How can the Internet be Dehumanizing if it's Made up of People?
Is the Internet dehumanizing? Tam at View From the Porch doesn't think so:
It certainly doesn't have to be. I read many blogs where people seem to have a sense of community, despite all the blog fighting. If you lost your internet connection, would you suffer a sleepless night about the lack of ability to talk with others like this guy?
While I have never lost sleep over the internet, I have to say that before the internet, I could count on one hand the number of people I felt I had anything in common with. I no longer feel that way, thanks to this wonderful machine, and to so many of you.
At this very moment, somewhere some pasty-faced academic is sweating out his dissertation on the dehumanizing impact of the 'web. I think he's barking up the wrong tree. How can it be dehumanizing when it's made of people?
It was late on a recent Saturday night, I was in a poopy mood, and I had just updated my blog and toddled off to bed. As my head hit the pillow, the phone rang. On the other end were traffic noises, the muted drone of a cop radio, and a Texas drawl: "Leonard Cohen, Tam? What's wrong?"
Don't tell me it's dehumanizing.
It certainly doesn't have to be. I read many blogs where people seem to have a sense of community, despite all the blog fighting. If you lost your internet connection, would you suffer a sleepless night about the lack of ability to talk with others like this guy?
Honestly, its a bit scary. Building a chunk of your life around something, and losing it suddenly. It's 'loss', in its classic terms. I think it's like a deep wound. Once you have lived through 'loss', the wound remains even if healed over. The scar is there and sensitive to pressure, even the smallest prod. Losing the internet and easy access to most of my friends was a strong prod to think about these issues.
Loss has been to visit before, and left scars. Last night was lonely, and difficult.
It may be time for me to back up and spend some time getting comfortable with 'me' again. Last night showed me that... at any time.... it may be all I have.
While I have never lost sleep over the internet, I have to say that before the internet, I could count on one hand the number of people I felt I had anything in common with. I no longer feel that way, thanks to this wonderful machine, and to so many of you.
posted by Helen at 1:44 PM
26 Comments:
I used to be very into an MMO a while ago. It was the first time I bother to really connect socially with people I didn't know over the internet.
I discovered that it wasn't dehumanizing at all, but it did result in me spending less time with acquaintances in real life that I wasn't too terribly fond of.
I ended up spending more time with people that I liked, granted, over the internet, than with people I really didn't in real space. The friendships I made in that community are real, and I look back on them just as fondly as I do other friendships. They were a bit different, but no less human.
There was the touch and go moment when a friend found out she was pregnant the day after she found out her husband was cheating on her. Births were celebrated. Deaths were morned. We just did it over forums, in game chat, and IM.
I've probably logged more hours on the Internet than anyone else around here. I've had the opportunity to meet in real life many of those who I met initially through Internet communication. One of my best friends I met online. What I have learned overall is that Internet relationships are very different than real life relationships. Very few Internet friends would be someone I would want to hang out with in real life. I know several Internet people that have morphed into basement dwellers dealing with people almost exclusively online, they have few real friends and have allowed their personal appearance to suffer and their social etiquette to vaporize.
Internet people can be kind and nice but they can turn on you in a heart beat. The Internet is fine but you should make every effort to keep up your circle of real live friends, lest you turn into one of these.
When I first went online 15 years ago I was looking for smart, funny, literate people. I had actually started to believe they didn't exist anymore.
Now I know they exist, even if they might not hang out with me in real life. It does mean something; at least now I acknowledge that there is intelligent life out there and have returned to a more healthy state of humility. And I am amazed at the ability of some people to project their personalities online without benefit of facial expression or emoticons.
You still need a real life, but I am heartened by the willingness of online friends to have meetups and start real friendships, where I would have expected more reclusiveness.
This story is very relevant.
I have met people online that I have loved, but when I met them in person I realized that their sentimental writing style, or warm friendliness, didn't translate in real life. One person wrote as the woman she wished she was, and not as the angry and aggressive person that she actually was.
That's pretty much the opposite of what one would expect, since so many people get on blogs and just drop the masks.
For the most part though, the internet has been great for finding support groups. And finding old real-life friends too.
What's a "real life?" Having interesting conversations, encountering disagreement, growing with others in your views, getting it wrong sometimes, etc.? That's the Internet. The Internet is real life.
People never said stuff like this when penpals were the only way to communicate over long distances. Penpal relationships were seen as advantageous and enlightening. So is the Internet. The Internet is real life.
And Dr. Helen, thanks for your wonderful blog. It's read every day in my house.
Real Life: A polite way of saying "the meat space".
I first signed on in the late 1980's. I've met some people who I first met online. I met my wife online.
Dehumanizing?
I don't think it is a clear thing. There is more hate online that in face-to-face life. You can't get around that. But in general? It is not all that different from any of the coffee shops in any town or city anywhere in the English speaking world,
A significant portion of my life has been lived online, even back when "online" meant a 1200-baud external modem. --While I hope my appearance hasn't declined, if being extermely shy counts as a lack of a social skill, that would be me.
Less so now, thanks to online life but it's still easier for me to meet people via screen and keyboard first, otherwise I can hardly string one word after another.
I have had fights and laughs with people on this blog for a couple of years. Sounds very human to me!
