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Does Technology Reduce Social Isolation?
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I've definitely had more social interaction both online and real life, thanks to Goodreads and Facebook. Because of being in the Olyreads group here, I've become part of a book discussion group that meets every couple of months.
And Facebook has got me back in touch with old high school friends, who I have since got together with in person.
That's not even counting the new friends I'm made here. Goodreads rocks!
I suspect that I'm a bit of anomaly in that my social interaction, bar one weekend a month (usually), consists entirely of online interaction. This is due to my physical isolation, though, and is definitely NOT something I prefer.I prefer to have a healthy dose of both. For me, one of the big pluses of online interaction is that I get to pick with whom I interact, and those people are largely the ones that I cannot interact with physically because they do not live in the area. Thus, I can interact with my friends in India and the Tibetan community at large.
I've had a sort of online-life crisis a while back upon discovering that one of my college friends killed himself and apparently, no one besides a few friends knew about it. That, and when I would go hang out with my "friends", a lot of them had no idea that I had spent a year living in another country, that I had even graduated college. It's hard to really look at that person and be interested in all of their petty boy-and-girl drama when they aren't even interested in big things in your own life.
It led to me cutting a lot of ties, and trying to reform a lot, through means other than the internet. Some people just don't want to interact with you bar looking at your facebook page and checking out what you're up to, but if that is how a lot of people view me, then I need to realize that and treat them the same way, as I've been burned a lot when I've interacted with someone online and then they don't ever want to hang out online. You sorta become the "work distraction" and that's rather demeaning.
"But it also deflated other data in the previous study that indicated the number of people saying they had no one to confide in had nearly tripled from 1985 to 2004. Pew reported that only 6 percent of the American population fell into that category of isolation — with no significant change over the last 25 years."
One of the reasons why I hate the phenomenon PostSecret is because of it's ditch-and-run method. The people who submit their secrets will benefit, initially, from having themselves heard, but the secrets are still inside them, and usually they are ones that they need to bring out in the open in order to work on them (such as secrets detailing abuse, people coming out through secrets, those silly "I love you but I'll never tell you" secrets). There's this great dilemma of having the entire world to confide in online, but having no one at the very same time. I guess it's one of those things where if you haven't been there, it can be very hard to understand.
I read it online, but I would never buy the book. My thoughts on it changed after my last therapy session with my therapist, who was telling me how many people do the ditch-and-run method on their therapist, dropping some huge bomb that they don't want to deal with, and it breaks my heart every time I see someone do that in a secret... though I love it when readers e-mail saying that instead of sending in their secrets, they spoke them to a loved one who accepted all of their secrets. :) That kind of sharing I like. It makes my insides fuzzy.
i like it because for some people there is an outlet if they feel like they do not have one. as for ditch-and-run (first time i have heard that term), maybe for some just expressing it is therapy enough ?
Yeah, it could very well be. Or at least the first step. *nods*
Therapy without ongoing homework ain't worth much, generally.
i think technology is changing how people interact, for example the popularity of sms, the way people talk and relate to eachother has definitly changed.. another example is like what happens when transfixed on something on the internet rather with something that is physical, such as with gaming, when i played WoW there have been times where me and a group of friends were in the same room and never spoke a word because we were all talking to each other and playing on our computers.i think its arguable whether or not this shift in communication is a good one, but in the end i think it doesnt make too much of a difference either way, its just different is all, instead of going to a bar and getting drunk together some people are chatting and drinking alone, instead of going to a speed dating service some place some people are chatting on dating sites..
that being said there have been those times where i met people i normally wouldn't have through meeting on common interest groups online, but i question to myself if i would have my head more outside of technology and made the effort to meet new people would it be just the same?
The thing about technology is that it just makes things faster and easier.. more things that people have to do without thinking about it, just click, type and click and somethings out there that you cant take back..
sorry if this was a bit long i didn't intend to write too long of a response..
