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Alex · 12-19-2006, 01:29 PM

To expand on Euro's thought about the internet being less about anonymous participation and increasingly about public participation you might fiind Michael Kinsley's recent Slate editorial of interest ("On the internet, everybody knows you're a dog").

I think one thing that needs to be kept in mind is that this new fangled social network isn't nearly so pervasive as it may appear. Part of the problem is that most of the people who talk about societal trends are also people who are involved strongly with the internet (academics, journalists). Most people I know do not have web pages, do not belong to message boards, to not belong to social networks.

The number is getting larger, of course, but I think a lot of people immersed in these things are starting to think that everybody is now immersed in these things.

It has been an interesting transformation. I joined my first message board (on a dial-up BBS almost 20 years ago). I know that there are people who have been doing this stuff far longer than me, but I'm definitely in the top 0.1% in terms of longegivity. I've been a lurker, I've been active. I attended my first internet based "meet" in 1992 when a group of people got together to talk about the MUD they all played.

So unlike most of you, this technology hasn't changed the way I socialize, it has always been part of the way I socialize (I'm old for this to be true, but it is increasingly true for today's children).

It is hard to say if it has molded how I form relationships in real life (though unlike many people I've never had a romantic relationship that grew out of online) or if it is just a good fit to how I am. I move on quickly from social groups and without looking back, both online and real life.

It has been five years since I last talked to someone I went to high school with. It has been longer since my last undergrad contact. I haven't spoken to anybody from grad school since I graduated in 1998. I go years between talking to my sisters. Six months after leaving Wells Fargo I literally could not remember the name of a person I had worked with every day for five years.

The same is true online.

As for larger social impacts, I think eventually it could have one harmful effect. Intellecual cocooning. The vast majority of people don't like to be confronted and forced to think about their beliefs and ideas. Their intellectual framework is preferably a passive thing. This is not new and has always been true. But in the past it was difficult to avoid exposure to ideas you didn't like.

Now, you can immerse yourself in a community where everybody thinks exactly as you do. You don't ever have to here a discouraging word or think about the underpinnings of what you think.

Left or right, square or kinky, less filling or tastes great, you can live a life that deludes you into thinking that everyone is just like you. And that is a harmful delusion because everybody reacts poorly when something tries to puncture strongly held delusions.

12-19-2006, 01:29 PM	#17
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	To expand on Euro's thought about the internet being less about anonymous participation and increasingly about public participation you might fiind Michael Kinsley's recent Slate editorial of interest ("On the internet, everybody knows you're a dog"). I think one thing that needs to be kept in mind is that this new fangled social network isn't nearly so pervasive as it may appear. Part of the problem is that most of the people who talk about societal trends are also people who are involved strongly with the internet (academics, journalists). Most people I know do not have web pages, do not belong to message boards, to not belong to social networks. The number is getting larger, of course, but I think a lot of people immersed in these things are starting to think that everybody is now immersed in these things. It has been an interesting transformation. I joined my first message board (on a dial-up BBS almost 20 years ago). I know that there are people who have been doing this stuff far longer than me, but I'm definitely in the top 0.1% in terms of longegivity. I've been a lurker, I've been active. I attended my first internet based "meet" in 1992 when a group of people got together to talk about the MUD they all played. So unlike most of you, this technology hasn't changed the way I socialize, it has always been part of the way I socialize (I'm old for this to be true, but it is increasingly true for today's children). It is hard to say if it has molded how I form relationships in real life (though unlike many people I've never had a romantic relationship that grew out of online) or if it is just a good fit to how I am. I move on quickly from social groups and without looking back, both online and real life. It has been five years since I last talked to someone I went to high school with. It has been longer since my last undergrad contact. I haven't spoken to anybody from grad school since I graduated in 1998. I go years between talking to my sisters. Six months after leaving Wells Fargo I literally could not remember the name of a person I had worked with every day for five years. The same is true online. As for larger social impacts, I think eventually it could have one harmful effect. Intellecual cocooning. The vast majority of people don't like to be confronted and forced to think about their beliefs and ideas. Their intellectual framework is preferably a passive thing. This is not new and has always been true. But in the past it was difficult to avoid exposure to ideas you didn't like. Now, you can immerse yourself in a community where everybody thinks exactly as you do. You don't ever have to here a discouraging word or think about the underpinnings of what you think. Left or right, square or kinky, less filling or tastes great, you can live a life that deludes you into thinking that everyone is just like you. And that is a harmful delusion because everybody reacts poorly when something tries to puncture strongly held delusions.
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