{"id":814,"date":"2020-11-06T12:02:56","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T12:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/?p=814"},"modified":"2020-11-06T12:04:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T12:04:24","slug":"opinion-how-did-the-internet-become-such-a-toxic-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/2020\/11\/06\/opinion-how-did-the-internet-become-such-a-toxic-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: How did the internet become such a toxic place?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Credit: Fortune<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I remember after long days in Year 7 I used to rush home and get a laptop out and sit and watch YouTube for hours on end. The likes of Zoella, Bethany Mota and Jenna Marbles were some of my \u201cfaves\u201d. But somewhere along the way the internet turned toxic. A place where hate lives and thrives, cancel culture was conceived, and apology videos were ruthlessly picked apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent weeks of social media and the internet have been undeniably toxic \u2013 meaning that it\u2019s nature is bound up in unnecessary hate and all things that fall under such a realm of sadness. Recently the understandable anger which arose from Jeremy Corbyn being found to say that Anti-Semite claims in the Labour party were \u201coverstated\u201d filled my Twitter timeline. People who I had followed for years were now airing their grievances (and sometimes having e-spats) online for the world to see. As Labour\u2019s members started to plummet the toxicity of my timeline grew at a seemingly exponential rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would normally switch off at this point and go see some friends. It\u2019s a good habit I have developed \u2013 as soon as something gets overwhelming I just leave. But as a new national lockdown comes into force the ability to escape to a friend\u2019s house has been snatched away from us once again. Doom scrolling, the term used to refer to the endless scrolling of the internet has plagued multiple generations these past months. Our phones are our only solace but can also be our worst enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next world event which bought a heaping of sadness and anxiety into a majority of people\u2019s lives is the US election. The result still remains undecided as I write this three days after the election took place. As America\u2019s future hangs in the balance my internet feed becomes a deluge of people trying to be heard. \u201cBut that\u2019s America\u2019s problem, not ours?\u201d I may hear you say. Wrong, America\u2019s future impacts our future, it is one of our greatest allies and has the largest economy in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story repeats \u2013 Biden and Trump supporters fighting till the [phone battery] death. Trump\u2019s tweets (which I follow to keep up to date on him) also fill my gloriously dread filled timeline adding that touch of \u201creliability\u201d. The nature of this event is so mismanaged there was no doubt going to be an internet storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The internet was once a great thing; it was a true wholesome child of the 90\u2019s but has spawned into the grudge filled millennial you try to escape at every dinner party (if dinner parties were allowed in 2020). It still is great in some ways. It\u2019s a fantastic resource of information but it can be detrimental to your health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019m trying to get at is: I wish I was in Year 7 again when I probably didn\u2019t even know the word \u201ctoxic\u201d could be associated with an entity like the internet. Remember to take a break off the internet if you need to. Stick some Netflix on and forget about the world for however long you desire. Rest, re-cooperate and most importantly look after yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amber, OUT [mic drop].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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