Do you think the Internet is a Net positive or Net negative for society?

[UniquelyBasic]

Net positive - Doing more good than harm

Net negative - More harm than good

Positive

Negative

[CaptainOverthink]

If we are talking social media.
Then I think if we're talking about a free-thinking/-speaking democracy then.. Negative because of it hijacking our rewardsystems, creating bad habits like replacing real social interactions with texting for example and dumbing down society.
In closed, restricted or otherwise socially enforced societies I think it connects more than disconnects people. But I wouldn't really know.

Now,
Internet overall? I think so far more good than bad, however I think it's too early to tell as what the sideffects and outcomes are won't be entierly clear until a few generations has past through what it means to have it around. I mean, it won't be entierly obvious how we adapt or if we can overcome the issues that comes with the types of ever-changing functionallity of it.

As a sidenote on the topic of the accessability of facts, news and information.
It's been an overall good thing so far. But I fear as technology develops it will be harder and harder to tell what's real and what has been manipulated. With the use of hyperrealistic graphics, motion-capture, audio-mimic and the utilizing of the evermore astonishing accomplishments of AI I think it will simply be too easy to fool people for it not to happen regularly. I think this opens up the door for whole new levels of divisions in the world.

In a world of accelerating technology we'll all be constantly racing to be more informed, studied and sceptical than we currently are. Constantly with awareness working against our nature as humans, as knowlage of our nature will be used against us. Will we keep up?

TLDR;
Too early to know, it depends on our ability to stay informed and adapt.

[abc3643]

As someone who reached the age of 30 before the Internet became public, it is definitely a positive. What sucks is that it is now a bullhorn for opinion, propaganda, and disinformation, not to mention, new forms of crime.

But, between the web and smartphones, what I find scary now was normal 30 years ago. For instance, driving without a phone. What do you do if your car dies and you don't have a working phone? Well, that's happened to me... So, you walk or hitchhike miles to get help.

So, now, I wouldn't want to drive without having my phone on me - and having my contacts in Google Contacts so I can access them anywhere on anything.

Oh, and GPS came online about 30 years ago. Another amazing thing.

My point in all of this is that there are so many things we can do now that we either could not do 30 years ago or, at best, did it with more difficulty.

Would I want to go back to that?

No - although, I'd want pay-phones and landlines back if we did return to that.

[TenderFantasy]

Net positive (whatever that means lol).

It's helped me more with my life than people realize. I could search the history of YouTube or Facebook or Einstein's theory of relativity with the tap of my fingertips. In the past (like 90's and before), you had to pretty much go to the LIBARY or (if lucky like our household and your mom was smart and educated and could afford it, she bought World Book or Encyclopedia Brittanica for her family), then you had to get your sources of information from there! Those places! Loved my mom (and still do) and I also go MANY of my sources from WORLD BOOK! But, omg, the internet. ... opened up a whole WIDE NET (literally) at my fingertips!!! LOVE it!! I can even speak to people from Bangladesh or whatever country on the other side of the world! I can look up something in a split of a second what took me a few hours to do! It (the internet) BURST open, basically EXPLODED the possibility (in a positive way), of knowledge! Your mind just GREW tenfold with it, I can't explain the positives enough! Just weed out the assholes and internet cyberbullies if you can and you'll be okay!

[CoolCatMar1]

It is both. Let me explain.

It is Negative because people can be easily accessible to sexual predators, pedophilic behaviour, stalkers and many more weirdos out there. You can get harassed, bullied, can be a victim of weird games which can lead to suicide like Blue Whale. People can become zombie brains because they spend a lot of time on their phones and don't communicate with friends in reality. They are too attached to even notice small details about the world.

It is positive as well though as we can access several information that we don't know about. We can look up a term we don't know the meaning of, can learn more about animals, nature, clothing brands, modeling, music, history and the lost goes on.

Internet is a neutral thing.

[CoolCatMar1]

List*

[UniquelyBasic]

Yeah, I agree their are some good and bad to the internet but I thought it wouldve been boring to let people pick the middle ground. I just wanted to see whether people think its more good or bad. Appreciate the answer👍

[CoolCatMar1]

Thank you!!!👌👌

[Luopio27]

Exactly. Weather its a good or bad thing depends on the users actions and motives.

[CoolCatMar1]

@Luopio27 true

[bayoubob]

People need to be smart. So, people in general see Cult Leaders as evil, the most evil that ever existed. I say no. You fall for it. You aggrandize them. That's upon you.

[Brokenheartedx]

Both, it's positive because it can connect people in seconds to others at the other end of the world. Most of our workplaces rely on the Internet now, and Google is a godsend for things we need, like our kids schools phone number.

Negative, social media, though its also good for connecting everyone to each other, it can also be harmful.
Negative, the dark side of the Web where the weirdos and creeps hang out
Negative easy to be scammed


So it's both positive and negative

[TheVigilantFox]

The internet is only useful in my opinion to do shopping online or talk to loved ones miles away that you don’t get to see very often, I think social media is toxic it’s full of abusive trolls and fake people and children, the internet is also full of scammers who rip people off so I’d say the internet was a bad thing.

[Guy13]

The Internet as a technology is a benefit. Man’s choices, usage, and behaviors in a digital world is as bad, if not worse, than the real world.

The Improvement is only as good as the ones working, feeding, and managing the Improvement.

[Gibbons44]

It was really good in 1990s when it was invented - but at the time it was a tool of the brainy, no advertising, and zero scams, like being at home or amongst good/reliable friends.

