Alone Together....

[Codrus]

i was in a book store the other day (picking up another R.A. Salvatore) when i saw M.I.T. Professor and clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle's Book "Alone Together : why we expect more from technology and less from each other" ...i laughed out loud in the book store.... i didn't buy it,..haven't read it, but for quite some time i have felt that society as a whole has ...to coin a phrase .."tuned in...turned on,..and dropped out", i realize this is more of a drug reference, but it fits here.
in my opinion we have embraced technology to fully,..let it too far into our lives, yes technology has benefited man, yes it is useful but when was the last time you went out and looked at the stars?, watched the sunset/sunrise?
we seem to have become so wrapped up in twitter and face book etc. that we have gotten away from some things that surround us...the human element and the great outdoors.
How often have we sat in front of the computer/laptop/television/gaming console etc. for hours and not really accomplished anything?...you may have gotten high score, but did you say hello to your neighbor?...or notice the color of the leaves changing? brightened a random strangers day with a smile

can we honestly get to know someone better by an online profile or by spending time with them face to face?
yes it is a big scary world,..but i think that it would benefit us all to experience it more , face to face, rather than sitting on our butts watching it on T.V.
i myself am not considered the best people person, nor do i feel that i have the greatest faith in humanity/mankind...but i am realizing as i get older that this is partially if not mostly my own doing....we all get burned,...we all have our run ins with "the bad eggs", but we cant let that deprive us of the possibilities of whats out there.... now i spend more time outside during the day and reading books at night...you might be surprised what you learn from an old book or newspaper,..things happening today aren't so new,..just a different name with a different face and a different spin...

yes technology is ever increasing/expanding and its here to stay....but lets not lose track of the things that we liked/loved before it was here...the sights, the sounds, the smells that awed us when we first experienced them...and lets not deprive the next generation form experiencing those things while they can,...they may not be interested now, but one day when your gone and they are telling someone their memories and experiences ..that someone will be jealous or envious for not being able to experience it themselves because all they will be able to do...is see pictures and read about it online.

 

[MoonOwl]

Well hello there

Just wait for that E-bomb. We'll be getting back to 'nature' real quick

I agree with you. For all the convenience of technology it does help us to live in our own little insular cocoons. Not necessarily a good thing.

But on the flip, the internet allows us to interact with people we would have never 'met' without it. Also, having many sources of news at our fingertips is pretty cool. It helps just get around the government-paid for-sponsored pablum we're fed on a daily basis.

hehehehehehehehehe...... but there are times I'm checking the weather online when I really should just go outside and look.:nod::24:

 

[sexysadie]

i was in a book store the other day (picking up another R.A. Salvatore) when i saw M.I.T. Professor and clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle's Book "Alone Together : why we expect more from technology and less from each other" ...i laughed out loud in the book store.... i didn't buy it,..haven't read it, but for quite some time i have felt that society as a whole has ...to coin a phrase .."tuned in...turned on,..and dropped out", i realize this is more of a drug reference, but it fits here.
in my opinion we have embraced technology to fully,..let it too far into our lives, yes technology has benefited man, yes it is useful but when was the last time you went out and looked at the stars?, watched the sunset/sunrise?
we seem to have become so wrapped up in twitter and face book etc. that we have gotten away from some things that surround us...the human element and the great outdoors.
How often have we sat in front of the computer/laptop/television/gaming console etc. for hours and not really accomplished anything?...you may have gotten high score, but did you say hello to your neighbor?...or notice the color of the leaves changing? brightened a random strangers day with a smile

can we honestly get to know someone better by an online profile or by spending time with them face to face?
yes it is a big scary world,..but i think that it would benefit us all to experience it more , face to face, rather than sitting on our butts watching it on T.V.
i myself am not considered the best people person, nor do i feel that i have the greatest faith in humanity/mankind...but i am realizing as i get older that this is partially if not mostly my own doing....we all get burned,...we all have our run ins with "the bad eggs", but we cant let that deprive us of the possibilities of whats out there.... now i spend more time outside during the day and reading books at night...you might be surprised what you learn from an old book or newspaper,..things happening today aren't so new,..just a different name with a different face and a different spin...

yes technology is ever increasing/expanding and its here to stay....but lets not lose track of the things that we liked/loved before it was here...the sights, the sounds, the smells that awed us when we first experienced them...and lets not deprive the next generation form experiencing those things while they can,...they may not be interested now, but one day when your gone and they are telling someone their memories and experiences ..that someone will be jealous or envious for not being able to experience it themselves because all they will be able to do...is see pictures and read about it online.

