The Online Persona

The internet is all fake. If you were wondering.

The internet is full of news that is top news one day and a retraction the next. How do we even know what to believe and what not to believe? Anybody can post anything anywhere and declare it news. On top of that, everyone’s in the habit of deciding what’s trustworthy based on their own bias. I read quiet a few news sources throughout the day and the contrast between the reported stories is striking. I have to glean what seems to be facts and piece together some semblance of truth.

With the stronghold social media has on the internet, social media and internet have become almost synonymous. Social media has become a smorgasbord of news stories, personal anecdotes, social causes, political opinions, cat pictures, and other loads of crap. I particularly like the stories with “Share this with EVERYBODY” which usually means it’s BS. I honestly believe that the most transparent posts I read are from the friends that I would have to say lean toward being bipolar. One minute they post something interesting. The next minute they’re cussing someone out or posting a passive-aggressive against we can only guess who.

Then, the social medias are full of social justice warriors known by their passionate posts and blogs. They rally the troops to some cause with a post, all their like-minded friends like it, they share it, maybe comment strongly, and then everyone goes back to their coffee at the trendy, air conditioned coffee shop. 

What about trolls? What purpose do they play in the internet world? Lately, the majority of those I see labeled as trolls are people that disagree with an opinion or point out a flaw in a article or post. I have been called a troll on multiple occasions because I asked a question to clarify a post or comment in groups that I am part of. I honestly wanted more info but apparently that implied something unacceptable to the masses.

So if this chaos bothers me so much, why do I keep coming back? I come back because it is like watching a NASCAR race. I have no interest in NASCAR other than watching for some big wrecks and then maybe seeing a pit row fight. I don’t have enough interest to care who wins. I want to see the comments where nut-bags argue about any little thing and I hope it develops into a major spat with name calling and berating. I want to see some WWE trash talking that ends up with one participant unconscious and unable to respond.

Oh, yeah. I do read some spiritual stuff.