Discussion, opinions | What we took from you

What I fear most about my kids meeting the Internet are not people with nefarious intentions.

Don’t get me wrong here now; Of course I wouldn’t wish that on them and would do everything in my power to avoid that. However, I think it is much less likely than I worry about it; Namely, algorithms make it tight.

As a society, we’ve built constructs, cookie by cookie, that mean the more you look at a certain thing, the more you see the same thing. Social media, streaming services, and large parts of the internet are built like this. Have you seen this? Then you will love this!

This is how we lull ourselves into the nocturnal song of the Internet, into a black-and-white dreamland where all rooms are echo chambers and all middle roads are as narrow as sewing threads, while trench edges are as wide as football fields.

“Your Mind Is Free” is a classic sung at humanitarian affirmation ceremonies, and for good reason—this is an important message to deliver to the rising generation:

Your thinking is free, who do you think will find.

He flees, as the shadows disappear.

It cannot be burned as enemies know it.

And so it will always be: your ideas are free!

But when we give a child, teen or adult free access to the Internet, without insight into how the algorithms work, their thinking is no longer free. Thought is captured in the palm of the algorithms.

There is a lot of talk about algorithms, but in and of themselves they are not scary: they are a prescription for what a computer should do. If this happens, do this. As long as this happens, do this. Because every time this happens, do this.

By itself, the idea behind many algorithms is also good; It will make the Internet more convenient for us as users. We will get more of what we like faster. But do algorithms appreciate the gift package of provocation to the brain? Maybe a little, with the fiercest debaters in the comments fields? Or do algorithms influence us?

Earlier this summer, after another dinner party that ended with unhappy kids, I asked my seven-year-old to tell me what he liked at dinner. He can piss me off: sausage. Pizza. hamburger tomato soup. macaroni.

If my seven-year-old only gets what he likes, he can’t expand his horizons and his body won’t get what it needs.

If my seven-year-old, or any human being, is offered only what he likes on the Internet, things he agrees with, or things he disagrees with terribly, his horizons will narrow and his brain won’t get what it needs.

Quietly and tactfully, we went into this together as a group. The Internet can do many good things! But beware your own trench edge, however fun it may be. Beware of echo chambers. And beware of a black/white world.

What we took from you – my beloved child.

We have ensnared your future in a web of greed.

We did not put cobblestones where the road should go.

We reaped our harvest, and we forgot to sow.

This is the chorus of Louis Jacobi’s song “Grandpa’s Wisdom – The Year 2020”. The song was written with an environmental perspective in mind, about a changing nature, but it still amazes me when I look at my four fair-haired sons, what a world we offer them. What did we take from them with all that we gave them?

What world would we prefer to give them when it comes to freeing their minds? I would choose a colorful world full of nuances, mutual respect and space for disagreements.

In the wake of JK Rowling’s statements about transgender people, a podcast called “The Witch Trials of JK Rowling” was released this winter, in which presenter Megan Phelps-Roper talks with both Rowling and people of the LGBTQ movement, and tries to highlight aspects of the controversy and its stories. The podcast was so interesting, not necessarily because I endorse everything that was said, but because it brought back the nuances.

It’s been a long time since I’ve noticed a subtle controversy. It was as if with every word I listened to, the discussion took on more and more color.

So what can we do next? Should we avoid the internet altogether?

Of course not, but the Internet, like any other tool, is extremely dangerous if used improperly. And the way things are now, the first meeting with the internet will be set up for many people to abuse. The wise thing is to teach youngsters, teens, adults, seniors – and not least ourselves – to use the tool with care. Confront the allegations that appear. You should not believe everything you read. Please note that you are most likely only reading one side of the story.

Then we can read a book instead. Since books make a difference in what the reader likes or dislikes, books always put the reader in another place. Don’t get more detailed than that.