According to Statista, over the last two decades, the number of internet users has been growing rather steadily. As of last year, there were reportedly roughly 5.5 billion of them in the world, representing close to 70% of the population.
With numbers this huge, it’s safe to assume that millions of them log in for the funny content, which there is undoubtedly an abundance of online. But there is arguably more than just humor that attracts us to the internet.
According to Dr. Noam Shpancer, professor of psychology at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, the internet technology draws us in by tapping into four elements that are inherently attractive to human beings: information, immediacy, connection, and novelty. “We like answers to questions, and the internet has them; we like speedy gratifications—one click takes you to an answer; we like to connect with people, our friends, but also role models and interesting strangers; we like novelty and are stimulated by it. The internet offers endless variants of whatever stimuli you enjoy,” he told Bored Panda in a recent interview.
Talking about the ways the internet affects our psychological well-being, Dr. Shpancer suggested that, like all technology, it can be used for good or ill. “The effects of internet use will depend on several factors, including rate, context, and purpose of use,” he said.
“If you use it too much, it may negatively affect your mood and or distract you from important life tasks. If you use it in the wrong time or place, it may hinder your learning or create conflict; if you use it for illicit purposes, you will inflict damage on society.”
The same way the internet can be used for good or ill, it has certain advantages and disadvantages, too. According to Dr. Shpancer, the main one of the former is that it provides everyone with access to information, something that in the past was the domain of the privileged few. However, there are disadvantages, too, starting with the fact that it does not sort good from bad information. “And since bad information is easier to produce than good information, over time it comes to dominate the digital space, sewing confusion,” Prof. Shpancer noted.
“Another advantage is that it allows people to connect where in the past they wouldn’t be able to, and helps maintain connections that would otherwise wither. A disadvantage is that it may reduce people’s reliance on face-to-face contact, which has unique psychological and social benefits,” Dr. Shpancer continued.
“Another advantage is that the abundance of available connections on the internet—for example, in online dating—may provide people with a rich array of options. The disadvantage here is that over-abundance is stressful for human beings, and tends to reduce our confidence and satisfaction in our decisions.”
“Another advantage is that the internet raises work efficiency in many areas. A disadvantage is that as we become reliant on digital communication, records, and processes we also become more vulnerable to digital attacks, which may come from anywhere,” Dr. Shpancer continued. “My file cabinet may be burglarized only by local thieves. My digital data may be burglarized by thieves from anywhere in the world.”
If there is one thing on the internet people should—and many arguably already do—take advantage of, it’s humor and the abundance of memes and other kinds of funny content that is shared online.
“People like to laugh,” Dr. Shpancer told Bored Panda. “Humor elevates mood, reduces stress, and delights our senses—particularly through the element of a pleasant surprise—and facilitates interpersonal connection.
“A genuine laugh can’t be willed, it has to be elicited, and we tend to feel closer to, and good about, those who elicit it for us. If we are both in on the joke, we both get it, then we are in essence allies. It feels good—and is also essential to our psychological health—to have genuine allies.”
If you enjoy browsing online and want to make use of all the benefits a good fit of laughter can bring, you might want to check out Bored Panda’s category for all things funny for more similar content that ought to make you chuckle. Happy scrolling!