Paste your essay in here…Mariah Matzenauer
March 16, 2016
Dr. Smith
Philosophy and Computers
How Much is Too Much?
Cyber space has become an extremely influential tool in the lives of people in the recent generations. In this essay I will address the ethical dilemmas present in cyber reality and furthermore finalize with an analysis of how these dilemmas are a detriment to our morality, personal relationships, and individual identity. Although cyberspace has become a vital part of life in many ways, the separation of oneself from that alternate reality is becoming increasingly more important. The Internet can be a useful instrument in terms of gathering information, serving as a refuge for communicating thoughts and feelings, and providing easier routes in the revelation of your dreams. In excess, though, the Internet can be a breeding ground for ignorance, an overly falsified ideal of reality, and a distraction that ultimately can cause a great amount of pressure and depression in your life.
Cyberspace is now an extension of the reality we identify ourselves with outside of the computer screen. It’s a portal for public opinion and unfortunately, at times, a haven for hate. As morality steps forward, we must consider the following question: do our words hold as much weight through a computer screen as they do outside of one? I would say absolutely that just because words are typed, does not mean they do not hold weight. Some people think that “it’s not the same” and “people say things to other people online that they wouldn’t in real life,” but that is just a testament to how raw people feel they can be. The space that the Internet has created for individuals to mask their identity while spewing negativity has affected the lives of many and will continue to do so.
Everyone has a sense of morality. Ask a person what they believe and then watch the reaction when those beliefs are tested. How do we monitor this usage as we do in reality, though? Dan Lohrmann of the government center for cyberspace and infrastructure mentioned an example of a possible solution to this problem through a simple metaphorical situation:
A teacher asked a class, “Why do we have brakes on a car?” A bunch of children raised their hands. One person blurted out, “To slow down!” Someone else said, “To stop!” The teacher paused, smiled and said quietly, “We need breaks so we can drive faster without crashing. Brakes allow us to arrive at our destination safely and in one piece.”
The same solution rings true when dealing with cyber ethics. The realm of cyberspace, if used correctly, can get us to our destination quicker, but we need to be able to brake when we begin using it as a main resource in our lives.
The obsession with cyber reality seems to have begun with the widespread use of the cell phone. You can sit and observe on a daily basis as people sitting together at tables in a bar or a restaurant are continuously ignoring the people that they arrived with because they are engrossed with their phone. Text messaging came along and furthered the disconnection so that people didn't even feel the need to make a simple phone call anymore. You can fire off a message to everyone in your phone book without vocalizing a single word. This impersonal method of communication is rapidly growing to become the norm. The mass holiday greeting text message that is sent to an entire phone book of people doesn't exactly warm the heart. Now that Internet is also available on cell phones, a whole new level of obsession has been added. You can read your email or check in on Facebook while you are sitting with the very friends that you are attempting to stay in contact with online.
Walk down any street and see people too busy talking on their cell phone or texting to even notice the people around them. Look around in any classroom where computers are present, and half of the students are on Facebook while paying little attention to the instructor. Instead of going to a friend's house to enjoy the physical company, people would rather contact them online. A recent study states that "Social networking now accounts for 11 percent of all time spent online in the US. Twitter processed more than one billion tweets in December 2009 and averages almost 40 million tweets per day." (Cowen) This false sense of communication is taking away from real world experiences by cutting people off from others around them.
Social issues are also an extreme indicator that cyber reality has been a detriment to our generation. People feel a sense of accomplishment when they blog about something that angers them, but what have they really achieved? The problem is that people aren't actually doing anything. Joining a group on Facebook can surely raise awareness of a problem – but if action isn't taken, then what is the point? All too often people will be quick to say that they support a cause without taking any action such as volunteering or donating money. Rather, people are quicker to take a stance on an issue through an online modem. Whereas in social and political history issues were solved through face-to-face meetings and debates, individuals now consider addressing an issue through a simple status online as a form of protest. Why bother leaving the house to do something if you can take a stand without leaving your couch?
