40 People On The Greatest Thing They Learned About Life From The Internet
1. Vanessa, 26
There’s so much to learn and discover on the internet; but the first and most important lesson: learning how to tear yourself away from Facebook.
2. Valerie, 21
The internet tries so hard to steer everyone in a “right” direction, saying what to do to best achieve a fulfilled and successful life. In reality, the right thing is the most simplest — just do what makes you happy.
3. Eugenia, 27
I learned that there’s a place for everything. Try things. Just try them. Someone is watching for sure. It won’t be wasted time.
4. Kayla, 19
The greatest think I learned in life from the internet is that there are millions of people obsessed with the same bizarre crap that I am. Thank you, Tumblr.
5. Meghan, 20
Mine is a quote by Andrew Murray that I found online: “Humility is the quietness of the heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel that nothing is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”
6. Lauren, 22
I’m not alone, nobody is alone! From weird habits to sense of humor to how I’m feeling, there’s always someone who shares it with me.
7. Tali, 23
One of the most important lessons I have learned from the Internet is to love and respect my body no matter what. It sounds so cliche, but seeing people constantly posting body positive things and telling societal standards to fuck off has improved my self-esteem so much.
8. Kate, 21
The rude internet commenters are in the minority. When you get out in the real world, people will surprise you in a good way.
9. Katherine, 22
I learned that somewhere, someone, or someTHING will always remember what you said. So be conscious and ALWAYS think twice before hitting send (or shouting something at your ex-best friend).
10. Angie, 26
Think before you tweet, Google before you assert, and never feed the trolls.
11. Elizabeth, 21
I am amazed at the curiosity of humankind and their capacity for knowledge and willingness to connect to others. When my five year old brother asks me to show him a picture of the Bolivian or Grecian flag, or wants to know what a bill shark looks like, not only am I shocked by these precocious questions, but I am also amazed that I have the technology at my fingertips to foster that kind of learning and creativity. I think that the Internet has influenced how human interaction occurs and has widened our scope of knowledge as a species, in turn making (some of us) more accepting and open-minded individuals.
12. Courtney, 23
I’ve learned to appreciate “real” time with people in my life so much more. Even when I feel like utter shit, talking face to face, sharing the same space with another person is one hundred percent more rewarding than doing so through a screen; both are connections, but only one feels authentic.
13. Krissy, 26
It’s totally ok to Google stalk yourself and see what other people are seeing, because let’s face it — someone’s typing your name into their search browser right now. Seriously, you never know what gems you’ll find (like this, which is my all-time favorite self-internet search discovery ever).
14. Asbo, 20
I’ve learned how to look at my environment with the same hunger as I do those that I see plastered all over the internet. I’ve learned to look at people with wonder, wonder of how their lives are colored. I’ve learned that there are more people like me, all over.
15. Sasha, 25
You’re not alone in this big, bad world.
16. Sarah, 22
You are never alone. Someone, somewhere, shares your enthusiasm or your fears or your desires.
17. Amanda, 25
No matter how weird you think you are, there is always someone weirder than you.
18. Kyle, 29
The best part about finding other people like you is the fact that — with Skype and emails and messaging — you can build a whole friendship, even far away.
19. Susanna, 21
I don’t have to be afraid of being a woman, and being girly, and having feminine interests. It doesn’t mean that I’m weak or dumb or less worthy, and I can still be an active feminist.
20. Kelcey, 21
There are always going to be people that aren’t going to like you, and will do whatever they can to tear you apart. You can try to be perfect as long as you like, but you are never going to please everyone.
21. Ashley, 21
That, despite the posts on your never-ending news feeds, life is not a race, and no one has the same finish line.
22. Thenia, 20
What I learned on the internet is that you can pretend you are the richest, most popular person, when in reality you live a miserable and poor life. It’s amazing how you can become anything you want behind your computer screen.
23. Sijtje, 16
To be open minded at all times, and that I shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for the things that are important to me.
24. Olivia, 18
I learned that nothing brings people closer or helps you find kindred spirits more than a mutual love and/or obsession of the same thing — be it music, TV, or anything else.
25. Eric, 28
The best part of being online is being to close your computer at the end of it — especially if you’re stressed out over something — and remember that the real people who matter and the life you’ve created don’t have to exist on some profile page.
26. Stephanie, 22
With the Internet, I have the ability to write or post something online that exists solely in cyberspace, thus becoming a part of my virtual identity, but it also has the ability to make others (or myself) react emotionally in the offline world, where it is also part of my embodied identity. Through this, I’ve learned that there is no such thing as “real life” equating to being offline, the virtual and the “real” aspects of life have now blurred into one complex, multiple system of identities that I (and others) possess, thanks to this wonderful, convenient, and confusing world of the Internet.
27. Katie, 20
The greatest thing I learned about life from the Internet, is that it’s better enjoyed when there is none.
28. Simone, 17
The greatest thing the Internet taught me about life is that even having instant communication doesn’t guarantee a long lasting relationship; it takes a hell of a lot more than a Facebook or Twitter to keep a friendship or a romance going.
29. Dana, 21
I learned to not believe everything I read and hear. Many things are not as they appear when taken at face value, on a screen or elsewhere.
30. Mike, 24
Meeting old friends again is awesome and can happen a lot with social media, but some of those relationships were meant to die. They’re just being kept on life support when you have nothing more in common.
31. Stina, 25
The greatest thing I learned about life from the Internet is that I am not tied down to any place I don’t want to be. I grew up thinking I was stuck in my hometown and meant to grow into one of the limited jobs it had to offer. The Internet introduced me to people all over the world who picked up and changed their lives.
32. Katie, 26
There is always so much more to learn! And the best way to learn is to keep exploring- you never know what interesting find will be around the corner.
33. Mark, 32
You never stop learning, even when you think you know all there is to know about a particular subject or interest. There is always someone who can teach you something, and they probably have a website you can visit.
34. George, 19
That we give people too much credit
35. Allie, 29
Your friends are all trying really hard to put out a good image, so you don’t have to feel like you’re faking it all the time. Everyone’s faking it, and that’s okay. What happens on social media doesn’t really count anyway.
36. Pilar, 30
People are shallow and boring, and being online brings it out more in them.
37. Michael, 24
Don’t trust everything you see on the internet. Don’t trust everything you read. Because you can be anyone online, and people are trusting.
38. Sarah, 20
There are a lot of things you could get depressed about if you wanted to, but there is just so much more beauty out there to outweigh the bad. And with the internet, we can see it every day if we want to. We can find endless stories of all the good people are doing in the world every day.
39. Elia, 22
Profile pictures are very, very deceiving, so you might as well go out on a date with them if their messages seem interesting.
40. Nico, 25
Never send dick pics. Ever.