Alone in the net!!

It is really a paradox about which lot of discussion has been done in last decade or so. So, what I am going to talk about is nothing new. But somehow today I felt like sharing my views about this kind of well established fact. I am talking about the net that promises us to connect to the entire world. Yes the internet!! There is no problem as far as fulfilling its promise is concerned, the problem is that in its quest to connect us with the entire world certain things are broken almost in absolute silence. Some delicate thing gets shattered amidst the waves that throw us to all parts of the world and hooked us to masses.

Internet came into our lives as the next big wave after television in 1960s and telephone in the early part of the 20th century. Both created big shifts in our daily lives. I mean both had huge social impacts, similarly it was also evident that internet will also create some sort of social shift. Internet as I said came into being as a means to get connected. It does help us connect to people but something remains unfulfilled. What is that something?

Many people started raising these concerns about social involvement effect of internet. And thus many studies by done by eminent behavior scientists. Internet has been touted as a medium which increases loneliness. Before finding out why, let me share some of the many benefits that it does provide.

Internet and email can be a great way to stay connected with people miles apart from you. Internet can make you spend your day in a jiffy. You can do so many things in the net that time will just fly by. You can find people with similar interest as you have. You can find people with similar problems as you have. And share the same.

The vastness and the speed of the Internet means you can hook up instantly with people on the other side of the world and have lengthy conversations with them about intimate matters you have never discussed with anyone else.

The anonymity of the Internet can be a double-edged sword. You can feel safe revealing your innermost self to a total stranger because he lives five thousand miles away and you will probably never meet him. You might believe you can tell him your innermost thoughts, even those you can’t tell your husband. You may feel encouraged and supported by a person you have met on-line in a way that you don’t believe you are supported by any of the people in your everyday life.

It’s true that some relationships that start off on the Internet will develop into long term on-line friendships that last decades, even if the two correspondents never meet in person. And in some cases these on-line relationships will also successfully transform into friendships in the off-line world.

You see there are so many advantages of internet. So where is the problem then? I won’t dare to answer the question as I already said many work on this has been done by eminent scientists, and the results are for everyone to be seen. But what I will do is just ask few questions and I feel that would be enough for us to understand and know the answer:

1. Isn’t it easy for Internet friends to offer you support and encouragement ? Do they have to back up their typed words with any real action or commitment? Isn’t talk cheap? Is the supportive talk on the Internet always offered sincerely?

2. Can you replace the interaction with a real live human with an internet chat?

3. Can a smiley replace the experience of a friend’s face lighting up with a smile because he is happy to see you?

4. Do you get to take part in shared activities, and develop a history together?

5. Can you have someone put their hand on yours as you exchange confidences?

6. Is the availability and ease of Internet relationships a worth enough excuse to avoid some of the more difficult, yet ultimately more rewarding work of developing relationships with the people you already have around you?

I found my answers!! Did you find your?