Wow, 11 thousand posts....it seems you've spent some time sitting around yourself.

I agree with you though, to a certain extent, there are people out there who are too quick to exchange real life experience for online fantasy, but, in their defence, even before todays technology, haven't we always been able to find a way to accomplish this task? That being said, call me a multi-tasker but I've been known to sit out on my deck for hours looking up at the most beautiful of night skies filled with stars with friends and neighbors by my side doing the same......all of that and I can still find the time to benefit from modern technology. Of course, my bbq alone is way up there on the top of the list...lol

I think it''s important to spend time with family and friends, I think it's important to take time to stop and smell the roses and I also think that it's important to be able to balance our time, because like it or not todays technology is what pays the bills.

 

[HK]

But on the flip, the internet allows us to interact with people we would have never 'met' without it. Also, having many sources of news at our fingertips is pretty cool. It helps just get around the government-paid for-sponsored pablum we're fed on a daily basis.

I agree with this. For all that technology might mean we don't call our friends, we just facebook them, it also brings us to people we'd never have had any interaction with otherwise, and it broadens our horizons. This forum for example - people from all over the world, discussing different topics or just talking - that wouldn't be possible without the internet. Some of the nicest people I know, and think of when I need advice, are Americans and live thousands of miles away from me! I have best friends in real life, but it's nice to have so many connections elsewhere. I met my boyfriend online as well - even though we live in the same town and went to the same school, he's three years older than me and we move in very different social circles, so we'd probably never have run into each other without the net

Plus.... it's all very well to say 'when did you last see the stars, that means so much more than getting that high score' but what value does looking at the sky really have? It's just another recreational activity, and if being online with friends makes you happier than seeing some leaves change colour, then it's not the end of the world. I think value is placed on some experiences that are a bit stereotypical. Yeah, it's not healthy to spend all your time indoors, but most people with jobs and families do end up getting out and about. The worst offenders for this sort of insular activity are teenagers, and even then they still have to go to school!

I'm quite solitary. To be honest, if it weren't for facebook and other sites, I probably wouldn't have as much real life contact with my friends as I do, because I don't like talking on the phone much and being able to write on someone's wall is more appealing.

 

[Peter Parka]

I find the internet enhances my social life. Like has already been stated, I chat to people all round the world and have sometimes been out for a drink with them if I'm up their way or the're down mine. I dont think I've even not gone out because I'm on the internet, either but sometimes I have gone out BECAUSE of people I've met online.

 

[Carn]

Well seems you've got a point. I remember when I was younger we didn't have the internet and mobile phones but somewhat you knew where you can find your friends at most times. I really don't have a profile on any of the big social portals like facebook it just seems somewhat bizarre to me. I still keep contact with people I really care about, my friends and I rather talk with them in person then through a web page. On the other hand the internet gives us many benefits, it's easier to find specific info and develop in certain fields. Maybe excess use of internet worsens one's social skills but it's just a tool and not everybody knows how to use it.

 

[Peter Parka]

Maybe excess use of internet worsens one's social skills but it's just a tool and not everybody knows how to use it.

I think this spot on, sums up socialising on the internet completely.:nod:

 

[Dana]

lemme just say take away my interwebs and you die infidel... ill keel you

 

[Mystic]

lemme just say take away my interwebs and you die infidel... ill keel you

:24: hahahahaha!!!


Funny enough, i have spent less time on the net these last two years then i have in the last ten and i have to say personally that its been for the best. :thumbup My house is certainly a lot clearer for it.

 

[hart]

I do spend lots of time on the internet BUT I despise when I go out and see couples busy texting others or one talking on the phone constantly etc. Before I married I was in a dating club, one guy actually took then made a cell phone call while having lunch with me THE FIRST DATE. He seemed shocked I didn't want a second, I mean he had taken me to a ritzy place, had a nice suit on, had a big car, etc., but HELLO, he couldn't even stop hobnobbing while on a first date. No thanx.

People can't get close if they are closer to their cell phone pals or stay on the puter. I usually only go on the puter if Joe is asleep, watching a war documentary, or not home. I enjoy the puter, poker, etc., but my real-time relationships take priority.