What's Real and What's Fake?
by Sophee Sanderson
Growing up in the digital age, I have been exposed to a lot of good and bad on the internet. I remember running to the computer after school to play Club Penguin with my sister when we were growing up. I remember the innocence of technology at that age and how cool I thought computers were. As the years have gone by, technology and social media have grown exponentially and in my teen and developmental years, the internet was not always my friend.
In chapter eight of "The Internet Trap" by Matthew Hindman, the online struggles, digital viruses and ethical principles that everyone faces online are discussed. He goes on to talk about how there are two kinds of internet, one real and one imaginary. He claims that one of them, which he calls the "real internet," is what is used by the world continuously. The second kind of internet that Hindman discusses is the "imaginary internet," the one in which the world has glorified and fictionalized. There are several differences between the two and he emphasizes the importance of bridging the gap, stressing how confusion leads to common errors that can easily be avoided.
The Internet Divided
Because I grew up in the digital age, I have been made extremely aware of the negative side of the internet, but "The Internet Trap" gave me even more insight as to how it has impacted society. Is the internet really benefiting us? The imaginary internet isn't just a term that we use to describe all the good things the internet has to offer, it actually comes with a lot of underlying baggage.
People want to remember the real internet as what it used to be when it was first introduced, but unfortunately bright and new eventually loses its shine. Some people still have the idea in their head that the internet is for connecting with friends, and while this is still true, it has amplified from more than just friend to friend connections. With the increase of celebrities, bloggers, online shopping, news and influencers, we are receiving vast amounts of information and overwhelming choices right in the palm of our hand, which can actually be super draining and toxic. Some people may use social media as a dopamine hit or a way to wind down, but having this type of access and control all the time can actually be detrimental to one's self esteem and mental health. Don't get me wrong, social media can be a lot of fun, but as a teenager, and even now, it has made me feel anxious and insecure. So why do we still use it?
As stated by Hindman, the real internet is the one that actually exists right at our fingertips that is being used continuously. Hindman describes the imaginary internet as "the idealized, fictionalized, reified internet that everyone knows is democratizing communication and economic life." In simpler terms, I like to think of the imaginary internet as how I thought about it as a kid. I was innocent and naive to the bad things that could happen online, and I think this is the point Hindman is trying to make. As a kid, we really see the good in everything and I think the imaginary internet is maybe our inner child wanting to find a small glimpse of good in the world today, ignoring all the baggage.
Another point Hindman makes is with the imaginary internet mindset, people think that small channels are being benefited. However, our made up version of the internet isn't always rooting for the underdog. Smaller sites aren't even given the same chance as bigger sites like Google and Amazon, which have comparative security.
There are a lot of benefits that the internet has to offer. For example, it can help businesses grow, it can bring attention to social movements and minority groups, one can order food or shop online and it can help people learn new subjects and connect with others thousands of miles away, but did you know that a majority of website visits go to the top ten internet firms? Hindman calls them
"digital giants" who receive more than half of online revenue. In our idea of the imaginary internet, we might think that smaller websites are getting a chance to be noticed, but i
nstead, only the biggest websites with the most control can personalize ads and content in an effective way, keeping them secure at the top. In a
review of "The Internet Trap" by the Leonardo Archives, they state that the real internet is "monopolized by two major companies, Facebook and Google."
On the real internet, consumers are more devoted to online stores compared to classic mom n' pop shops. I can confess that I love a fast Amazon Prime order, but the Amazon effect is a real thing. By giving into these big companies, I am impacting smaller businesses that are being swallowed by the ones with more power. Our idea of the imaginary internet makes us blind to this sometimes. We often forget that internet profit is still going straight into the pockets of big companies and factories. As a society we can practice using moral intuition to make better decisions online.
In my opinion, there are actually a lot of benefits to living in the idea of the imaginary internet. I think ignorance is bliss and it's okay to use the internet as a way to distract yourself from all the other problems in the world. As much as I wish the computer being too slow to run Club Penguin was the only bad thing that happened, I think that it is important to make myself aware of the real problems that happen online.
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