Trey
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thought I would finally post on this one. I think I have you beat on shy, Roberta. Not really, just real quiet. I have gone for two weeks without speaking to another person in RL.
I love the internet, the different folks and views. I enjoy this blog and all the readers.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays (depending on which way you swing)
Michael,
"Well, soylent green is made up of people, and that's pretty dehumanizing."
Did you even read the title of the linked post? ;)
Hi Randall,
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to you too. Thanks very much for reading my blog. I hope that we hear more from you in the future. Just sign in under a fake name.
Negative attitudes towards those who spend time online has always puzzled me. One can spend their evenings watching hours of movies, sitcoms or dramas on TV and that's considered normal.
But spend time online chatting or gaming with actual human beings and you might be some sort of anti-social weirdo. huh?
Michael,
"Well, soylent green is made up of people, and that's pretty dehumanizing."
Did you even read the title of the linked post? ;)
RTFA?
That's not required to post comments on the internet, is it?
(Now I have....)
Interacting with people online is better than not interacting with people, but it should not replace face-to-face interactions. Human beings need to see other people and see facial expressions.
The Internet is not "dehumanizing" but it can cause problems when spending time on the Internet crowds out other activities that are important. The biggest problem I find with the Internet is that most of the things I use it for are open-ended and I find it difficult to stop.
Again, it's not a bad thing, it's just not a substitute for face-to-face interactions.
And for the record, I met my wife on the Internet (but we're married in Real Life).
On the Internet you are more likely to have someone flame, defame or viciously attack you without cause.
But, I agree that "meeting" people that help you realize that you're not alone in your point of view, interests, etc. is humanizing. I've found many humorous, enlightening and heartwarming moments that override the negatives.
To what extent does the Internet displace "face to face interaction" vs to what extent does it displace tv-viewing, movie-viewing, and print-reading?
I suspect that many of those who accuse the Internet of being dehumanizing are people who make their livings from media of the type being displaced.
Please note that displacement of print-reading does not necessarily imply the displacement of text-reading--often, it merely changes the form of the text.
I like the Internet. It gives me something to do with my computer.
After you win a couple games of solitaire, you start looking for new ways to justify the expenditure.
I used to think in terms of a real life/virtual life distinction. But I think differently now, having met a couple of "Internet friends" face to face and having exchanged letters, books and cards with others. It seems to me that the Internet, if used wisely, is simply a means of communication in which you meet and talk with real people, and make real friends.
G K Chesterton had some cautionary thoughts about associating only with those you have selected (the "clique") rather than those who are just automatically there (the "clan"). His thoughts, and my comments, here.
The Net works for me because I'm much more interesting in writing than I am in real life. That's not to say the written me is fake. It just frees up the bits of my personality that I find difficult to expose in the normal, day-to-day environment. I am more like myself online, where I feel relatively safe, than I do at my office or elsewhere, where I usually feel very self-conscious and even threatened.
Knowing this, I would never try to convince someone that the me they met online is the same as the me they would meet in person. The off-line me would inevitably disappoint.
I think it can be dehumanizing, because the partial anonymity allows your vicious side to come out more easily.
roberta x: even back when "online" meant a 1200-baud external modem.
I think the first one we had was a 2400 baud, and I still use a 56k.
Michael, I saw a sticker on a car recently, and I don't remember the exact details, but I think it said Soylent Green.
earnest: (but we're married in Real Life).
LOL, good for you!
David, I did not read the article, but my uncle feels that the internet makes people more radical in their political beliefs.
視訊做愛視訊美女無碼A片情色影劇kyo成人動漫tt1069同志交友網ut同志交友網微風成人論壇6k聊天室日本 avdvd 介紹免費觀賞UT視訊美女交友..........................
sexdiy影城影音視訊交友網激情網愛聊天愛情公寓聊天室一夜情男女視訊sogo論壇視訊美女微風成人 影片區自拍密錄館自拍部落格情色文學 成人小說視訊交友網情人視訊高雄網線上av女優美女交友 網站免費視訊聊天免費線上a片視訊情人高雄網情色貼片區色咪咪影片百分百成人圖片情色自拍本土自拍免費小魔女自拍區色情小說情人視訊苗栗網視訊情人情人視訊 援交網線上 a片色美媚部落格2成人電影下載線上色咪咪影片免費貼影片區辣妹聊天室辣妹有約本土自拍網a片線上免費看情人視訊聊天室情色交友網台灣男人幫論壇色色網-免費視訊男人幫情色論壇男人幫論壇男人fhm 男人幫色色網 視訊交友色美媚視訊聊天線上免費aaa片非常好色線上a片下載免費AV色情卡通網情人視訊 辣妹聊天網成人夜色小老鼠分享論壇18禁地少女遊戲美女情色視訊聊天室色情遊戲下載站東東成人論壇小老鼠成人論壇豆豆聊天室台灣情色網69成人論壇亞洲風暴情色論壇小魔女貼影片微風成人論壇櫻井莉亞 三點全露寫真集嘟嘟成年人網免費視訊妹妹聊天室sex383線上娛樂場a383成人影城性愛影片下載成人交友女優王國BT成人小魔女免費影片18成人影片網史萊姆好玩遊戲
Post a Comment
<< Home