Now, the amount of cultural sabotage that gets spread via the Internet is humongous (and, no one wants to believe nor officialise something like that, but hugely destructive to the same people who originally created the Internet).

I was close to some of the engineers who worked on early Internet (TCP/IP and carrier grade routing and switching, to be precise)

[AviatorTom]

The Internet is a net positive with all the information that's available to people all over the world, bringing people closer together and making the world feel smaller. Having said that, there is also a lot of crap on the Internet, and it's up to each user to decide what is good and what isn't.

[exitseven]

It is positive. We have tons of information that can be instantly accessed. We can communicate with people anyplace in the world and even have a video conference. We can have on line shopping and airplane reservations and many other things that were unthinkable 20 or 30 years ago. and then there is all the porn.

[MysteriousDarkness]

To me it's both. You can look stuff up which is good but also could end up 3 hours later 40 degrees from where you started. You can by things like food, clothes, vehicles, tools etc but also buy alchol which is bad if you're an alcoholic. Apps have made gambling (sports betting and casino type) easier. They can gamble anywhere as long as they got the money a mobile phone and internet access. Not good for those addicted to gambling. You can do your banking. You can reciepositive and negative comments online. Easier to do research papers for school. A negative is creeps could posfund out where you live easier.

[SaoirseS]

Overall it's positive. It allows us to get things done and gives us access to a wealth of information (some of good, some is doo-doo). It all depends on how you use it, and what for.

[UniquelyBasic]

I agree 👍 Appreciate it.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

The internet is a fantastic tool for humanity.

It can provide lots instant knowledge, connections, business and entertainment.

On the flip side evil people can use it for pure deception to fool others and provide disgusting content.

To answer your question is mostly a net positive.

[Gummy_Cluster]

It's the best thing ever invented. People can piss and moan about social media, so just don't use it. I can pay all my bills with my phone. Does anyone want to go back to checks, envelopes and stamps?

[Calculated_Guess]

The internet is a negative thing overall, and it changed the world. The internet is a solution to a problem we never had.

People were better, and life was better before it, I know because I was there.

[TheVigilantFox]

I agree, before my father plugged us in life was much better, now it’s just awful, I only use the internet to do my shopping I don’t bother with social networking as it’s full to bursting with nutters, I’m yet to find anyone decent, I use this app mainly to curb boredom, but apart from shopping and this app I think the internet is a terrible thing.

[Calculated_Guess]

@TheVigilantFox
Yes, I view the internet as the information superhighway that's full of misinformation.
It's a distraction and an unhealthy waste of time. A lot of people don't really live their lives anymore like we did in the 90's and early 2000's because they're online too much.
They think this is a wonderful life because they don't know any different.

[TheVigilantFox]

I do think the internet has made us all more separate than ever, everything is done via a status update or a text, letters aren’t a thing anymore or cards it’s all done online a hand written letter is a thing of the past, no one wants face to face anymore it’s all video chats, and in the future we’ll all be plugged into a VR nightmare, most of not all the information online is a load of rubbish like looking up a medical problem you’ve always got cancer, I think the internet was an awful invention really.

[Calculated_Guess]

@TheVigilantFox
I agree, the internet is fun and there's more variety of porn and easier shopping than ever, but mostly the worldwide web is addictive and full of negativity.

[TheVigilantFox]

True, the only useful thing about the internet is you can do shopping and it gets delivered instead of having to lug it on busses.

[supercutebutt]

Negative. The internet makes dummies think they're smart.

[UniquelyBasic]

Keyboard Warriors FTW 😂 So true

[TenderFantasy]

Well, I think smart is relative too. Nobody is perfect and nobody knows EVERYTHING. There will be things someone knows that someone else doesn't, depending on the subject. Also, I think if someone is dumb, well at least they can (or will) LEARN from others? ! Also, if someone is dumb, it could reflect on their grammar as well as the things they say, believe and do.

@UniquelyBasic Lol I hate those. It's like people who BRAG in real life, but the thing is they argue a lot even though they have nothing good to say and want to be right always. They cannot see things from the other person's point of view, just theirs! 🙂

[AdithyaR]

I don't think it's something we can put in broad terms like that. The internet is not black and white.
You can either use to keep in touch with friends, to learn new skills or help others; or you can use to attack people, run illegal scams etc.
Completely depends on the individual using it.

[NostalgiaSenpi]

Neither. It's up to the individual user. It can do great things and can also give you a lot of criminal or degenerate activity. We have a wealth of knowledge, both real and misinformation, and people use it to look up people defecating, for instance.

[NathanDavis]

for me and my family... friends, it is positive

I do have some acquaintances that have been harmed by it's effects

[Sasha0426]

I think positive because I can order groceries from online where I don’t have to go out in public.

[UniquelyBasic]

Good point 😅

[Dargil]

Positive but those who control it are trying to reverse that.

[MaryWhittington56]

$95 an hour! Seriously I don't know why more people haven't tried this, I work two shifts, 2 hours in the day and 2 in the evening…And what's awesome is I'm working from home so I get more time with my kids. Here's where I went,
===))>www. join. hiring9. com

[bayoubob]

I don't know. It is what it is. Technology will be our downfall. I'm more agnostic vs being atheist as my life goes on. If technology supersedes downfall vs upfall? What are we supposed to care? We shouldn't care. We die when we die.

[CuriousMufuxka]

More harm than good. It was really fuckin fun until corporations stepped in, then where you may or may not work at, then swatting, and perhaps cancelled.