The Internet is a vast and terrifying place where some go to do research, some go to go on social media, and others go to find the latest “dankest” memes and different gags. My generation has grown up with the Internet, which can be both a great and awful thing, depending on how it is used.

When the Internet first came into existence, it was used to find information and help make the world an easier, and overall, better place; but has it? Can we honestly say that society has bettered from the Internet?

As more and more kids start to grow up, one can really start to see a negative correlation appear. More and more jokes are made about very sensitive issues in order to make light of not-so-easy-to-handle situations. Many people do not understand, or choose not to, the severity of this. It’s come to a point where one can make sick minded jokes about civil rights, promote blatant disrespect, make jokes about race, and talk about racial superiority as though its “cool”.

Not a day goes by where I don’t see at least one thing that pokes fun at the mentally handicapped, women, the LGBTQ community, or people of different races. Now, before you say, “lighten up” or “take a joke”, I want you to think. Think about all the years of suffering these different groups have/are going through. Does their struggle mean so little that we can just

makes jokes about it?

Do you honestly think it’s somehow okay to joke about that? Regardless if it is a joke or not, it is offensive, and completely disrespectful. But I suppose that in this generation it is okay to be offensive, and disregard the emotional well being of others, right? It’s cool to be politically incorrect! Right?

Many may not think about this, and find it to be “not a big deal” because it’s only a joke, but it really is. With younger and younger generations having internet access, they see this and think that it’s okay, and then continue to be the way the internet perceives is fine. This then carries over into their adult lives, creating a large group of adults that are taught to make fun of everyone, and not show any respect to anyone.

Now, maybe I’m just grasping at straws, but I can’t help but think that this somehow influenced this last presidential election. I mean, look at the voter turnout. Over 15,000 votes for Harambe, the gorilla that was shot and then immortalized as a meme, 22,000 votes for Cthulhu, and 37,400 for “S.M.O.D.” the “sweet meteor of death”. So I suppose the question remains, has the internet really benefited society?