Bazan 1

Melanie Bazan

Professor Beadle

English 115

04 December 2017

A Monstrous Reality Online (Revised)

Modern day life has become easier due the immense contribution of the Internet and there

is no doubt that Internet has made our life more convenient. Due to an increasing dependence on

technology, the Internet is seen as a necessary space that has risen like no other. The Internet, not

only, allows for communication, but it also ensures the ability to quickly find information,

images, and anything needed. Every day the internet continues to provide new ideas that are

convenient in order to make life easier for web users. Although there are advantages, it is also

considered to be a monstrous space with the numerous amount of negative effects that it carries.

The Internet contains some disadvantages such as hacking, and cyber bullying, which are seen as

monstrous when they are hidden by addiction. In addition, the fear of not being accepted into

society is another reason which demonstrates being brainwashed by platforms used daily. The

Internet contains anything and everything, which at times leads to danger. While the Internet

presents a convenience to society daily, the monstrous space uncovers the obsession of the online

world, which demonstrates the loss of traditional values.

The use of the Internet has led to an increase of distractions causing technology to

become addicting and time consuming. Relating to My Zombie Myself: Why Modern Life

Feels Rather Undead, written by Chuck Klosterman, Klosterman describes zombies as creatures

that simply seek to eat the brains of humans, which similarly relates to modern day and how
 Bazan 2

devices that use the space of the Internet are consuming humans as well (Klosterman 40).

Whether we as humans see it or not, the addiction of the Internet becomes a major consumption

to our lifestyle. Users of the internet are being consumed just as the figurative language used to

convey the idea of how dangerous it truly is. It brainwashes society into thinking that the usage,

which is considered to be an addiction, is normal and although it may not seem dangerous to all,

the constant usage hides the problem. The recent obsession of social media and the easy access

of it, uncovers the major reasoning to the the addictiveness. The constant use of the Internet has

led to anxiety, which is just one of the many effects given off whether it is waiting for an email,

looking up information, or deciding a caption for a post. This is a fear that society has created

due to their addiction to over use the power that is given. Users often become anxious due to

separation anxiety from the Internet whether the wifi connection is lost or just when the device

being used is dying. The modern day world has left a fear of how society is evolving more on a

basis of technology instead of real world problems that are faced every day.

The effects of the Internet through addiction has led to the fear of acceptance in society

where we as humans always tend to worry how many likes we got, or how creative a caption

was. The fear has led to an increase of stress that most tend to face and call real world problems

when in reality there is so much more in the world. This ties into one of the major fears that the

Internet has constantly seen throughout time, which is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a very

common form of bullying and as the use of technology has increased, it happens on a day to day

basis between the ages of 10-18, which often tends to lead to harmful outcomes. Personally, I

have been a victim of cyberbullying back in high school, my sophomore year. In high school, I

was very involved whether it was being vice president of my class, staying involved through

leadership or being on the water polo and swim team. Everyone had respect for me because I was
 Bazan 3

able to keep a 4.3 GPA and stay involved. I was a very positive girl, unsure of what bullying

really was until I was the one being treated poorly. One girl, who I trusted and believed was a

strong supporter of mine, turned out to be the complete opposite. She turned her back on me and

would start messaging me about the way I looked and always made me feel bad about myself.

Suddenly, I was not this positive girl anymore, I was confused as to why this all started. It had

me thinking, was she jealous or did I do something wrong? I knew it was becoming an issue

when teachers and my counselor started noticing a change in my attitude and personality, I

became shy and feared the Internet because I knew I would come back to more negativity that I

did not want. I was finally able to tell my counselor and got through it, which helped me get back

to my positive self, but I will never forget this part of my life because it has truly impacted the

way I view society due to how much the Internet is valued when in reality, it is a dangerous spot.

My personal experience not only haunts me on occasion, but also has changed the way I live. It

has given me the opportunity to reveal and expose the negative factors of the Internet.

Cyberbullying, or bullying in general is not a feeling anyone would ever want to feel, the pain

has left a mark on me whether I express it or not and it allows me to unmask the the reality of the

modern day. Modern day, as a result of the Internet, has made society become so judgemental

where any human often tends to disguise because of their fear of being harassed.

Not only does the Internet alter a persons mind, but the spread of it has overpopulated to

the extreme causing a change in the way humans communicate and think, making it a convenient

process. Although convenience is needed in how fast our society works, the high usage has led to

a lack of traditional values which are feared to be lost. Yes, evolution is a part of society

however, the rate we tend to move is a little too much for us to keep up with. The lack of face to

face communication is one of the many ways that traditional values are lost and zombies can
 Bazan 4

relate through being like the Internet and the media and every conversation we dont want to

have (Klosterman 42). The author attempts to provide a valid claim that demonstrated the way

modern day is changing in a negative manner. Also, as mentioned in Understanding Rhetoric,

in different social spaces affect how we communicate, which is evidently seen through the

differences of online conversations versus in person (Losh 2). Throughout time, the Internet has

evolved and it affects users in such a manner that abuse and take advantage of them. The loss of

traditional values in the way we communicate or learn has led to the monstrous fear of the

easiness of using a search engine while browsing on the Internet. Usually when people are stuck

on a question or they are just trying to figure out something they tend to look it up online. People

in modern day do not think, as laziness has been seen to be progressing due to the Internet since

it has become a reachable component. Instead of educating themselves, the search engine is there

to answer a question, which is an untraditional way of learning. This issue that is apparent can be

demonstrated through the use of online homework assignment whereas we get stuck and the

textbook becomes invisible, which leaves the only thing left, the search engine. In addition,

texting is used more than having face to face conversion however, it is seen to be unorthodox.

Not everyone sees the Internet as a monstrous space, but the troubles is has caused shows an

immense impact in a negative manner.

Throughout the years, the Internet has evolved and become more of a rapid growing

process that is a necessary source most people use because it assists efficiently, creating benefits

for them. However, there are many fears and disadvantages after accessing the Internet.

Although the internet is a daily necessity to almost all humans, the negative effects truly portray

the reality of how monstrous they can be through forms of addiction, laziness, and cyberbullying.

In addition, it reveals that although humans value the internet like no other, sometimes face to
 Bazan 5

face conversations or just educating yourself in a traditional manner are better methods to

communicate and learn. The use of the Internet has made humans change dramatically by being

brainwashed to become vulnerable in the world we live in due to the negative effects that it

carries. In addition, it has become accessible, in which everyone is able to be a part of this

consumption while in reality there needs to be a fix to society and the use of technology,

specifically the Internet.

 Bazan 6

Works Cited

Klosterman, Chuck. My Zombie Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead.

Monsters. edited by Hoffman, Andrew J. Bedford/St. Martins. 2016, pp. 40-42.

Losh, Elizabeth M., et al. Understanding Rhetoric: a Graphic Guide to Writing. 2nd ed.,

Bedford/St. Martins, 2017.