So, lately I've been more aware of people's comments on the internet and most the time I have to ask myself how can so many people be this unintelligent? Now there are plenty of people on the internet far more intelligent then myself, I mean I just have too look at some mathematics articles on Wikipedia and I know I'm bested. But, the lack of intelligence from so many people is disconcerting.
I just recently started reading more than the top two comments on YouTube and wow, so many comments that try to be funny, or riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes. You get stuff like this:
1.) Someone trying to make a humorous comment but when you read the comment you can tell the person is trying too hard. Trying to hard to be edgy, cool, funny, etc.
2.) Someone trying to make a humorous comment by obliviously copying and then slightly modifying the top comment or an already overly repeated joke. This person modifies the joke just slightly as if that will be enough to get a laugh. This comment is made even worse when there are five or more of the same joke on the same page.
3.) Commenting in spoken word. Here's an example of what I mean:
commenter12345 says: Like... wow.... just.... words don't even.. huh I can't believe these... people... they are so crrrrazzzy!!! o.0... like uh how???
That one irks me a lot. I see it here on the Armor Games forums too. Please, stop using random ellipses, which indicate omission of text in a quote or a slight pause in speech. Often I see people put in the ellipses where pauses shouldn't go. An ellipsis can work and make a written sentence come across more as spoken word, but only if it's in the right spot.
But it's not just comments that are getting to me either, lately I've been play Dawn of the Dragons and there is an in game chat, I usually ask people for advice in the chat. I like to look up game strategy myself or confirm someone else's advice with my own research. I don't know how many times I've had players, many levels higher than my own, give me spotty or poor advice.
There have also been many times I try to talk game strategy with someone, point out a flaw in a current game strategy, or purpose a new strategy. Often it's like the other person doesn't confirm or oppose my strategy. Instead my strategy goes over their head and they talk down to me like I don't know what I'm saying. When usually they are missing the finer point of what I'm saying. Take this hypothetical example:
Reton (Me): So I see a player's BSI score is the sum of attack plus defence divided by the player's level. Would it be a good strategy to level until around 150 and then only gain attack and defence points in ways that don't gain you experience. You wouldn't be growing levels and BSI would only go up.
"Expert" 1: Keep BSI high for PvP and LSI for leveling.
"Expert" 2: You want to keep you LSI at 7 and the BSI is used for PvP.
"Expert" 3: You need to farm raids to get stat points for your BSI.
It's like these people don't read what I say, talk down to me like I'm a newb, and then regurgitate something they read in a guide. Way to miss the point. I had someone argue with me on the Dawn of the Dragons forums when we agreed on the subject at hand, all because they weren't bothering to read what I had said.
It's sad to see so many people who just don't pay attention or come across unintelligent. I guess that's why average people are average, it's easier to be average than go above and beyond, but really these many people? That's why I ask, is it just me?
...Why would you use hash tags outside of twitter? It's just tasteless. =P
Anyways, it's not just you, Reton. I'm sure that a myriad of people, intelligent or not, were already aware of the "lack of intelligence" on the internet. I believe that the average IQ of people are dropping, and there is simply no way to avoid that. Ironically, it's because we're so advanced in technology and so large in population. Today's technology has allowed the average Joe the ability to go throughout his day without even processing a thought.
Calculators for math, spell check for English, and even looking up things in the Internet itself only to regurgitate what you saw and forget any information that you've received. I suppose the immense luxuries that have been afforded to us had made us too lax. Also, remember, what does luxury bestow upon you? Time. What do you do with all this extra time? Browse the Internet. Why aren't there too many intelligent people on the internet? Because they don't have the same amount of time due to the fact that they're usually doing something productive instead of posting a status update about what they ate.
You have to consider that the internet is the average man's paradise, a sort of place where they don't need to have perfect English all of the time and correct themselves or else their teacher will give them a failing grade. A place where they roam free, like wild animals feasting on gumdrop flavored grass and candied apples as they frolic upon the golden sunflowers and daisies that are showered by rainbows and sunshine. A land that promises absolute bliss and euphoria. Now, also consider that while this is true for many, some feel the need to go into these fields stripped naked without a care in the world, and others bring their survival kit and Bear Grylls video tapes.
You can take the stripped man in this analogy as the vast majority with no sense of grammar, and the equipped people as the ones that DO care about it.
Bad comparison? Maybe so, but you get my point. Anyways, don't take anything of what somebody says on the internet in spite just because of a few intentional grammar and spelling mistakes. Chances are, they're just lazy individuals that want to kickback and relax instead of being lectured by people that have good linguistic skills. Well, that's what I think, anyways.
If you feel the need to, by all means, educate the ignorant people out there if you want to see change.
Why aren't there too many intelligent people on the internet? Because they don't have the same amount of time due to the fact that they're usually doing something productive instead of posting a status update about what they ate.
True, I didn't even consider this when I was posting, but makes a lot of sense. The people with the most time to do nothing but surf the web, probably are the ones either slacking the most or with less important things to do. Maybe not always the case, but I can definitely see it.
That one irks me a lot. I see it here on the Armor Games forums too. Please, stop using random ellipses, which indicate omission of text in a quote or a slight pause in speech. Often I see people put in the ellipses where pauses shouldn't go. An ellipsis can work and make a written sentence come across more as spoken word, but only if it's in the right spot.
I'd like to take this moment to praise myself for being one of few people that can pull of the spoken word text/ellipsis.
Now there are plenty of people on the internet far more intelligent then myself
LoL I'm glad you admitted that much.
Someone trying to make a humorous comment but when you read the comment you can tell the person is trying too hard. Trying to hard to be edgy, cool, funny, etc.
I know what you mean. The race for top comment never ends, people try everything.
I'd like to take this moment to praise myself for being one of few people that can pull of the spoken word text/ellipsis.
I'm the other guy that can successfully pull it off, but no one cares.... *sniff*
...Why would you use hash tags outside of twitter? It's just tasteless. =P
I know, right? #clueless
Because in life, there are three kinds of people: Those who nothing, those who know nothings but pretend they know something, and those who know something.
The vast majority of people are in the first two categories.
I feel much of the blame can be placed on so iety constantly preaching who everyone is unique/amazing/spectacular. There is nothing wrong with praise, so long as it's deserved. Unfortunately the average shmuck think that because his teacher said he was smart, he must be the smartest person around. Throw in the fact that any information you could ever need can be found on the internet, and well... You know how it goes.
Perhaps if we were honest with people, things might go better. "No Johnny, the root of 16 is not 5. And I know you want to be a NASA engineer, but a failure Like that probably would have cost billions of dollar, potentially several human lives, and your job. You should study more; enjoy your 'F.'" But instead, they get an 'A+' for effort and get shoved off to the next teacher, who now has to put up with an even more delusional student.
I have friends who are applying to MIT... With 3.0 GPAs. And it's somehow socially unacceptible for me to tell them that they're not likely going to get in? Rather than artificially inflating expectations with the phrase "You can do anything you want," allow me to add the addendum "So long as you have the capacity, which you probably don't."
Realism: a hard lesson to learn, but one of the utmost value.
