I've said it before, and I will say it again- this is television's future. People want to be able to chose what they're watching, when they watch it, and how long they watch it. I am so done with conventional television.
On Hulu, they have clips from NBC's Today Show.
Yesterday, they aired a segment on internet trolls. Here it is if you want to watch; it's about seven minutes long- http://www.hulu.com/watch/139181/nbc-today-show-online-‘trolls’-terrorize-the-grieving#s-p4-so-i0
I must say, they do a terrible job of really explaining what trolls are.
Now, let us assume you do not know what a troll is. No, it is not some wrinkly little person who lives under a bridge. An internet troll is someone who goes onto a discussion page or a forum and posts comments for the sheer purpose of causing others to react. Trolls don't necessarily believe what they're saying, and they are not necessarily "bad" people. They're just people my age who are bored and have decided to go screw around on the internet.
Internet trolls aren't evil, soulless, malicious people. They are bored people. Yes, they tend to say outrageous, even offensive things. I personally do not troll, but I know others who do. I think that, like in the Today Show segment, it is wrong to post nasty comments on memorial pages.
But I also think that people need to grow up.
Think of the internet like this- if you feel like you can post anything on the internet, i.e., memorials, opinions, or personal issues, someone else can post something about it. The internet is the ultimate free speech arena. People protest that some things are offensive; yeah they are. Get over it. Don't participate if you can't take it. The internet is not a "safe" place. It's not a babysitter. It's more like letting your kid loose in the middle of a city- you can choose where you want to go, but you're going to be exposed to overwhelming amounts of information. If you don't want people to form opinions about something, don't put it out there.
I think that people my age understand this a hell of a lot better than the baby-boomers of the Today Show. We understand that the internet is a faceless monster. It can be good, and it can be bad. People don't "play nice" on the internet, and that's why it is appealing. In a world where you can't play dodge-ball because it is too violent and you can be suspended from school for using certain words, it is a good thing to have a "free-for-all."
And I think the older generation is afraid of it for just that reason- try as they might, you can't put a lid on the net. Parents need to stop whining and trying to outsmart their kids. Let's face it- your kids will be able to outsmart you when it comes to technology every time. Instead of acting like a scared, whiny three-year-old, it would be nice to see the media advocate teaching some responsibility. Parents should explain to their kids what could happen if they screw up on the internet, teach their kids the difference between public and private information, and call it good. Yeah, some feelings are going to get hurt. But feelings get hurt wherever you are. You can't world-proof your damn kids, least of all on the internet. Instead of letting them turn eighteen and go crazy because they don't know what they're doing, help your kids learn to be responsible internet users. Give your kids some damn credit, people.
This web-fear is hardly a new thing for the media, either. A few weeks previous, the Today Show did a segment on chatroulette.com. It's a website where you are randomly linked up with a total stranger to video chat. Most old people go, "Oh my god! What if my kid sees a penis?"
Well, then, they see a penis. Big deal. Half our population has one already, did you know that? And if you don't want your poor, sheltered child seeing a penis, then they shouldn't have a freaking computer. It's that easy. If you don't respect your kid enough to let him make decisions for himself, then don't give him an adult toy like a PC. It should not be so hard to understand.
We don't need censors on the internet. People will get around them. It's not hard. All my schools had internet blockers on certain sites, and everyone knew how to get around them. If you trust your kid with a library card, trust her with the internet. Yeah, they might screw up, but it is a learning experience. The only difference is, if you are intolerant of the internet, your daughter is not going to ask for help when she needs it. If you are tolerant, then she'll trust you enough to tell you what she's doing.
Internet trolls prey on those who don't know what is going on. To people like me, it's stupid. An eye-roller. To uninformed people like NBC's sad lump of an internet consultant, it's outrageous. An abomination. Despicable. They don't realize that it's not real. Nothing on the internet is real, people. If it is really so horrible, then stick to Neopets or Disney Online. Leave places like forums and discussion pages to the despicable, underachieving young people who actually know what they're doing.
Sorry, Matt Lauer. The internet is for big kids only.
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