IMHO, the 'Net is only a reflection of what people from technologically advanced countries have always been like and always done.
People have always been subjective, biased, loud-mouthed, liars, stubborn, opinionated and extremist. They have also always self-medicated, decided what is 'truth' despite facts to the contrary, and so on.
The difference is simply that the 'Net is bigger and more people can access the information.
I don't see certain things as 'bad', such as that anybody can say anything - I LIKE this about the 'Net. I feel fairly strongly about freedom of speech. The humble Blog, for example, has been known to cause politicians and traditional/professional journalists to sit up and take note. No longer are a few of us grumbling about 'the state of things' over a beer and leaving it at that. We're having a say, and if the opinions are felt widely enough, those in authority have little choice but to listen.
So I don't see what's on the 'net as the problem, but rather how we
approach the Internet. There are still a significant amount of people that think it is a library. I approach it like stepping into a large room filled with people - some of these are weirdos, some perverts, some ignorant, others highly educated, others compassionate, and on and on.
The Internet is not academia, the Internet is just life, with warts and all. Long may it live.
