I was thinking today about all the "realities" the internet offers. Dating, chatting, buying, selling, and all the other "human" contact we experience while on the computer. Do you think the Net has enabled us to come closer as humans by exposing us to more people from more cultures OR do you think the Net has driven us further apart by chaining us to our computers? Or maybe a little of both? All thoughts and ideas welcome....
2006-06-27 07:28:50 · 14 answers · asked by purrpletoad 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
this link goes along with the subject....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060623/us_nm/life_friends_dc
whaddya think?
2006-06-27 10:34:42 · update #1
a little of both; and your question is very insightful!
the internet can help bring people together in a variance of ways, however; it can also break down the socialization of individuals as a community (unless we are speaking; the community on the net, of course).
I would also make note; that those with an addictive personality. should proubably stay clear of the net altogether; as this creates a whole other set of (entrapment) circumstances.
2006-06-27 07:34:18 · answer #1 · answered by amber 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For simple tasks like buying and selling, the Internet is a good tool as it gives you more potential customers and more access to supplies and products. The human touch is not a total necessity in these transactions, as long as payment is received for goods sold. It is a win-win situation.
For human relationships, while it is true that the Internet allows you to meet more people from around the world, it also allows for such a cloak of anonymity that I would tend to say it is an alternative reality. Sure, you may come across the odd person that is simply looking for friendship for shared interests. That is fine, but for love and intimacy, I would say buyer beware.
The internet has given us the illusion of dating and intimacy without really doing either. Human contact, touching, facial expressions, body language are essentials of a real connection with another human being. Without them, it is a mirage. Certainly we can feel close to someone through an Internet “relationship”, but the more important facets are missing. The very reason for the Internet’s appeal is that it can create an illusion without all of the aggravations that are components of reality. In a real relationship, you have good and bad days. There are financial concerns and day to day drudgery. You can always be in a good mood for those few special moments that you are relating in cyberspace. Anger, upset, and nastiness can be hidden in the shadows while chatting online. A person you feel good about may not be that person at all, but in fact a craftily built house of cards. I have often heard people saying the Internet is great because you see the real first person inside first. Only if he or she is telling the truth! So, in summary, I would say that there is no way the Internet is reality, unless everyone was telling the truth. Since that is not the case, it is an alternate universe.
2006-06-27 08:34:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, from what I can tell, most of the people on this place called "Earth" are a result of this fictional reality created through excessive lack of use of the Internet. If we get back to using the 'net more, I am sure it will go away.
2006-06-27 07:32:50 · answer #3 · answered by But why is the rum always gone? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that the net has opened a new world for many people allowing them to do things they never imagined to be possible.But on the other hand it has closed off some people by keeping them entertained .Now lots of people are sitting in front of the computer instead of living an outside life this also leads to obesity....
2006-06-27 07:34:12 · answer #4 · answered by kingtoocan 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, definitely. And in this new alternate reality, time and space are not so independent as they might at first seem. In fact, time and space are coupled so that time itself appears to change depending on whether you're moving or not. But wait, you can only be moving if time is passing.
So if time is passing faster as we are moving, then we might smack into each other very hard and get hurt. That would not make this alternate reality much better.
So you see, it brings us closer together but perhaps at too high a cost.
2006-06-27 07:35:21 · answer #5 · answered by bigdogthepirate 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES! Great point BTW - GREAT POINT. It is like another dimension! I think the Net has offered us a complelty new world to explore, we can create false identiies, play out fantasies, live completly different lives......it is amazing.
GREAT QUESTION!
2006-06-27 07:32:52 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
its like we live double lives. you can be anyone on the internet and still be yourself in the actual world. just depends on how caught up you get in the internet world in figuring out if you are chained to it or not.
2006-06-27 07:31:53 · answer #7 · answered by gunslinga 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We heard about these television/telephones way back before the day. That's really all it is. Oh, and maybe a little of Stephen King's "It" thrown in. They suck, really.
2006-06-27 07:36:30 · answer #8 · answered by rachelframecory 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't. I just think the internet helps you with the reality.
2006-06-27 07:30:18 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The internet is a map of Al Gore's nutsack.
2006-06-27 07:33:28 · answer #10 · answered by wicked_dump 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