Have We Evolved Beyond LOL?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 9:00AM by Anna M. Gonzalaz, @WebAnna on Twitter
This clip is brought to you by the brilliance of Susan McMartin.
It is a well-written rant, but it seems like the point of view of an outsider afraid of where the Internet is taking our society & culture.
It is easy to call the Internet a global pornography ring, and there is truth to it. Free porn has never been easier to access in the privacy of your own home. But this statement doesn’t take into consideration the platform’s ability to mobilize, socialize and educate.
“The internet was supposed to set us free, democratize us, but all it’s really given us is Howard Dean’s aborted candidacy and 24-hour-a-day access to kiddie porn.”
The Internet cannot be blamed for Howard Dean’s aborted candidacy. While video of the yelp might have been shared multiple times on the platform, the major media outlets began that crusade, playing it back to back and punctuating their shows with the clip.
A media platform should not be held responsible for ’setting us free.’ That takes the burden of personal responsibility away.
Society is obviously hungry for change, we saw that with the Obama campaign. But we can’t sit idly by, hoping one man or one technological advancement will change the way we live for the better. We also can’t blame the media for degrading our culture.
With media and the Internet, you’re looking in a mirror. If you don’t like something about yourself, change it.
“People… they don’t write anymore, they blog.”
What’s the difference between blogging and writing? Before blogs, people didn’t have the chance to get their voice heard unless they were lucky enough to be published by the gatekeepers. That’s elitism, which the Internet combats by leveling the playing field.
“Instead of talking, they text, no punctuation, no grammar: LOL this and LMFAO that. You know, it just seems to me it’s just a bunch of stupid people pseudo-communicating with a bunch of other stupid people at a proto-language that resembles more what cavemen used to speak than the King’s English.”
Yes, the language has changed and will continue to change. Just like it changed from the time of Shelly & Wordworth to the time of Kerouac & Ginsberg.
It’s up to us now to develop this new language. This should be more exciting than scary.
The Internet should also not be blamed for pseudo-communication. It’s not as though before there was Internet, we all communicated clearly to each other about what we were feeling, our thoughts on life and how we were REALLY doing on any given occasion.
I agree, social media can be not only asinine, but also egotistical. However, those little glimpses of people’s lives they choose to share can help families stay connected. And among all of the endless chatter, we’re also sharing ways to contribute to our communities, locally and globally.
- CoWritten by @WebAnna & @Everzalez
Reader Comments (1)
I left this comment on Jenna's Facebook Wall, and she mentioned that it was written by @WebAnna. I figured that it would make sense to repost my comment here:
Brava! If I have to read one more article about how social media is making us less attentive, dumber, and less communicative ... wait, what was I saying again? *grin*
Seriously, though, your last comment really nailed it. Language and communication has been evolving and changing ever since we learned how to write. It has been transformed by every medium -- the printing press, books, newspapers, radio, TV, etc. -- and every time,the printing press, books, newspapers, radio, TV, etc. -- and every time, there are always people there to talk about how it's going to lead to the downfall of human society. Funny how we're still here.