Is the internet and technology driving humanity apart?

[Motown Marvel]

-If you dont want to read this whole post, just read the first paragraph and you'll get the jist of it-

I've been theorizing this for a while, and have thought about it more since the VAtech shooting, which is a situation that occurs when a person is unable to appropriately deal with their emotions. But people always say that the internet and technology are bringing humanity closer together, but i think its driving humanity apart since it allows us to seclude ourselves from the real world and diminishes the need for human interaction in society. and as a result of that, your connection to humanity can be lost or greatly belittled. and i feel when that happens, the person is much more likely to lash out at themselves or humanity...which can result in things like the VAtech shooting, columbine, serial murders/rape, and other such things.

true, the internet allows us to connect to anyone in the world at just about any time. but more often than not that connection is on a superficial level and requires no actual human interaction. if you wanted to, you could literally live your entire life without leaving your house (clearly not healthy). but it seems people (kids especially) are using/relying on the internet more and more for satisfying communication and interaction, and are losing their ability to function socially....which in some ways, is chipping away at their humanity, and results in them essentially being socially reatarded. and i think when that happens to a degree, when they're unable to appropriately interact socially with humanity, they become more closed off from the real world, they're less able to deal with emotions properly which makes them unstablable. that makes them all the more likely to either lash out at themselves or humanity itself. and even if it doesnt result in that extreme, their social ******ation will easily have a devastating effect on their life.

obviously, these sorts of actions have existed before the internet. but i think they're becoming more probable now, and will likely continue to happen more often in the futurue. and while the internet can be a great tool when used responsibly, and by no means solely responsible for these sorts of behavior, i think it does play a signifigant role. and with this new generation of kids who are so immersed in technology and so involved with the internet, while they may not ever act out like the VAtech and columbine shooters, i think their reliace on the internet for interaction is going to impede greatly on their ability function in the real world. i think we need to learn to connect again on a human level.

 

[Spidey]

You present some strong points, and I think you're right. But as with everything, I believe the answer lies in balance.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

i dont think so. the guy did'nt have friends its hard to pinpoint why? was he addicted to the internet? or something? no one knows, and if he did the internet could've been a place forhim to vent. yeah theres some superficla level to it, but all in all you're interacting with people too. obviously the guy had a roommate who apparently did'nt try to make friends with the guy. the problem today is people. no one says hi to each other nomore, no one goes up to aperson and try to be friends with them we're all to busy with our own lives,doing whatever.

who here can honestly say they've approached a person(not a girl), and befriended them? asked them thier name,what was thier major? etc. very few would say yes. people in general are superficial, i doubt this guy could get dates or friends because he did'nt look atractive, or cool enough, or whatever.


...i dont feel like making a whole rant. i'll return later

 

[Motown Marvel]

i dont think so. the guy did'nt have friends its hard to pinpoint why? was he addicted to the internet? or something? no one knows, and if he did the internet could've been a place forhim to vent. yeah theres some superficla level to it, but all in all you're interacting with people too. obviously the guy had a roommate who apparently did'nt try to make friends with the guy. the problem today is people. no one says hi to each other nomore, no one goes up to aperson and try to be friends with them we're all to busy with our own lives,doing whatever.

who here can honestly say they've approached a person(not a girl), and befriended them? asked them thier name,what was thier major? etc. very few would say yes. people in general are superficial, i doubt this guy could get dates or friends because he did'nt look atractive, or cool enough, or whatever.


...i dont feel like making a whole rant. i'll return later

well, i didnt mean to imply this was the cause of the VAtech shooter. i just mentioned him because obviously he wasnt able to function in society nor able to ineract socially, which is likely the cause for the shooting. i was just saying that the internet dependence can result in such social ******ation...but not necessarily implying that was the cause of the VA shooters social ******ation.

and i totally get what your saying about people, its true. (i for one do find myself in many public situations where i interact with strangers, which has resulted in friendships, i.e. going to see local bands play shows). but when someone is very uncomfortable interacting in society like that, the internet allows them to not even TRY or make the effort to do as much. they RELY on the internet and such for interaction. which cant ever be all that healthy. so instead of going out anymore, where personal interactions can take place, they're far more comfortable secluding themselves at home on the internet. they settle for a more superficial connection with humanity, rather than working for a real connection.

