Being part of a world that the internet has now connected in a way never thought possible is a positive thing for the most part. We get to share ideas, join like minded groups without ever leaving our homes, and have instant contact with almost anyone we choose. That makes life better for the population overall of course. It’s great to be able to connect in a way that a farmer back in the 1800’s could never do. The farmer was just happy to have a free hour of pipe smoking time before bedtime. We complain if Instagram is down for two hours.
With all this connectivity comes a ton of voices on each and every matter that pops up in the news or just in a Facebook timeline. Everyone has an opinion and now they can make that brilliant opinion public with the click of their little mouse. While it is good to get the point of view of more than one person, it can get overwhelming as you scroll through thought after thought. It’s like being inside the heads of the entire population, as every person’s thoughts are spewed out like water at a busted hydrant.
So with all these opinions floating about in the online world and on our smartphones, how can we know the right voices to listen to? That’s a tough question, but it comes down to each person being their own filter when it comes to these matters. If you let everything in and are easy swayed, you will be convinced one way then the other in mere seconds. I prefer to listen to my own voice. I don’t need a hundred different opinions to sway me to one side of an issue or another. I try to use common sense, “A equals A.” That is an easy way to gauge what is going on instead of listening to two hotheads debate on a 24 hour news channel, or reading a comment thread that trolls derailed four comments in.
I hardly look at Facebook anymore since it is basically boring stuff or people spouting off political opinions or their thoughts on the latest news item. I don’t watch the news since I don’t care to watch drummed up debates among people I have no personal knowledge of. I try to keep other people out of my head as much as possible. I have enough trouble managing my own thoughts. I don’t have the time nor the energy to contend with the collective thoughts of the world. The internet is great, but it can keep all the voices.
