Contributing to the Internet
I guess the most obvious question about being a part of the internet is ‘Why?’ Some people may always be observers but not participants, using their access to read, view and download but never actually putting things out there for others to read, view and download.
Others spend their time playing online games – sometimes for money, which involves participation but rarely contributing to the morass of data that is the web. Yet if everybody felt this way, there would be no internet.
The web can be a safety valve, not just for us personally but for society. Increasingly in our lives we are more and more removed from having any say in what happens or what is done to us. In most places we get to vote, but the purported ‘opposition’ parties are more like clones of each other who have divided the rhetoric between them so as to look different.
Our local governments no longer ask us whether something is what we want – they simply pass a law. More and more of our daily responsibilities and freedoms are coming under the purview of the lawmakers. Our public Utilities are sold off to Private Enterprise on the justification they will be more efficient and cheaper, yet they never are.
Governments pass laws about fair dealing while they break those and other laws in their secretive deals with the private companies to whom they are selling our assets.
We are labeled as various “whatever’s” if we dare to be slightly different to the pre-chewed image put forth over the media as to what is ‘normal’ and we even have laws that punish us when we haven’t done anything wrong. eg. Marijuhana laws & random breath testing for alcohol both punish victimless crimes.
These things build up in the subconscious, creating stress and anger and there is no easy outlet for them – not without getting arrested anyway. But on the internet, we can let loose, find the backing we desire, find people to argue with, look up the statistics and see who is working for whom as we release the anger by doing something!
Often, that’s all it takes to help – being able to do something.
June 11th, 2008 at 6:28 am
I write information articles and i think it will help people teach i am contributing.
June 22nd, 2008 at 7:27 am
Thanks for dropping by. I think it’s part of an exchange to give back when you receive value. Those who contribute to the Internet help make it what it is.