I feel like my initial take on the subject has not been done as thoroughly as I assumed it to be. One more reason to update the blog then...
While the sensational emergence of virtual communities transforms many areas of a person's life and culture, it cannot free us from the limits of human nature or the constraints of social reality. Every single online user is living an "online life" just like we live a real life, really. Every single day. We aren't judging the life choices of a fellow citizen in real life? We don't. And what would be the point? None. If we take for a fact that there is a virtual life that every single one of us is able to live, why is it sometimes hard to understand that others are maybe ahead of us and live this life to its full extend already? That they are maybe comfortable in finding friends online? That they are eager to see what this online life has in store for them?
Certainly, there are different kinds of online participants. And it is imperative to clearly identify who we are talking about. There are for example people who want to stay in touch with their people all over the world. What better way than "sending online flowers" or "kinky boots" to your mates and make their day? All good.
And there are some other users, deeply engaged in the online world. They date online, they flirt online, they even pull online! Thats where judgement kicks in. But what if we just take it as what it is? A virtual community, and not an imagined one, will then the level of general approvement unexpectedly rise? Online networking, in addition to being a huge phenomenon in its own right, is the key metaphor for interactivity, community building and genuine conversation. It is my belief that we can brave the ever new technological world without necessarily becoming more depersonalized and alienated as human beings.
Why do so many of us believe that people who have no better things to do than surfing the web over and over again, are considered "loosers"? I'd rather say that the are part of the growing online population who have let their personal lives become "onlinised". We shall pierce the bubble of hype and confusion surrounding this matter with a real - world analysis of the ways online communities will and will not change our society and the rapidly expanding universe of the now and future online phenomenon. Is it maybe time to stop questioning? (I will start by, ehm, erasing the question mark): Is it maybe time to stop questioning.
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1 comment:
I think I sort of agree but I have a few questions:
And it is imperative to clearly identify who we are talking about.
Why? You've made this statement but not explained why this is imperative. You then seem to suggest that there are different types of people - is this really the case? Is "type" hard-coded?
We aren't judging the life choices of a fellow citizen in real life? We don't.
Is this correct? Aren't judgments made about people who are fat or poorly dressed or loud or slovenly or smoking, etc?
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