Internet communities can be very helpful and informational. They allow you to connect with people of similar backgrounds or interests all over the world. In my case I decided to join a community focused around people who have the same medical condition as me. I thought that this would be a good way to share experiences and stories about our strugals and triumphs. People who are just being diagnosed and feeling depressed can get support from others who have already been there. Or people who have known for years and are going through a hard patch can just get their voice heard. General frustrations can be voiced as well. At first I really liked joining the community and it was nice to connect with other people and see what they were doing. It was nice to know that I wasn’t alone and I could turn to people for advice that was gained through their own experiences and not just the word of a doctor or someone who doesn’t have first hand experience.
After some time there were some things that I did not like about the community. One was that some people were convinced that they knew all the answers and that their way was the only way. Instead of giving advice in a helpful way they would give it in a judgmental criticizing way. Also, there is the saying “misery loves company” and it’s true. Some people just join these communities to feel sorry for themselves and bring others down with them. It could be frustrating at times to try and communicate with people and the same people would be just leaving their discouraging remakes. That really wasn’t what people were there for, but you can’t control what others say or do. Also, there was still some poor information provided. Since people would just use the internet to research things and decide that what they found was fact, and regurgitate it to the community. This was particularly frustrating because if you were to try and correct someone, they would get really defensive even if you were just trying to help. I did not want false information being passed on and the others/newer people to the condition being misinformed.
This week Postman talked about doctors being too reliant on machines for answers. This happens a lot in the modern world. We rely on all sorts of sources of technology for answers and don’t really question their validity or supplement them with other information. This can be a very dangerous trend in society. In relation to internet communities and my experiences with them I can see how many people could turn to these sources for answers. It’s important not to forget about the world around us and the other resources we have. Technology can not give us all the answers. After all, humans existed before any of these things came along. Doctors had to rely on their own hands for diagnosis. Even though the fatality rate was higher, as some things are difficult to diagnose without being supplemented by diagnostic tests, there were still able to treat many people successfully. We should let technology aid us, not take over.
February 20, 2009 at 1:59 pm
One of the issues with online communities that offer help and advice is that you can never know for sure if it’s 100% true or not. When reading it most people want to think it’s correct and that poster is giving out the right information, but you can never know for sure, unless they give you more personal information about themselves that backs up their response. Like if they told you they were a doctor of some sort and you were on a hospital forum and there was more information about them that you could read and see, then it might be more convincing than if it were just from a random person with no credentials.