But as with everything, I believe the answer lies in balance.

i totally agree with that, and have the same belief. balance is the key to so much in life.

 

[Liquid Snake]

You're right.

 

[Malus]

You're right.

Seconded.
Excellent post.

 

[AllThingsComic]

The internet is definitely destroying interactive and communicative skills.You no longer need to go to the library, you no longer need to go over to a friends house to play video games, frivolous lawsuits are also detroying our youths. You can't even play tag anymore and get a cut on your knee without a parent wanting to sue the school, the city and the state. Kids don't even play outside anymore because of video games, and we wonder why as a society kids are obese.

 

[Abaddon]

Marx was right.

 

[Spidey]

You can't even play tag anymore and get a cut on your knee without a parent wanting to sue the school, the city and the state.

Good times.

 

[C. Lee]

Marx was right.

That he once shot an elephant in his pajamas?

 

[November Rain]

I think like anything the internet drives people away who wish to find comfort in it and get driven away.

There are plenty of people who find it hard to get on with life but stick it out anyway and don't have this as a cushion and either get on well or find other things to separate themselves from other people

gaming, book reading, modelling, solo hobbies, etc...

so as apoose to saying the internet and technology drives humantity apart,

i would rather say...

the internet and technology is another tool that can aid drive an individual apart from the rest of humanity.

but anything in an obsessive amount could do that. Unfortunately the internet has become so multi-useful that it is hard for one to see it as obssessive because you simply aren't (or shouldn't be (unless you are on the hype))) doing the same thing on it all day and all night.

 

[November Rain]

I've been theorizing that one could time travel within their own lifetime, so I stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished...

where did you wake up?

 

[FaT_tONle]

Its just going to take some time for this generation to adjust. But Motown brings up a lot of good points... I probably suffer the same problems... just spending way too much time on the CPU downloading movies songs and posting at the hype... I really don't know what the solution is... I don't know if the kids 50 years from now are all going to be fat and obese... but the bottom line is society will adjust... maybe not in this generation but soon... within 100 years 50/60 year olds will be in better shape than most twenty year olds today once they develop some fat burning pills and what not... soon we will find ways maintaining shape without even exercising... the technology will grow on all levels... I can guarantee you we won't have to worry about all the heart problems and health conditions obese people may be in a couple of generations from now... as far as what it does to us socially... who knows... but humans are innately social... so I don't think its that big a long term problem... but for my generation it might be

 

[November Rain]

[SIZE=-1]I awoke to find myself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not my own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better.[/SIZE]

did you have a companion?

 

[hitmanyr2k]

It's kind of easy to blame it on technology but from my own experience that's not the case because I've been secluding myself from people since I was a child...long before the internet became mainstream. I loved to read and lost myself in various novels. I would just hide myself away from my family and read all the time. There were times my parents would try to get me out of my room and force me to go outside but I couldn't tear myself away from the book I was reading.

And my main hobby that I have now is something that doesn't require any interaction with people. Suits my personality perfectly.

 

[redmarvel]

[SIZE=-1]My only guide on this journey was Al, an observer from my own time, who appeared in the form of a hologram that I could see and hear[/SIZE]

There goes that swiss cheese memory of yours again, you forgot the "only" in front of the "I".

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

The internet is reading and looking at pictures and listening to sounds.
If you're the type who wants to isolate, books, movies, TV, the radio, can all help you just as much as the internet.

 

[redmarvel]

Whose story is this, mine or yours?

Am I wrong? Could other adults see and here Al?

 

[November Rain]

[SIZE=-1]My only guide on this journey was Al, an observer from my own time, who appeared in the form of a hologram that I could see and hear[/SIZE]

so what do you do with your time then?

