It's JUST the internet..

[boodie]

I am beginning to have serious issues with people who use the expression 'It's just the Internet' to excuse the fact that they have just totally disregarded someone elses feelings, like the medium allows you to get away with saying or doing almost anything you want because its 'just the 'net'. Sure this is a new medium, but that doesn't give anyone the right to forget that at the other end of the keyboard is also a living breathing person with feelings.

Slander laws exist to stop people from spreading lies and rumours about you, libel laws exist for the same reason, things people say can quickly be forgotten, but things in print have a habit of dagging around for many decades, and are able to resurface or be found by people, and the same goes for the internet, things you write about someone can hang around for years and years and with a bit of judicious googleizing can be found by anyone, who enters your name into a search engine.

When you can be SUED over something written in your blog by OTHER people.

When you can LOSE YOUR JOB over something you have written in your blog

When anonymous CYBER-BULLIES can ruin a teenagers life, driving him to thoughts of suicide

When your son MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED by someone he met off the internet.

Then it's no longer 'just the internet' is it.

I hear the phrase 'its just the internet' to excuse some of the most appalling behaviour by people who obviously think it's downright funny to screw with other peoples emotions and life, to those people, would you act the same in person to someone you didn't know, of course you wouldn't but you're free to be an arsehole of the highest order through the anonymity of your keyboard, and that speaks volumes about your maturity, intelligence and value system.

or lack thereof.

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