"I Hate the Internet" by "Evan" is a brilliantly written piece that describes the author's frustrationwith the Internet and a slap of reality to the face of this Internet-obsessed society. In this point of view article, Evan discusses how the Internet and today's technologies tear us apart more than they pull us together. Evan points out that although the Internet was supposed to allow us to freely express our opinions and give individuals an unique voice, this is not always the case. He points out how on the Internet you are only allowed to have one opinion: if a majority of the users on a site agreed with one concept and another lone individual disagreed, rather than accept this person's own opinion, that person would be virtually slaughtered by the rest of the commenters on this certain cite. The Internet pits us against one another. Evan quotes, "On the Internet, you have two options no matter where you are. Like or dislike. Upvote or downvote. Funny or die." Evan further proves his point of the limitations the Internet sets upon us as a society by stating that, "The Internet is so polarizing because it promotes a culture where everything is black and white: Everyone who agrees with me is my friend; anyone who doesn't is my enemy." Here, the author explains that the Internet demonizes anything that is not in perfect sync with the typical norm which makes it such a harsh, restraining place, thus igniting the author's hate for the virtual world.
        I agree with what Evan points out in this piece. Being that I spend a lot of time online, I can wholeheartedly agree that people will only accept one right answer. If a lone commenter opposes the idea of the majority, the "mob mentality replaces rational thought" as Evan puts it, and the majority will often denounce that one individual for his/her opinion. Standing firm to one's opinion and backing it up with details is fine and something I completely support but targeting one's ego and insulting the person is something entirely different.
        I also feel that when we live in such a society where the Internet plays such a massive role in our lives and when we are constantly surrounded by all this online hate and negativity, our ability to flourish as a society will begin to falter. To flourish as a society we should be open to new ideas rather than shun them and shouldn't see someone with an opposing point of view as the enemy. We should encourage ideas that aren't just black and white ideas rather than suppress them because letting that Internet-mob mentality seep into reality hinders the creative development of our society. I believe that advancing as a society comes from not conformity and a black and white culture but rather from a diverse plethora of unique voices and creative points of views.