the internet, cultivating a lack, and privacy

before i begin, i want to say one thing: having little-to-no empathy is not a bad thing, especially in relation to medical conditions (e.g., personality disorders)! empathy, sympathy, and compassion are all different things that every individual has varying levels of. with that said...

something i've noticed on the internet, especially in the recent years, is how apathy is promoted through various avenues. we are encouraged by our algorithms and peers to look at tragedy, mistreatment, or rudeness as a spectacle. we are encouraged to record the private (sometimes "odd") happenings of strangers for laughs and views. when faced with any backlash, it is appropriate to say something along the lines of "it isn't that deep" (i think this phrasing is sort of ironic, considering how deep irony runs in the hivemind of the internet). privacy is a very important thing to me, and in this day and age, one's privacy is at heavy risk of violation! i try to keep away from posting in general since my privacy is so important, but i do believe that spacehey is a little less risky than twitter - or even tumblr. 

i do think that this behaviour a defense mechanism. everyday, we are exposed to horrible things that occur throughout the world - things we would've never been aware of, things that we often do not want to see. the human mind can work some wonders when it comes to protection, but that only furthers my point. i'm not saying the internet is bad, exactly...what i'm saying is that the internet is too casually vast (especially social media). all of this is the reason i very sparingly use social media, and when i do, it is the websites and apps that are mostly contained to one space (spacehey, tumblr, discord). this is a space that i curate, a space that is small, and a space that is mostly free from things i don't wish to know. i do seek out knowledge regularly, but it is entirely on my own terms.

this may just be a personal gripe, and could very well not extend to very many people

-W