Technology can be a godsend to persons who are isloated for one reason or another.Someone living in a very small town might not know anyone locally who, for example, reads science fiction. So, they can log onto Goodreads and chat about SF and many other things!
Even in a bigger city, in these cold northern winters where it is ten degrees and sleeting--I personally prefer not to go out in THAT. So again, I can visit with friends via the internet.
It's improved it for me. I've been extremely anti-social for years and I have been trying to work through it. Facebook has helped me get in touch with so many long-lost friends and family members.And I'm kind of odd. People in my life think my horror fandom is a little too much but through message boards I've actually become really good friends with people I would have never known that are like me all over the country and world.
Now I feel like singing "It's a Small World."
Same here. I've found my world has gotten smaller with the inclusion of past friends, family members, and random strangers I've met on the Internet.
I'm most grateful for the random strangers, and for their support they've shown me at times when I've needed it. I know I wouldn't have gotten that support if I'd isolated myself from an online community.
I'm most grateful for the random strangers, and for their support they've shown me at times when I've needed it. I know I wouldn't have gotten that support if I'd isolated myself from an online community.
I love networking. I can't imagine life without it. I think I am interesting because I keep a lot of interesting people around me, or at least an e-mail away.And you know, when any TCer goes on book tour for their latest bestseller, they can beat that in every major region of the US, there'll be someone there to support them from TC. At least, I hope so!
It's funny you mentioned that, Angie. I'm thinking of doing a TC tour next summer. I think I can pull it off...the path would include Jim, Kevin, Tad, Larry, Sally, and Jackie, in that order. Maybe I'll write a book about the trip:)
Mod
Come to PA, Anthony!Anyway, I'm just as isolated as ever. But I've deliberately isolated myself from most of my peers. I still talk with quite a few people from my high school days, and I regularly converse with my college friends, but I (for the most part) avoid social gatherings.
I deleted my facebook account last year; I privatized my directory profile in the university system; I removed all traces of myself from the internet.
I can't be burdened with 'socializing' with my peers when there's so much research to conduct/work to do. More than anything, I like to be alone with my thoughts. I feel as though the average person wouldn't understand my way of thinking, and my thoughts + mannerisms/way of life might come across as depressing/abnormal.
But... do I really have to make myself acceptable to 'society?' When the vast majority of my peers are idiots, I don't understand why I should 'find them' or 'invite them back into my life' [via social networking sites:].
Am I somehow... wrong?
No ... you're just you, Matt. That's okay.I just know that I need people -- all kinds of people.
*hums a Streisand tune*
Matt: As long as you're happy, it doesn't matter. :)We're flip sides of the coin I think: you isolate yourself for research purposes, whereas I'm opening myself up (because there is no work to be done in real life, beyond my own reading of books). Just yesterday I stumbled across someone living in Kathmandu, doing researching on feminism and Buddhism. What's the difference between that and having your nose in a mathematics book or spending long hours doing research you love? It's all research.
Matt wrote: "Come to PA, Anthony!But... do I really have to make myself acceptable to 'society?' When the vast majority of my peers are idiots, I don't understa..."
No! Be yourself and be happy. You don't have to be a social butterfly. I have a lot of facebook friends but some of them I've never communicated with on facebook. I just like to know that they're there.
uh matt...that is called having priorities and goals. i am really proud, envious and motivated by your intentions
I'm not asking, just so you know...the NY Times is asking.
Anyway, I would answer "yes" and/or "no" depending on how you define social interaction. A couple quick points:
1. I interact with people on the net through both facebook and GR with whom I would not interact as much if at all without technology. This includes old friends, colleagues, etc. who I don't see enough or would never meet with the net. However, there are times when were I not online I might interact with someone face to face. But there are other times, too, when if I wasn't online I wouldn't be interacting with anyone.
2. I've interacted with some people more face to face because of online social networks. Last weekend I went out with a slew of friends in Chicago, face to face, thanks to facebook. And I find organizing face to face social interaction often happens through facebook, Gr, email, etc.
What do you think?