So I read a social issue study, which said that we as a society now say we have a lot more friends through social networking websites than we had before the Internet, but that they’re not CLOSE friends. And in fact, in our culture we have fewer close friends than we had before the Interwebbage. With so many more media alternatives out there, HOW are we growing smaller in our social circles? It’s the old quality versus quantity thing going on in this here study, folks. I tend to agree that friends known to us solely online can’t possibly be good, close friends, because much of our communication is lost in Internet translation. Humor, sarcasm, and the depth of real emotion are all lost in email, IM, texts, and otherwise. However, I have definitely connected with more people on a lesser level online, and made some relevant, meaningful connections. And no, I’ve never Internet dated so just RELAX on that tip. That’s a whole other social issue. I think Internet relationships are all good and fine and people should continue exploring this new social phenomenon. However, we really shouldn’t confuse online relationships for real, face-to-face ones, nor should we forget how import those carbon-based connections are. [More] [Less] |