The world around us seems to be an inconvenience to the world that takes place on a computer screen or on a phone. Our realities begin to collide as we become increasingly fixated on new gadgets, quicker communication, and upgrades. It is as if the world must be filtered through a phone or a computer for us to comprehend anything. People have become detached to the point that we need signs in restaurants and stores telling customers to get off of the phone before approaching the counter. The physical world around you is insignificant because you are not worried about it when texting people you wish you were around. Whatever is happening in the phone conversation is more important than paying attention to what is occurring around you. Don’t get me wrong, it is wonderful that people can stay connected with their family and friends who are spread across the country or even the world, but what about the people in the same room? There are students who are in a classroom together for months at a time and don’t even know each other’s names. We have become so self-absorbed that we hardly notice the people that we come into contact every day, and that is when it becomes not okay.
The idea of privacy seems to have disappeared along with the new found technologically based reality that has entered our lives. Do you really need to know about what someone had for breakfast or what color their new carpet is going to be? When the internet first came a publically used tool, cyberstalking was the greatest fear. God forbid that someone could track you down and discover details about your life. Now, people voluntarily leave themselves open to having their every move followed on the internet—in fact, it’s encouraged.
Any employer that is interviewing for a position will most likely check and see if the applicants have a profile on a social networking site and do a bit of spying before they make a decision. A study by the U.S. National Association of Colleges and Employers States that "27% of employers have Googled their job candidates or checked their profiles on social networking sites." (George) Privacy settings can help avoid this form happening, but many people do not bother to protect themselves. All that it takes to track many people down is to type their name into Google and see what results you come up with. You can find photos of people drunk, naked, or just plain acting like idiots. Viewing someone's profile can quickly change the way that you perceive them. Whether this perception is a fair representation of reality isn't what matters; the impression has been made.
We have begun to invent new realities in cyberspace. For better or worse, we can be whoever we tell people we are. Age class and location go out the window when we are on the internet. It doesn't matter what you look like or how much you weigh. You are who your avatar says that you are. People can accept it or not. You are anonymous and free to do what you want. This can be a therapeutic and empowering thing, or it can be a destructive and cause problems discerning reality from a fantasy that has been created online. You can build a community online and do something productive, or you can get lost in a fantasy world of your own creation. It all depends on your state of mind.
The internet is a powerful instrument for doing research and interacting with people across the world. We need to realize that it is not our friend, our baby sitter, and most definitely not the only way to communicate with each other. We have entered a new era of technological breakthroughs in communication. We need to use these tools in a way that truly benefits our lives rather than complicating them and adding to the stress that we already endure. We need to stay in contact with people who are a part of our lives without relegating them to being just a picture and a profile online. People need to open their eyes to what is going on in their own homes and on the street instead of paying attention to an endless flow of useless information and gossip that already overwhelms the media. There is a huge amount of information available for free, but too much time and effort goes into paying attention to trivial fluff that entertains without offering any informational value. Hang up the phone and have a conversation someone who you see every day. People need to learn to use technology to benefit their relationships and stay in touch without cutting themselves off from reality.
Plato’s allegory of the cave is a perfect portrait of the possible repercussions of cyberspace used in excess. Plato illustrates a scenario where prisoners are chained and forced to look at shadows on the wall their whole lives as a form of reality. One prisoner is released and is able to see the light, but those who are still chained do not believe him when they hear of the light. Metaphorically speaking, we are bound by the illusions of the things we choose to see. We must, as humans, unbind ourselves from viewing life through the shackled reality in front of us an embrace the light. When an individual becomes consumed with cyber reality, they annihilate their ability to see the light beyond that which is in front of them. The Internet becoming the shackles that bind users to the reality set forth online (the shadows). The users begin the see life through the shadows on the wall of how they are supposed to eat, breath and live.
The pressures that come with cyber space are immense. We are pressured to look a certain way, to eat certain foods, to be happy, and to live up to an ideal that doesn’t exist. Social media is a portal for
Life is incredibly beautiful. & I’m constantly in awe of everything surrounding me. I think there is an ongoing pressure in the digital world to “be known,” to “have an exciting life,” to “have amazingly romanticized relationships,” when life is already exceedingly poetic as it is. I think people are way too often trying to portray the ideal of “fun” and “love” and “living” that they forget what it actually means. It’s not about the portrayal; it’s about the reality. It’s when we become so consumed with the act that we neglect the optics of society. It’s when we take risks and voyage toward true self-love. It’s when we are so violently monopolized and entranced by life that not even our shadows can find us.