You’re all grown up now. You moved out of mom and dad’s basement. You have a job, presumably. You pay your taxes. You take your leisure seriously and make the most of your free time. You are a part of social networks that spans geographical, age, and class lines.
This is no great revelation. Our movement through life creates relationships, and the ripples from our actions in life spread outward, affecting others. Most of us unconsciously realize this, but some are so wrapped up in themselves that they blunder through life selfishly, totally unaware of the damage they wreak those around them.
The Buddhists figured out a long time ago that this is one of the viable paths toward enlightenment. Live like other people. Work, have a family, be a responsible member of your community, and be a good neighbor.
I like to think I’m a good neighbor. Maybe I don’t go to the head of the class when it comes to landscaping my property. Maybe I really should have taken the Santa Claus sidewalk lights I put up this Christmas down six weeks ago.
On the other hand, we’re quiet. We actually take the time to get to know our neighbors, and we like them. If they ever needed anything from me, a stick of butter, or a ride someplace because their car battery died and they have an important appointment, I got their back. I know I can count on them in the same way.
The same goes for people I don’t know. The gal in front me on the road that is now in the ditch with steam rolling out from the hood of her car because a deer chose that moment to run across the highway, wrecking her car and sending her into shock. She may not be in my immediate network or even in my community, but we’re still both members a larger community. There is no way I can keep driving, no matter what I’m on the way to. She needs somebody to stop, make sure she’s ok, and either call for assistance or give her a ride somewhere. I know I would want someone to do it for my wife if it was her. The point is, there are people who wouldn’t stop. Maybe you’re one of them, and maybe it’s not because you’re not a good neighbor. Maybe you just haven’t stopped to think about your social responsibility before.
This is pretty basic stuff. I didn’t get it as a young man, going after what I wanted without a thought for anything else, and perhaps you haven’t matured to the point where you are cognizant of the big picture yet.
The internet introduces so many new aspects of communication and social interaction to our lives, and yet so many people don’t understand the social implications of what happens in the ether.
The biggest problem is that a great number of internet users don’t seem to recognize the implications of their actions on the internet, to any extent. There is a mistaken sense of anonymity, of freedom from social responsibility.
Some examples of poor behavior introduced by the internet:
- Theft. People who would never, ever, steal anything from a store show no qualms about stealing on the internet. Movies, games, music, software, even internet service in the case of spammers, stolen, without a thought that anything wrong is being done. Or is it just the sense that they can’t be caught, sitting at their computers in the safety of their home? I hate to think that such a large percentage of people would be dishonest, provided they felt they can’t be caught, but there it is.
- Assault, slander and terroristic threats. Did you know that you don’t have to physically assault someone to go to jail for assault? That’s battery you’re thinking of. Strong enough verbal threats also carry jail time. 0-5 years in the state that I work in. Remember usenet? Ever used a web forum? I always wondered about trolls and flamers, whether they were bad people in general, or just cowards that used the anonymity of the internet to display their true colors.
- Solicitous waste. How many emails have you deleted informing you of some unknown great uncle in Nigeria, who has passed and named you as sole inheritor of his estate? The person representing themselves as a barrister is pleased to inform you of your gain, and will start the proceedings immediately, once you’ve remitted the legal fee of $800US.
The funny thing is that someone I work with actually fell for that crap a few years ago. I tried to tell him, but he was convinced it was legit, and started planning an early retirement. I suppose I would have tried harder to dissuade him than I did, but the guy is kind of a tool, and oh well, I did warn him.
There is so much crap on the internet created with the sole purpose of making someone some money. Making money on the internet is a perfectly valid pursuit. Making money on the internet without providing a single shred of value to anyone is not. File splogs and any website that is solely for monetization without adding any value to the internet to this list.
Even if you have an empire of Ebay affiliate websites, your sites may be providing a useful service to someone while making money for yourself. I’m talking about all the crap out there that does no good for anyone.
Recognize that the internet is a community like any other, and your behavior in it helps determine what kind of neighborhood it is. Your actions online do have effects on others, and yourself. Don’t forget that many prospective employers dig around a bit on the internet before hiring. What kind of legacy do you want them to find?
The same maxims apply on the internet that apply in the real world. Give more than you take and be a good neighbor. The result will be that people will appreciate you and your work, you’ll likely receive more out of your internet endeavors, and you’ll know that the internet is a better place with you than without you, just like your community.
