The New Wild West

“The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.” - Eric Schmidt

The Internet has had a profound impact on our society. We have easy and ready access to all kinds of information. Social media allows us to connect with friends and loved ones a world away. Communication is wider, easier, and faster than ever.

But the flip side of every virtue is a fault, and the Internet is no different. In a lot of ways, it's an incredible jump in technological advancement and communication that has opened new frontiers, but left our laws behind. It's become the new Wild West, a legal quagmire.

Last week I experienced the negative side of the Internet — the place where ignorance and malice run free. A news story came out that involved people I know, and when I read the comments below it on Facebook and on the news site, I was appalled and saddened. One comment summed up the discussion for me, where a man threatened physical violence, intimating that the subject of the story would have to be taken out in a body bag if he crossed him, then ended his post with WWJD. Yes, What Would Jesus Do? Probably not leave someone in a state where they needed to be carried out in a body bag.

My wife wondered about commenting to stem the negative tide, but what's the point. Most of the people who comment on these sites aren't the kind of people that can be reasoned with.

Worse yet, the Internet has become a place of public shaming and ridicule. Cyber-bullying is a real threat, and not just to kids. Some stars have started to stand against it, but little headway is being made. And, worse yet, are laws and law enforcement officials are woefully ill-equipped to handle these threats.

I love watching John Oliver's show, "Last Week Tonight," because he captures some of these important stories in a thought provoking way. Last night he took on the issue of the Internet, and it was thought provoking and disturbing.

He closed his segment with a quote about the Internet, saying, "The Internet — A dark carnival of humanity's most wretched impulses." That might sound harsh, but it also seems accurate.

The Internet is a wonderful tool and a great human achievement, but it's also, as Eric Schmidt said, "the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had." And I don't see that dichotomy changing any time soon.