Connection-Disconnection

It seems like everyone these days either has a blog, an account on myspace or one on facebook. It has changed the way people communicate. Now you don't need to email everyone to tell them what's going on in your life. All they need is access to the internet and they can read all about it. You can even include pictures. It creates this false reality where we are losing out on true communication. For the most part I don't talk on the phone any more.... I figure if you want to know how I'm doing just check out the web site. Now at the moment there are a few things that I am keeping very quiet about... mainly because I can't say anything. But I wonder if we are more connected now or if we are more disconnected... I had posted before about whether or not it really is a global community and I still wonder that.

I'm also back to wondering if we are more open and honest with our blogs or if we are merely hiding behind the shield of anonymity that the internet brings with it. Would I say the same things to someone in person that I say here? Even better, would I be willing to say it to anyone? Now I can easily say the answer to that would be no... After all there are boundaries in any relationship and I wouldn't necessarily disclose everything about myself to anyone. Yet I am willing to "bare my soul" here.

It comes back to the way the internet is changing how we communicate. I'm starting to wonder what a real conversation is like... one without internet shorthand, a web post, or an email.... I was recently on MSN chatting with a few different people (the internet does have some advantages) and the conversation went on for a lot longer then it probably would've if we had been talking in the real world. But then the flip side of that is the fact I had work to do that didn't get done. I'm sure most people can attest to losing vast amounts of time to the internet for a wide variety of reasons. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with the internet,... both good and bad and just how it will shape our personal relationships.

The Global Community or More Isolation?

The internet is a great thing. It brings people together and creates a real sense of community. It is supposed to be a global village... uniting people from all over the world. Sure it is about the only way I find out what is happening since I don't watch the news. But as I write this I wonder whether it really is the global village or just brings more isolation.

I work in a call center so I don't necessarily want to come home and talk on the phone. I rarely write a letter any more since I can just email someone. And I hide behind an email instead of having a face to face conversation. I find it easier to write then to try and come up with the words to say. I've always been pretty quiet and reserved, but the internet.... more specifically email... has shaped how I communicate with others.

What is even sadder to me is that relationships now end in an email... or on MSN. At least with Adam that was a face to face conversation. Tristan, on the other hand, couldn't do it in person. Took the cowards way out and ended it on MSN.

I think the reason that people, myself included, hide behind an email... is that it's safer. Even though your name is on it there is still a feeling of anonymity. And you can't see their reaction to the news. I have a shirt that says "Stare in my face, Stare at my soul." There is a lot of truth to that. The eyes are the window to the soul. And to actually interact with someone means making yourself vulnerable. Having an actual conversation with someone involves not only the words that are used, but also the body language and what the eyes reveal. Sending an email only shows one side of that.

Not to say the internet doesn't have it's benefits. I spend way too much time online and am very much a part of the global village. But I do think it's sad that people find out what is going on in my life from a blog or from an email. As I am concluding this I am inspired to go have a conversation with someone... or would if it wasn't 3:00 in the morning. Just something to think about.