How viable and healthy is the internet, from a socialization perspective?

Question

Do you feel that the internet has drawn us closer or made us more isolated from each other? Is it socially healthy to spend much of our time communicating on the internet? Is the internet a true means of communication or does it provide an artificial boundary from those with whom we communicate?

Answer 1

I feel like the internet has NOT drawn us closer. It is not the true means of communication and it does provide an artifical boundary from the people we communicate online. The internet is like a mask. You can do anything behind it online. But take it off, and what do you get? The true being that you can only see in real life and whom you call. Instant messaging, social networking websites, all that stuff...you can never truly communicate with people online with body and mind. It's impersonal.

Answer 2

i think it's a stepping stone, if you use it the right way. sometimes it can be so hard to be real or really get to know someone in the outside world. on line you can be you, free. it can feel safer to communicate which can in turn draw you closer and then you can move past the Internet.
others may use it as a boundary, afraid to deal with the reality.
i guess it depends on how healthy you are, not how healthy is the Internet.

Answer 3

the internet has made a lot more people from more diverse and far places connect but it provides no real intimacy, which is the basis for real, healthy relationships. it is an artificial barrier, especially text communication. communication is not just the words you use, but also the intonation and the body language one uses that accompany the words. one edits so much of what one says before posting on the internet that one portrays an image of what one wants people to think of them rather than being one's true self. it is not socially healthy to spend hours and hours on the internet.

Answer 4

i love the internet. ive expressed deep thoughts that i would never of told someone in real life.

the internet allows for true discussion forum. you can take what you want from the text, and leave the b.s., you dont have to defend your position, just throw it out there.

Answer 5

You have raised a good question about the viability of the Internet as a means of socialization.

If Internet was at all meant to be such a thing, it has outlived its usefulness. It is a far cry from warm personal friendships where you meet people and talk face to face.

Some e-mails make sense but most of them do not. I consider most of the messages a total waste of time, specially jokes and chain letters.

I would much rather spend my time more productively, surfing the Internet, reading latest news and researching on new topics. That way, I can also enjoy participating in Yahoo Q&A. Ii helps me build my knowledge base on a variety of topics.

Now that Internet phone calls are becoming popular, that makes more sense. Yahoo Messenger and Skype are typical examples of making cheap Internet phone calls. Those who have broadband ADSL connections, can benefit from these services but those with much slower dial-up connections cannot. Since this type of contact is also Internet-based, I feel we cannot do without the Internet.

The dark side of Internet is the Internet Addiction. It has now become so widespread that many studies have been conducted by universities about its causes and possible cures. Some well-known psychologists have also written well-researched article about Internet Addiction.

An increasing number of Internet users are now spending long hours staring at their computer screens. They are lost in a world of their own, forgetting about their need to eat and sleep in time. Their altered lifestyle makes them forget about maintaining social contact with people they know. They have come to be known as Internet Addicts. The more time they spend on the Internet, more withdrawn they become. They do not enjoy exchanging e-mails nor do they like to maintain their contacts with their friends. This type of self-imposed isolation in a way supports your question about the viability of the Internet from the perspective of socialization.

Let's not to write off the Internet and consign it to the dust bin. Every new technology that becomes popular, also declines when a better technology is available. So far, no other type of new communication technology seems as viable as the Internet.

If someone does not want to disclose his identity which, in your words looks like an "artificial boundary", I feel it is absolutely necessary to do so. We cannot protect our privacy on the Internet because it is a world wide open system of interconnected computers Anyone can snoop on you and track your activity on your computer keyboard, stroke by stroke.

Let's look at ourselves. Is it necessary for us to reveal our identities to exchange our views? You and I are total strangers but we are exchanging our ideas and opinions through the Internet openly because we are not using our real names in Yahoo Q&A. Could we have communicated with each other any other way without risking our privacy?

Teens get carried away playing online games, wasting their time in Internet cafes instead of paying attention to their studies.

Many adults, who seek romance on the Internet, get ripped of by the shady deals of people running match-making websites. When you see an ad suddenly a pop-up flashing on you computer screen about you having won lottery, you should know that it is the work of cyber criminals who will ask you for your personal details and credit card number. Through this type of cyberstalking, these criminals rake in millions of dollars from trusting and naive Internet users. A handful of them are caught but most of them get away.

There is also another type of annoying nuisance of unsolicited messages called spam. It fills your bulk mailbox daily. Even Bill Gates cannot block spam. He is reported to be getting tens of thousands of unwanted e-mails every day.

Is there is a better choice than e-mail when we exchange messages about our travel plans? This is the only way se can get details of international flights which are urgently needed by overseas friends and relatives who must receive someone on arrival at the airport. The use of fax machines is out of the question.

In the travel industry, on-line ticketing is gaining popularity as competition between budget and scheduled airlines intensifies. Slowly, small travel agencies are being squeezed out of business because customers want instant service at best possible prices. Such transactions can only be possible through Internet use because departing passengers, who buy tickets at low prices, need not waste time running to travel agents. They have the convenience of picking up their tickets on arrival at the airport from the reception desk of the airline. Doesn't it prove the usefulness of the Internet?

Banks are also promoting online transactions by waiving their service fees for on-line transactions and raising the cost of check books to minimize paperwork.

I have gone into pros and cons of Internet use to answer your question as clearly as possible. I hope it helps.