Mon, 24 Jun 2002 23:41:57 GMT

by Charles Miller on June 25, 2002

jenett.radio read "Floodbots" and asks what makes Joe Loser tick?

Like the Force, the Internet has a light and dark side. The Dark Side of the Internet lies in its capacity to bestow power without responsibility. It's very easy to assault someone on the net, either through words or through network attacks, and remain anonymous and unaffected.

I hate to fall into stereotypes, but that sort of thing is really attractive to people who have lacked power in real life, who see themselves as victims, and thus (unconsciously) approach the Internet as a way to turn that around.

From a mature perspective, the power to destroy is the poor cousin of the power to create. And you'll find far more people trying to create things on the Internet than trying to destroy them. Barely a day goes by when I don't write something in my blog, livejournal or wiki. Sometimes, people even pay attention to something I say. It doesn't really matter, because it's knowing I'm building something that's important. But it's far easier to get noticed, far easier to have people pay attention to you if you're tearing something down.

Previously: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 23:22:49 GMT

Next: Wed, 26, Jun 2002 09:42:00 AM