The internet has made us all into the same animal. We hide behind the anonymity of what we call the world wide web while we throw criticism and our opinions (this is an opinion piece as well) at issues at hand as well as statements made by the powers that be.
Now if we were to rewind the clock, say 20 years ago, having an opinion meant that you probably share it with your friends, your colleagues or your family members. The wider your social network, the more your message gets spread. Controlling information at the time was seemingly easier then.
Today, it seems that the control of information is really close to almost impossible with the availability of the internet. When I grew up, I read of parables where a someone of great significance once said that those who are without sin can be the first to throw a stone. This was said in a context of judgement.
And here we are, having our opinions said online, judging others based on their behaviours and life goes on and on, revolving around message-boards, chatrooms and social media. It particularly becomes more evident when it comes decisions that affect us, direct or indirectly.
For example, recently some guy at the top suggested that all cars be limited to a maximum of 110kmh. Thanks to that statement, the outrage on social media wasn’t extremely pleasant. The opposite can be seen when some other fella decides to suggest that the speed limit be increased.
There will be times when we ourselves will be at crossroads, to choose whether to make the right call or to make the popular call. And there will be a bunch of people who are waiting to condemn you. As they say, haters gonna hate. That statement will stand through regardless the situation because that is just us, human behaviour.
I am of the opinion that perhaps instead of making changes to the situation, perhaps we need to start making changes on the people side instead. Instead of placing more dustbins around, its about time we started changing people’s behaviour. It’s no easy feat but we need to start somewhere.
