Internet and Everyday Life

I agree with Manasian (as cited in The Internet and Social Life) that the Internet is changing every aspect of our lives. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t use the Internet everyday for not only seeking out information but for keeping in touch with family and friends, even if it is just through email. I think it is working to bring together a very large audience by putting in contact people who would probably never meet otherwise. I think the argument over whether the Internet will affect society positively or negatively is one that can’t be resolved in one direction. Everything we do has positive and negative outcomes, it just depends on how you use the Internet that will make it a good or bad thing in your life. People who do become depressed and lonely with only CMC in their lives are the ones that are not seeking out a balance with face-to-face relationships.

I actually feel a bit sorry for Rheingold’s wife and daughter he spoke of because the man was obsessed with his relationships on the WELL. I do think the virtual community did wonderful things for each other, not only online, but definitely in RL. However, I do think he was spending way more than 2 hours a day on that thing and I’m sure his family felt pretty neglected. That’s just an assumption though. I was waiting for the section on Addiction in that book chapter and was pretty disappointed that he discussed Blair’s choosing of virtual community addiction over cocaine addiction instead of talking about the amount of time spent staring, typing, and reading on the Internet when compared to the time he spent away from it. I was hoping for a realization there…didn’t get it!

I do think it aids in community involvement. Pew states that political information seekers are not only looking for reinforcement, but they are looking to be well informed from all sides. I think that’s great, and in the case this year of Ron Paul, the Internet has carried the man. If it weren’t for the online communities that have rallied to form offline communities for Ron Paul, I don’t think anyone would really know the man’s name. In Smart Mobs, Rheingold talks about how the formation of these groups isn’t always about protesting issues; it’s about group dynamics and finding other people around the world with similar interests. Technology has provided these groups with a means to congregate quickly and easily and sometimes they are for just hanging out and others are for protesting a cause they do not believe in. In one case, they overthrew the President of the Philippines – but hey – to each their own in this case. The interpersonal relationship devices used in Tokyo and Japan are really cool if you ask me. I actually think about the concept of the ImaHima sometimes. I wonder when I am sitting at a coffee shop or at the mall by myself if any of my friends are close and have some time to grab something to eat or hang out. What a great idea.

As far as democracy goes – the Internet is bringing that term to mean more than it ever has before and it definitely has some of the politicians and scholars freaking out. Poster’s essay, although way confusing in the way he writes, is just basically talking about how the nature of the Internet is decentralized, so there is more of a dialogue occurring than a hierarchical structure. Since people are getting ideas from other people who are getting ideas from other people, a richer democracy is occurring because there are tons more voices in the mix.

Overall, I see the Internet as a positive influence in my life. It makes my day easier, my workload easier to manage, helps with my time management and gives me access to any information I can possibly seek. But I also do not spend all day and all night on it, I don’t get the shakes if I don’t have it for a day, and I still nurture every personal face-to-face relationship I have in other ways. There are always going to be people who don’t do the right thing or abuse the things they have. That’s just life.

Oh, and P.S. I am Apple ALL THE WAY!! Tell me a PC is faster or plays music better, whatever! All I know is my desktop PC crashed at least twice a year and I lost hundreds of documents, photos, and music. I have had a desktop Mac and now a MacBook for almost two years and I haven’t had one bad thing happen to me yet. Faster is a perception as far as I’m concerned ;)