Douglas Groothuis

In the following viewpoint, Douglas Groothuis contends that the Internet does not provide the trust and human interaction necessary to build community. He asserts that the anonymous nature of Internet speech encourages deceit and hate speech. Furthermore, Groothuis maintains that not everyone has the economic resources to buy the new technology or the expertise to use it. Douglas Groothuis is assistant professor of philosophy of religion and ethics at Denver Seminary and author of the book The Soul in Cyberspace, from which this article is adapted.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What pranks does Groothuis describe in order to illustrate that the Internet is conducive to deception?
2. According to the author, why does the adage “seeing is believing” not apply to the Internet?
3. What are “media viruses...