Sometimes I despair of the Internet.
It’s midterm season, so you might think I despair of my propensity to spend hours on Facebook and Tumblr rather than studying for exams, but it isn’t so.
What troubles me is the way the Internet removes certain barriers for socializing by granting anonymity, thus removing in many instances any semblance of civility, honor, responsibility or respect for other people. It’s hard to see the humanity in a computer monitor.
Sometimes I revel in the Internet.
It can be a useful tool or a force to bring people of like minds together. It can be a way to disseminate information to a wide audience, keep up with current events, catch up with loved ones or simply look up adorable pictures of puppies and kittens.
Clearly, I have some ambivalence toward the brave new world of the Internet.
In some instances, however, I unequivocally embrace the Internet and all its storied feats and flaws.
After all, what would the Arab Spring have been without Twitter? What would Occupy Wall Street have turned into if the Internet hadn’t spread its story? How else would we know that the (apparently rigged) Russian elections saw a 107 percent turnout rate in Chechnya? Who would know how to take a screenshot of their computer screen without first using Google to look it up? Where would pet owners be if they couldn’t post videos of their cherished family dog on YouTube?
YouTube itself is a microcosm of the Internet at large. Millions of people from all walks of life log on every day.
If you’re like me, you probably watch a lot of random clips of your favorite TV shows that have gone off the air or the occasional sneezing baby panda video.
Sometimes, though, YouTube has something a little more historic in mind.
On March 3, the American Foundation for Equal Rights produced a live-streamed play based on the story of the case against California’s Proposition 8, which amended California’s state constitution to ban same-sex couples from receiving marriage licenses.
The play, written by Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black and directed by Rob Reiner, explores the background of the legal case Perry et al v. Schwarzenegger et al, filed in the 9th Circuit District Court in California.
Though a widely publicized trial, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the proceedings could not be broadcast via video. Thus, the transcripts of the trial were brought to life in “8.”
The play originally premiered on Broadway in September 2011. The world broadcast on YouTube starred a plethora of big Hollywood names – George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, George Takei, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jane Lynch.
The topic of same-sex marriage is fraught with much controversy and while the production is obviously slanted in favor of overturning the ban, the testimony and legal arguments discussed at length are of interest to both opponents and supporters of same-sex marriage.
Without the Internet, these kinds of issues with real-world impact would not receive the same level of reasoned, rational consideration they deserve.
We have a lot to be thankful for in the digital age.
For all the troubles the Internet brings to the surface, it remains a useful and inclusive tool. Now go enjoy some cat videos.
Reach the columnist at skthoma4@asu.edu