 

[The Kid]

The internet's a hell of a drug.

Well as with anything, the internet can be abused. I wouldn't place blame completely on the nets for society's problems, though it probably has had an impact for people who abuse it. Too much of anything is bad. That's a no-brainer.

If there were no porn on the internet, no one would use it as much as they do.

 

[redmarvel]

If there were no porn on the internet, no one would use it as much as they do.

I have yet to visit a porn site... I don't find watching fascinating, I prefer doing.

To stop people like me from visiting the internet they would have to get rid of game sites, message boards and chat rooms - I'm not sure what would be left if they did that.

 

[Sugarculted]

The internet's a hell of a drug.

Well as with anything, the internet can be abused. I wouldn't place blame completely on the nets for society's problems, though it probably has had an impact for people who abuse it. Too much of anything is bad. That's a no-brainer.

If there were no porn on the internet, no one would use it as much as they do.

I’m fairly sure if they took porn off the internet, there’d only be one website left, and it’d be called BringBackThePorn.com

Dr Cox - Scrubs

 

[Motown Marvel]

to those who say that the internet is comparable to hobbies such as books, movies, etc...

while i see what your saying, unlike those hobbies, the internet has essentially become a necessity for the VAST MAJORITY of people. it is part of just about everyones everyday life, and everyone uses it for numerous reasons. its much more widespread than losing yourself in a book or film. and for the majority of people, they're not going to it for escapism from society. but being used for everyday things that used to require human interaction, but instead that interaction is being replaced with the itnernet, or a text message, or IM, or myspace. and i think over the years thats gonna escalate. and because human interaction is greatly diminished, i think people in general will become much colder.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

To stop people like me from visiting the internet they would have to get rid of game sites, message boards and chat rooms - I'm not sure what would be left if they did that.

But if they took that away I might actually have to work while I'm at work.

As for the topic of this thread, I don't think the internet played much of a factor in Columbine or VA Tech. With Columbine, the internet was still really in it's infancy and wasn't quite a way to isolate yourself as much. Plus they obvious had at least one friend, they were psychos had couldn't deal with the same type of bullying that thousands of other kids are able to deal with throughout the world. And please don't say you don't know how it feels, I was bullied throughout jr. high/high school, but I just shrugged it off and knew in a few years those bullies would be cleaning up after me.

As for the VA Tech kid, he didn't even try to interact, there have been a number of stories from people who knew him that make it seem like he intentionally tried to keep himself isolated. Other people made an effort, he didn't. If you don't even try to make an effort, then of course you're gonna be lonely and isolated.

 

[Motown Marvel]

But if they took that away I might actually have to work while I'm at work.

As for the topic of this thread, I don't think the internet played much of a factor in Columbine or VA Tech. With Columbine, the internet was still really in it's infancy and wasn't quite a way to isolate yourself as much. Plus they obvious had at least one friend, they were psychos had couldn't deal with the same type of bullying that thousands of other kids are able to deal with throughout the world. And please don't say you don't know how it feels, I was bullied throughout jr. high/high school, but I just shrugged it off and knew in a few years those bullies would be cleaning up after me.

As for the VA Tech kid, he didn't even try to interact, there have been a number of stories from people who knew him that make it seem like he intentionally tried to keep himself isolated. Other people made an effort, he didn't. If you don't even try to make an effort, then of course you're gonna be lonely and isolated.

again, i didnt mean to imply that columbine/VA occured because of the internet. but rather those occured because the shooters were unable to function in society and appropriately deal with their emotions. and while the internet was likely NOT the culprit for the shooters condition in those cases...many people's reliance on the internet for interaction does result in self seclusion from society, making them more socially reatarded and unable to interact/function with society, and unfit to appropriately deal with emotions....which, in most extreme cases, can result in actions similar to columbine/VA. and even less extreme cases, when widespread and escalated enough, can have a detrimental effects on humanity itself.