The True Nature of Humanity

[MasseyWV]

There are all kinds of different people, some are nice, some are not so nice, and some are nothing less than pure evil, but how do you tell them apart? When you see someone who is being polite and smiling, how do you know what really lurks behind that smile? On the contrary, when you see someone who would rather be left alone and appears to be anything but "nice", how do you know that your perception of them is accurate?

Throughout my life, it's been my experience that "nice" people are often little more than a hollow shell, only interested in grooming their personal image or gaining more power and prestige for themselves. They have to be nice to impress people, so those same people will like them and give them the attention that they crave. At first glance, they appear to be nice, but closer scrutiny reveals something very different than they would have me believe. Granted, there are cases where people are exactly what they appear to be, but not always, and that's where my personal instincts kick in, telling me about subtle clues people give off without even consciously knowing it. And my instincts about people have never been wrong.

Enter the digital age, where online communication on forums and other similar venues no longer gives us the visual clues we need to guide us, and the senses we normally use to tell us about people become completely useless. All we have to go on is their words, and perhaps their pattern of behavior, assuming that we even take the time to look at it. And I don't know about you, but I look at everything, especially their pattern of behavior, and I believe that what people don't say is equally important to what they do say.

So...

In the digital world, how do you tell them apart. How do you know who is good and who is bad, or can you ever really know for certain? In the online world of today, what is the true nature of humanity?

 

[murphy1244]

shoot them all..

 

[TripleR]

So...

In the digital world, how do you tell them apart. How do you know who is good and who is bad, or can you ever really know for certain? In the online world of today, what is the true nature of humanity?

I honestly don't even try.

 

[MasseyWV]

shoot them all..

Shooting digital people with digital bullets... don't they call those video games?

 

[MasseyWV]

I honestly don't even try.

There was a time when I used to try, but lately I find that I no longer care, at least not like I used to. The internet is just that... fake. So why should the people it contains be any different? For all I know the words on my screen could be coming from some super computer brain, I know they're not, but still.

Honestly, I hate being so cynical because it's not in my nature, but if experience has taught me anything, it's that the digital world of today is anything but "nice" and I treat it accordingly until proven otherwise.

 

[murphy1244]

There was a time when I used to try, but lately I find that I no longer care, at least not like I used to. The internet is just that... fake. So why should the people it contains be any different? For all I know the words on my screen could be coming from some super computer brain, I know they're not, but still.

Honestly, I hate being so cynical because it's not in my nature, but if experience has taught me anything, it's that the digital world of today is anything but "nice" and I treat it accordingly until proven otherwise.

Massey, Don't think too much about the internet. The whole thing is fake, your fake I'm fake. Take it and enjoy it for what it is. Nothing into nothing.

 

[300UGUY]

I honestly don't even try.

I must be pretty dumb. I didn't even think to try.

 

[dave1949]

It's possible people represent themselves more truly/accurately on the internet than in real life, due to the lack of consequences for poor behavior. I am shocked by some of the things posters say on here, which are mild compared to news site comments.

Some people use the internet as a place to spew hate, pure and simple. What I haven't decided is how representative they are of the general population-- either not very, or we have a lot of closet haters in this nation because they are very common on the majority of sites.

 

[RobertBrown]

Enter the digital age, where online communication on forums and other similar venues no longer gives us the visual clues we need to guide us, and the senses we normally use to tell us about people become completely useless. All we have to go on is their words, and perhaps their pattern of behavior, assuming that we even take the time to look at it. And I don't know about you, but I look at everything, especially their pattern of behavior, and I believe that what people don't say is equally important to what they do say.

So...

In the digital world, how do you tell them apart. How do you know who is good and who is bad, or can you ever really know for certain? In the online world of today, what is the true nature of humanity?

I've learned not to worry or concern myself of such things, this is something that you cannot control and even if you were able to make such determinations, where would it get you? When it comes to the forum scenario, and the internet in general I try to glean information and learn with the understanding that it's my responsibility to verify and hold myself accountable for the ultimate outcome.
On this forum in particular, I try to help as much as I learn and try make sure my assertions are accurate or note them as speculation, as misinformation is worse than no information IMHO.
Using this medium to communicate gives me the chance to carefully consider my response and scrutinize my use of the vocabulary as well as re read someone else's thoughts to carefully asses what might be implied.
Having said that....

Vocal conversation is a lot more information at a much faster pace, giving more opportunity to say something offensive or receive the same. There is a lot of visual stuff going on as well. People communicate by body language and tone inflection.
Communicating using this medium (internet forum) levels the playing field somewhat. Your comments, you noted as cynical, leave me to speculate that nice people, "nice people with an agenda" won't fair as well here.

It's really hard for me to size someone up so to speak, so I don't try. If it's not apparent, I'd rather spend my time on something more constructive. Consequently, insults mean very little with this mindset, as I have to respect someone before they can insult me or hurt my feelings, after all, they are little more than text on my screen so why care? And, if your wrong, your wrong, it happens and some people get really mad about it, nothing for me to worry about, it was their choice to get angry.
Sometimes "evil" will manifest itself as pride, or close mindedness, and even stupidity. There's just no way to know and it doesn't much matter.
I guess what I'm saying is that I have a different set of expectations than you do.

 

[dmccarty]

The problem with Internet communication is that there is no body language. I do think people say things on the Internet that they would not say to someone's face. They might think the thought but they will keep the thought to themselves, but on the Internet, they will make the statement.

The politics in my county is nasty mean and this has run over into the Internet. I just met one of the rudest people in our county. In person we had a very pleasant conversation. I also met one of the local politicians who I think is as dumb as a box of rocks and very rude on the Internet. We too had a pleasant conversation since we were not talking politics. :laughing:

Now, I just called that person, who I have not named, dumb as a box of rocks and rude, which could be considered rude or truthful depending on ones view of the unnamed person. :laughing: I certainly think it would have been rude for me to tell that person to their face that they are dumb as a box of rocks and just flat our rude, but on the Internet, people do this all of the time.

While the two people I just mentioned are complete opposite of me politically, I see people who are closer to me politically, making equally rude remarks. It is danged near impossible to have a conversation if everyone is shouting that the other person is a moron.

The Internet can remove a person's filters. I think the communication on the Internet can show someone's true personality but one has to be careful since we are having to go by the written word which can be misinterpreted. I do think must of the angst on the Internet is taking words a bit to personally or placing more emphasis on these words than the writer meant.

On our county website, a person who I greatly respect, mentioned that they had met another person from the website. This person is at best prickly and sometimes down right rude on the website. The person I respect said that this person's is the same face to face as they are on the Internet.

I do have opinions about people on the website's I visit. I think most of the opinions I have of people on the websites I visit are positive. There are negative opinions as well. I try to give the person the benefit of the doubt since we are only reading and we do not have body language. However, over time, I do think a fair representation of the person is revealed.

Later,
Dan