better your character and improve hand-eye coordination skills, the internet can also be a dangerous place. With access to the worldwide web comes with a Monkey Paw type dilemma. While on one hand, you gain access to wonderful information and games, you also gain access to misinformation, pornography, viruses, identity theft, scammers, and harassment.

As the internet has evolved, access available to the public has been widespread and seemingly infinite. The internet is as black and white as good or bad. The worldwide web is wonderful and horrific. But to stay away from the horrifying effects of the internet, one must learn what these effects are and how to traverse around their causes. The internet should stay publicly available, but people should understand that it must be used in moderation. One of the driving factors of internet maliciousness is pornography and its effect on teenagers and their ever growing minds. Pornography leads teenagers to believe that sexual intercourse is exactly as advertised in porn. It is anything but. It creates a false understanding of what intercourse is and how to perform and when it comes to performing the deed, the young adult is met with insecurities and unsureness of oneself which can lead to depression and anxiety. Not to mention the fact that continuously watching pornography develops fetishes and sexual desires that are extremely difficult to accomplish with a partner and often make the consumer insecure as they hate themselves for being attracted to such things. If pornography was less widespread, indoctrinating and easily accessible, then our nation’s youth and young adults would have an overall healthier mental state.

With the internet being accessible to everyone nowadays. It creates a need for a teaching of how to traverse the wide web. With scamming, immense misinformation, identity theft and harassment, schools should provide mandatory courses that teach youth, the dangerousness and importance of navigating the internet correctly. Schools need to have this implemented as it is a worldwide pandemic that our children are facing.

As mentioned earlier, the internet isn’t bad. It just has bad things and should be accessed in moderation. One of our nations most wonderful past-times comes from social media and the internet, gaming. Video games have improved millions of lives and are a wonderful past time that millions enjoy. Playing video games is an excellent exposure to harassment and how to deal with it. I know myself, I wouldn’t be able to deal with in person harassment as well as I can if I didn’t have that exposure from Call of Duty lobbies as a young teen. With this said, people should not harass others on the internet, but it also impossible to completely eliminate bullying from online sources. Part of the course that teaches the correct way to navigate the internet would implement teaching an understanding of how to deal with online harassment.

Featured image: “The Internet” by tipl is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0