What Kind of People is the Internet Turning Us Into?

The five ways the internet could be transforming you today

Being someone who was born before the internet became the way it is now, I can attest to the drastic changes it has influenced since then.

I remember how it has slowly replaced the tons of books we needed just to do research in our studies. I also recall how I enjoyed role-playing games where we could enter a virtual world with players from all over the world.

It was so exciting back then! I even started a blog and enjoyed the community online where I could interact with so many people and learn so many new things. Even my Mom became an expert chef by watching YouTube cooking videos.

Now we can order almost anything online. We can spend the day at home and get so many things done without needing to get out of the house.

But I also noticed that despite these benefits, the internet has also changed something in us. Have you noticed it, too? Can you compare the way your mind worked before versus the way it’s been working recently? Have you noticed the internet’s effects on your relationships?

What kind of person is the internet turning you into?

Is the internet making us more lonely?

When I first used “Friendster”, I was very happy to connect with my friends online. I also can’t forget one of its features that stood out for me, the “testimonials” posted by family, friends and other acquaintances on my profile.

There was no bashing back then. At least, none that I knew of. The idea of Cyberbullying never even crossed my mind.

Now we use Facebook, and we’re just so used to having our profiles and pages that we often forget to say “nice things” like that to each other. Instead, everyone wants to make that viral post and we’re all screaming for that little bit of attention for the content that we make.

“Why didn’t I get as many likes as that person?” is now the question that hunts us and makes us feel lonelier than ever before.

We now have the ability to connect to almost anyone in the world, but the bonds we make seem shallow and disposable.

Is the internet making us mean?

It doesn’t have to take us long to see one negative comment after another as we browse popular posts on the internet. Whether it’s a political, social or entertainment post, we see people writing such harsh and condemning words we wonder how the world has just become!

Why speak like that? Why all the violence and hatred?

Sometimes, we even recognize some names and get shocked at how the people we knew could speak as hurtful as that!

It’s not that the internet has a virus that infects people with evil. But it is said that what makes us that way is the removal of our inhibitions whenever we post something on the internet.

Some use pseudonyms to better hide their identity. Others seem to have forgotten the consequences of every word they leave online.

Many post without thinking. We have put beautiful filters on our photos, but we have forgotten the art of filtering our words.

Is the internet making us foolish?

When the internet first became popular, we were all amazed at the information it can give us in the blink of an eye. Why read tons of books when you can access every data you need online?

In the years that followed, however, the information available on the internet gradually started to overwhelm us. As early as 2009, The New York Times reported that we are consuming about 34 gigabytes of data daily.

After 8 years, that number grew to a huge 74 gigabytes! That’s almost like watching from 16 to 30 movies a day. In an article by Frontiers, it is said that the same data used to be consumed in a person’s lifetime.

Granted that we have now become more knowledgeable, thanks to the internet, what do we do with all that knowledge? Do we even have time to process them and make them useful?

An article by The World says that the internet is making us more into “superficial thinkers”.

As such, we only gather as much information as we can. But we fail to process them deeply.

The internet has changed us and made us more easily distracted, unable to reflect on the countless ideas we receive.

Personally, I think this is dangerous. If we just keep on absorbing this information without processing it, how do we know we’re not accepting false ones? We can form a habit of simply believing whatever it is we read online and forget to reflect on whether something is true or not.

Is the internet making us more alike?

Just because we’re now watching different videos on our mobile phones doesn’t mean we have already become different. On the contrary, the internet could be making us more alike!

It’s funny how being unique, following your heart and being true to yourself have become popular ideas in our culture today whereas the reality seems to be just the opposite.

We’re just being made to think we’re being ourselves when we’re just being fed and programmed to become this cool and carefree person the virtual world has defined for us.

Why do you think people who follow the trend dress alike? Why do we speak a certain lingo to be considered that we belong?

The algorithms that control the various social media platforms as well as the influencers we all listen to now have the power to create a homogeneous people who think alike, talk alike and act alike.

It is not diversity that is being promoted but “sameness”, the frightening condition of the world we find in Lois Lowry’s book “The Giver”.

Is the internet making us lose our faith?

An article by MIT Technology Review indicates that as much as 25% of the number of people who fell away from religious affiliation can be attributed to the rising usage of the internet. Meanwhile, PsyPost explains about a study on the direct link between the use of internet and the loss of religious affiliation.

What is it about the internet that causes people to lose their faith?

Perhaps it could be attributed to some of the previous factors cited above such as the way the internet is turning people into superficial thinkers and how it is making us more alike.

People who surf the internet can see so many posts that advocate secularism. It disregards religion and even considers it a hindrance to self-development.

On the other hand, traditional religion is discouraged, making it a thing of the past, portraying its followers as rigid, self-righteous and judgmental.

People then absorb this information without processing them deeper. As such, they become victims to the mindset and ideals prevailing over the internet.

Again, it is not diversity that is achieved but “sameness”. Traditional religions like Christianity are shunned whereas pagan, New age and occult practices are promoted as more fitting for our time.

In theory, people are made to believe about being tolerant, but this is only as long as one falls within the image being promoted in this virtual world.

Dealing with our challenging times

The internet provides us with countless benefits we can no longer live without. There is no doubt that it has changed our lives whether at work, in our studies or even at home.

But we must remember to use it as a tool that serves us, not a manipulative master that transforms us into the kind of people we do not wish to be.

Be careful what you allow to enter your mind because it can soon influence the way you perceive yourself, your ideals and the world around you.

For Christians who have the opportunity to use your gifts online, may God help you do your part to counter this culture of godlessness. Never think that you are alone. If we are one with Christ, we have everything we need to guide those who are seeking for the light!

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