What has the internet done to/for socialisation?
 

OK so there was just a program on TV about this sort of thing, which got me thinking again about something that was on my mind a while back.

Someone on Crackberry decided that smartphones etc were changing the way he lived his life, and he was not sure if it was for the best or not.
Not calling the wife to have a quick chat, but instead texting, not calling people at work but instead emailing them...

So this got be really wondering. Has the internet and electronic age changed society for better or worse?

Personally I like the ability to micro-communicate. A quick info burst, rather than long conversation in the name of being polite. Information at my finger tips. Sharing funnies or serious news items in real time. Emailing a company for a simple piece of info, rather than staying on hold for 10 mins etc.

Yes, we verbally speak less in some walks of life, yes we make less of an effort to meet face to face in some cases. But we also make "friends" in a very new way, reach an audiance we would never have as a single individual, and communicate with people all around the world in real time. Even those who would otherwise not be able to understand us due to physical or language barriers.

The downside of the e-age of course is the internet is 90% filled with pointless drivvel like this from annoying idiots like me :thumb:

So what do you think, mainly those who remember life without mobile phones, desktop's and now the mobile internet..... Improvement, PITA, or no difference.

You are right - the internet is ruining peoples lives. They have nothing to contribute to reality so post endless drivel and pointless content on the likes of arsebook, twatter and forums such as this..

But just wait for augmented reality to come into the mainstream (2011 onwards) and then people will no longer be able to speak to each other.

Joking aside, one reason that UK ID cards are no longer been pursued.. well guess what - you can be tracked by your mobile and online postings quite nicely thanks..

:D

What was the program?

Ta Jay

Thats the one. Did you watch it Jay ?

This was the thread I made reference to too
Smartphone overload? - BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com

My opinion is quite clear on there lol.
I think as long as people refrain from living behind a screen, having multiple forms of communication is a good thing.

I totally agree some people (me inc) have a huge papertrail online.

F**K off Snazy, I got to make a living somehow you racist:Suspiciou

:thumb:

My personal take on T'internet / Mobile Texts etc is that it is FANTASTIC!!
I keep in touch with Friends and Family all over the world. Using SKYPE and Yahoo etc I can also see as well as talk to them. It's incredibly liberating and also allows me to rag on work colleagues when I am luxuriating(sic) in a holiday location when they have their noses to the grindstone :)

Gotta add to that.

Comms on T'internet etc are typically short and 1 dimensional but they keep a connection going. We save the "Putting the World to rights" conversations for when we meet in person. And then we get pleasantly drunk!

FYI - I'm running the Knebworth 10K in the morning (21 Feb 2010)

Gonna be a slow time! Just got back from Hertford House Hotel - What a great meal :)

lol im with Jods :p

lol sorry Dedrater, I will pack up and leave immediatly, lol

I think it's brilliant. Thanks to Scoobynet, I have met some fantastic friends, who have become very,very good friends. That would not have happened without this technology.
Bubba Po, Manda Po, Sarasquares, SwissTony, Lisawrx, Mickywrx, darren and Amanda, to name but a few :thumb:

There are several aspects to this topic 1. The Internet & 2. Wider technology.

IMHO the Internet as a whole has been a fantastic effect on society in terms of what it does and how it enables users to do new things. It does does have a downside in terms of the content needs a serious bullsh1t filter on it (but I just think of it as virtual pub talk!)

however the larger issue is one I see every day in the classroom. Mobile technology (and to some extent the Internet) is destroying young people's social interaction skills. As a species, we rely on this interaction to develop relationships etc. The art of verbal conversation is becoming harder to conduct due to the lack of social skills. Rather than ask a question, it is easier and less effort/embarrassing to ask Jeeves or Google.

I actually see a time where social skills will be a desirable aspect of employment (forget the whole issue of various discrimination -different arguement!) and without them, whilst IT skills will be high, unless you can communicate effectively with people, employment doors will be closed to you......

You heard it here first ;-/

Dan

Well, it is an interesting question.

The trouble with anything...internet, booze, cars, gambling, sports, even trackdays is that humans can get addicted. It's easy to get swallowed up buy the internet....for a while. But if you find yourself constantly online, never talking to the people around you, always having your phone nearby....you might be overdoing it.

Jeeves sucks Ass

LOL - of all the questions I've asked Jeeves, I must admit that THAT has never been one of them :D:D:D

:thumb:

:lol::lol::lol: :razz:

I think the improvements in communications are a good thing, within reason. It is obvious that I enjoy being on SN, it is good not only to be able to express an opinion but to read all the others and I find it a very good way to learn too.

I also very much enjoy my hobby as a Radio Ham, and have got good friends all over the world, as well as the technical interest of making aerial systems that work. Quite something to be able to have a conversation with some bloke in New Zealand from your front room. With my job I was able to meet quite a few of them at times too.

Strangely enough, I don't find a mobile 'phone all that important to me. I only carry one in the car in case of emergency but it is rarely switched on and I never carry one in my pocket. Maybe if I was in business that would be different, but only for that particular reason.

Maybe its because my interest is mainly in communications over long distances using the natural effect of the upper layers in the stratosphere to get the transmissions around the world.

Les

+1. Hell you should see the size of my phone :Suspiciou . I remember once at an builders merchant, i had my phone in my pocket!! I went in for some timber. They stopped me on the way out asking my what i was doing stealing a block :Suspiciou

Glad the question has thrown up these answers :)
I definatly feel like anything we do, it needs its limits. And of course it requires us to have a VERY big line between internet world and the real world.

In a strange twist, having a far more capable mobile internet option these days has actually seperated me from the daily grind in front of the PC, and changed the way I live my life. Organisation, communication etc is much improved.

I am grateful for the friends I have made through the internet, forums etc. So for me the advances are a plus for sure.

Not ignoring the negative sides, abuse, grooming, spying etc.

I remember the original ones that the US forces used to use. They were know as bricks because thats what they looked and probably weighed like!

Les :)