Blog #10

While mass media opened up so many opportunities, at the same time there is an overwhelming amount of information that can drive a not so good way of thinking. It can change our beliefs of what is morally right and what is morally wrong. I think the internet has an incredibly powerful influence on our morals, and thus our actions, both individually and collectively. There are so many cases of how something that starts out with an individual can become an epidemic that affects the entire population. A problematic and recent trend that I believe started from the internet is spike in mass school shootings. It wasn't until I was in high school that I started to hear about school shootings and it's crazy to think that now parents have to fear for their kid's lives in what should be a safe setting. School can be rough and it doesn't get any easier if home doesn't feel like a sanctuary. So many children live in households where their parents are either divorced or constantly busy with work. They may feel like they don't have a voice, are not being acknowledged or that there isn't anyone they can connect with. It could be a number of things. They don't have faith in authority and feel as if they need to bring matters into their own hands. The internet offers a plethora of information as well as communities that bring like minded people together. It's not hard to find news on violence or cases in history where mass shootings were used to send out a message. Online communities full of children who are frustrated and angry can become a catalyst for violence. The scary thing is that once news of one mass school shooting has gone viral, its not long before another angry children might take it as inspiration. There is a generation of angry kids who feel suppressed and powerless against the authority figures who are supposed to be supporting them. As we get more and more media coverage of mass shootings, it is not hard to imagine more people starting to think that guns seem to be an effective outlet. While it's great that the internet allows so many people access to information and a sense of community, in this case, the internet has turned the anger of teenagers into an epidemic with fatal consequences.