The Internet Sucks!

Okay, so maybe the title of this post is a little far-fetched. The internet is, in fact, an absolutely incredible thing. I would not function in the way I do today without the internet. But recently, I'm becoming more and more aware of how bad this space can be when in the wrong hands. And here's what has brought this on...

Did anybody else see the whole Liam Payne/Tyler Oakley saga on twitter last week? If you have no interest in pop culture or social media, I doubt you did. But put basically, Liam of One Direction tweeted a guy from Duck Dynasty who is infamously homophobic and other such adjectives. In this tweet, he praised the guy's 'family values' which, in any functioning brain, would give an implication of agreeing with his beliefs on homosexuality. Tyler Oakley picked up on this and despite being a fan of One Direction, called him out in a way that was neither rude nor disrespectful. And yet the backlash of him doing this was disastrous. Not only was he scrutinised by One Direction fans to the point of receiving death threats, but he was also called out by Liam himself indirectly, who claimed he was not a 'real/true' fan. And this, my friend, is a shining example of why the internet sucks.

In no circumstance should anybody EVER send death threats or messages that encourage suicide, or any form of self harm for that matter. But unfortunately, the internet has made doing this so very easy by giving everybody a sense of anonymity. You could say anything you want to whoever you want, no matter how cruel or immoral that comment may be. And unless you're in an extraordinary social position, 9.999 times out of 10, there will be no real repercussions for your actions. That's what I hate. I hate how easy it is to become a monster online.

Another example is Justin Bieber's fans. I'm not talking 'people who like his music'. I'm talking the die-hard Beliebers. The way they have been brainwashed to defend Justin regardless of how outrageous his actions are is honestly quite frightening. And all that has happened and is communicated over the internet. But thoughts on Mr Bieber and his whole surrounding area is  a whole other blog post for a different day.

But on a far more positive note, and back to the matter in hand, Tyler Oakley's repsonse to the whole affair has been nothing less than admirable. He took a break from the internet for a few days to allow all the hate to fly over his head, and turned the situation around to make a very positive video for his channel, stating loud and clear that he encouraged nobody to send hate on his behalf or their own. That positivity easily overbears hate. For this, I'm actually thankful for. This video restored my faith in the internet just a little bit.

So, long story short? The internet is awesome when people are nice. When people are hateful and misuse the anonymity, it's a ball of suck.

And that's how I see it. How about you?

(PS. I just hit 300 blog views which, by most standards, is absolutely not a big deal. But I'm grateful, and actually quite surprised, that anyone would take the time to read my thoughts. So thanks, 300 visitors, you made me smile.)