Behind the screen

     When I was younger, the internet was a smaller place. Everyone connected through AOL, and you had to set up a time so that you could have a chat with friends. It was a simpler time....

     Now, every single time I go on facebook, I can log into their chat service and check if anyone's online to talk to. Interestingly enough, that means I chat less often that I did when I was 11. In many ways, I feel that I've deviated from my peers when it comes to remaining connected online. My phone is not smart. The high tech gadget I wanted for Christmas was a Kindle. Tablets seem like fun, but I'm not pining after one. Hell, my laptop screen broke, and instead of asking for a new laptop, I've connected Hector to an external monitor we had a home (although how I'm getting it back to campus has not yet been discussed). I stay connected via text, but even then, my circle of friends is limited to those people I see in person everyday, every couple of weeks, or those who are blood-related to me. I've removed people from by facebook newsfeed, but I've yet to sever my facebook friendship with them because I think that's very dramatic. And my online reserve has a source that I've just been thinking about.
    You see, I think too much connectedness online is ruining the real bonds we can develop with people. Every time I see a Cisco commercial that talks about the human connection, I cannot help but roll my eyes. Humans can connect online. There is not doubt about that. I can join any variety of communities online, from facebook groups to tech forums to RPG communities. People can build genuine connections online, I've no doubt of that, but I worry about how younger people, people who are suckling at the teat of social networks long before they need to, treat one another.
     I'm about to get personal, so look away if it makes your eyes burn, but I've browsed through tumblr pages and seen what people have written to one another. On that website, I've discovered hilarious GIFs, but I've also seen the very darkest side of the internet. Anonymous comments that simply read "Why don't you kill yourself already?" and "The world would be a better place without you." I've seen anonymous comments calling people sluts, whores, useless, worthless, ugly, and other vile things that I don't want to share. When you've seen that written on anyone's page, I would like to think any sane person would be revolted. Now imagine having that written about a relative of yours or a dear friend. I can tell you from personal experience that it's upsetting. Because who do you turn to when that happens? You can write a comment defending that person, which is honestly more likely to result in you being called worthless as well. You can try to report a user to tumblr, which is not as simple as it should be in my opinion (they ought to take a note from youtube which immediately removes comments that users flag as inappropriate), but that doesn't change the fact that out there, behind some screen somewhere, is a living, breathing person who sat down and typed out "I hope you kill yourself" and sent that message to another person. This is what disturbs me. This silent bullying that is seen by the user, and then maybe promptly deleted. Because that message, once seen, cannot be unseen. I'm glad my internet, the one I grew up with, was a safe one for me. I chatted with friends on AIM Fridays at 7. There's was no blogging site like tumblr onto which I stumbled. No one ever sent me a message telling me I was worthless. No one ever threatened me online. No one ever went out of their way to share how much they hated my existence. I don't know what has happened that anyone thinks this is acceptable behavior today. I really don't know, and that scares me.
     I was going to look up some facts and figures and try to work them into this post, but I think the most important fact I can end this post with is this: Behind every screen is a living breathing person. Technology may be changing how we interact, but it is never an excuse to be hateful. It is never an excuse to hide behind anonymity and try to deliberately hurt someone else.