I know first-hand what a cesspit of hate the internet can be ? but it can also be an inspired place where people unite to do good
I came close to giving up on the internet recently, and when I say close, I mean my finger was actually hovering over the "delete site" button on my blog. How difficult could it be, I wondered, to disappear from the internet altogether? If I deleted my Facebook and Twitter profiles, for example, and asked Comment is free to remove all of my posts and my articles, would it be possible for me to simply vanish from the net without trace?
Of course I realise now that it wouldn't be possible; that no matter how many online profiles I delete, after years spent commenting on the internet as well as writing for it, there's no way I can ever erase it all. And neither would I want to: not now. But at the time if felt really important. At the time, all I could think was: "This just isn't worth it. I want out."
This internet crisis of mine came about after I'd been subjected to some heinous abuse on another online forum; abuse of an entirely different order and magnitude from the kind of stuff I've (almost) grown used to receiving. But instead of going with my initial instincts and allowing myself to become overwhelmed by the barrage of hate, I decided instead to write about what had happened; to expose the abusers for the trolls they undoubtedly are, and to show people exactly what some of us have to contend with when we make the choice to put ourselves "out there".
And while the abuse I'd received was a clear example of how horrible the internet can sometimes be, I have to say the response I got to my blog post showed just how bloody lovely it can be as well.
Because as well as the supportive comments that were posted on my blog, I also received emails from people from all over the world, and tweets, as well as messages through other social media. Meanwhile a number of other sites ran parallel discussions about the online vitriol I'd been subjected to, all of them condemning the hate site in question and discussing ways the online community could help make the internet a more pleasant, welcoming space.
I was reminded of this better side of the internet yesterday, when I saw the response to Alice Pyne's "bucket list". For those who haven't heard, Alice is a 15-year-old with terminal cancer who has written a list of all the things she'd like to do or see before she dies. Alice's list includes things like "to meet Take That" or "to have a purple iPad", as well as "to make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor", and the response to it has been absolutely phenomenal. Last night, for example, #AliceBucketList was a trending topic on Twitter, with people all over the world discussing how they could help Alice achieve some of her dreams. The bone marrow register site has been inundated with people searching for information on how to become a donor, while Alice's blog has become a massive hit.
Of course there have been some cynical comments in among all the messages of support, but the overwhelming response has been wonderful, and has shown the internet at its very best. It's shown that while sometimes the online world really can be a cesspit, it can also be a truly inspiring place, with people coming together from all over, united in a desire to actually do something good.
And it's this positive side of the internet that keeps me coming back, that means no matter how much abuse I receive from the trolls and the knuckle draggers, I'm not ready to give up on the online world just yet. Because in my albeit quite limited experience, the good far outweighs the bad, and for every example of internet abuse there are a dozen more examples of where the internet has come into its own.
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