The internet really expands your network reach

I’m writing this as I attend an online Zoom call arranged by people I don’t really know, and I only joined the event because I saw the post on my feed. Most of the people joining are not near my current timezone. (It’s also technically early morning as I write this, so… not really a normal time for people to join online events from where I’m at 😆)

This is not a commentary on the content of the call per se, but more of a realization I came to when the host asked where people were tuning in from. I know I’ve asked that question myself when I host online events, and I’ve also answered that question lots of times as well.

It only really dawned on me earlier, though.

It’s amazing—and also terrifying—how easily you can access other people nowadays because of the internet. You can talk to someone who’s at a location that you wouldn’t have even been aware of or would consider visiting because you can just chat them up online. And the same goes for those people you meet: as you go around the web, you carry with yourself a little flag or a little badge representing where you are (assuming you share or mention it, whichever way you want to be represented).

I’m also realizing now that online webinars or calls are essentially podcast episodes, minus background music or ads. 😛 So, considering the remote work setup… I guess that’s the reason why I don’t feel inclined to listen to podcasts? Because it reminds me of work too much? I don’t know. I just felt like mentioning that here 😆

Going back to the realization, it’s both a pro and a con. It’s both amazing and alarming depending how you look at it or what you’re considering.

On one hand, it’s super cool to get to know people you wouldn’t even have had the chance to meet had it not been for the internet, regardless if they’re just within the same city as you or are a bajillion kilometers away. Friendships can continue across borders. Relationships form and strengthen. More opportunities open.

On the other hand, it’s also scary how many people could potentially see something you’ve shared and interact with it. People who don’t know you at all. People who are from different cultures, different contexts. People you wouldn’t have thought you’d interact with or see their thoughts on things. But because the internet is what it is, there is equal opportunity for both the good and the bad things.

Where am I going with this? Nothing really, just a reminder of how times really are different now than it was before the internet. And before smartphones. And before the big social media networks. Communities are still mostly the same though, as they are made up of people. But I guess communities can also form and evolve depending on the medium where it’s held. Whether that’s for bad or good, depends on those who are a part of it.

Personally, I just hope I can extend some care and kindness in the way I do my best to exercise it “offline” or in real life. Though technically speaking, given how tied our lives are to the online world, that is now part of real life, too…

I’m writing this as my own reminder that I can choose what I interact with. If I choose to include online things as part of my “real life”, then I should exercise the same amount of agency I do with interactions I do “offline”. And so long as there’s a will, there is always a way.

But as things are done, there are also consequences. So best not to forget those too as we continue to go on in life.

You have reached the end of the musings of someone still awake past 2AM. I’m gonna end it here, as I have a big day ahead of me 😆