Sekty w sieci Internetu

Abstract

Nowadays, many young people satisfy their social needs in front of their computer screen. A more and more intense exchange goes on the internet; not only an exchange of goods and services, but of ideas. In the year 2000 the number of internet pages (websites) was estimated at about a half of a trillion. The net is also a place of spreading many extreme ideologies, destructive opinions, such as anti-rationalism, pseudo-science, occultism, even fascism, trockism, communism, and Stalinism. Narcotic gangs use the internet to communicate. The internet renders instructions on how to build a home-made bomb accessible and sells pornography. On the web everyone can be a journalist and establish his own newspaper, become an expert, and distribute free advice, advertise any kind of product, and offer any service. Both the internet and other, so called information and communication, technologies lead to the annulment of traditional (national, financial and cultural) borders, and at the same time weaken the functions of the state that existed up till now. These processes have an extremely important influence on reappearing and upgrading local and cultural identities (in a new sense and meaning). They make our “sense of place” relative. The internet in fact creates a world parallel to the traditional one. The network puts pressure on it, but at the same time it develops thanks to the network. Together with the internet, an info-sphere of the new generation, which in a fundamental way increased the volume of social memory, was born. This memory ceased to be dead and unchanging – it is broader and unlimited as never before, but at the same time active. This creates a new quality and new perspectives for mankind.