The ten internet commandments
that I wish I would've known a long time ago
Why didn’t anyone teach us how to get good at the internet?
I was left to fend for myself as a wee lad in the 1990’s. And, well, let’s just say I saw some things unfit for a Christian eye to endure.
So I started thinking about what my personal internet rules would be.
Now I know there’s a growing cohort of folks out there who will reject this entirely because they view the internet as a toxic place that we should resist spending so much time on.
Coming up with rules of thumb about how to use the internet better is like inmates fighting for better prison conditions.
Fair points.
But the genie’s out of the bottle.
Humans are horrible at predicting the future but one that I’m confident in is that the internet is not going away any time soon. If anything, the time we spend on the internet is only going to increase.
So we might as well get good at it.
Here’s my (humble) ten internet commandments that I wish someone would’ve shared with me a couple decades ago:
Thou shalt not worship any internet guru (no matter how many followers they have).
Thou shalt not post a comment that thou wouldn’t say to their face.
Thou shalt not steal content from others without proper attribution (with a hyperlink for good measure).
Remember anyone shilling a how-to-get-rich scheme on the internet is just getting rich off of you.
Thou shalt not covet thy favorite influencer’s life (everybody’s fighting a battle you know nothing about).
Thou shalt not give into the temptation of cancel culture so long as thou has done (or may eventually do) something worth the canceling.
Thou shalt not shop on the internet while under the influence (of caffeine, alcohol, and of course influencers).
Thou shalt not obtain all your information about the world from one source, one platform, or one voice (diversify your information sources to get closer to the truth).
Honor the sheer miracle of what the internet allows you to do whenever it freezes on you (can you give it a second?).
Thou shalt not blindly accept the information thou consumes from the internet as gospel (just because it exists on the internet does not make it true).
What did I miss?
I’ll see you on the interwebs.
Your thoughts? Comments? Complaints? Please leave a reply below.
I'd add one more commandment: Thou shalt not doomscroll before bed. Your sleep (and sanity) will thank you! 😂
Great list Arman!
I think it's wise to not comment on posts if you aren't willing to do it face-to-face. Also, I agree to not consume information from just one source. I'd like to add moderation is really important. We need to remember there's a real world out there, too.