Yesterday, Yahoo News is reporting that in a recent study many Americans are now giving up on sex and friends for the Internet. Not that any of this is surprising, but it is scary.
In the study many people reported that "They felt disconnected from the world, from their friends and family" when they are forced to go offline. This has lead me to evaluate my own us of the Internet and whether the Internet could be considered addictive. And I have to say that it is.
At times, I've felt cut off from the world when I couldn't use my computer and I know that I have personally put off activities to go online. (I admit it.) Is it wrong to do this? Probably. If going online is negatively effecting yourself or others then it probably is, but perhaps this change towards people going online is a good thing, as it shows me that people really want to have community.
For decades now, people have been living somewhat isolated lives with no real significant relationships. Just think about your relationship with your neighbors. How many of you regularly talk to and have over for dinner your neighbors? Some of you probably have good relationships with their neighbors, but some don't. In my neighborhood, I use to have a lot of friends that I ran around with as a kid. But they all moved away and since then I haven't really had much contact with my neighbors. I say hi and I know some of them by name but beyond that I really don't know them.
So, whether it is a good thing or not that people are giving up on life for the Internet I just don't know.
No comments:
Post a Comment