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Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze
Also: To say that internet conversations are interchangeable with ones that occur face to face is to discount all of the esoteric aspects of our physical being. Nostalgia for printed books as opposed to ebooks is frequently ridiculous when the layout is superfluous and a simple flow of text is the only true medium. But personal interaction -- visual, auditory, emotional, visceral, even spiritual -- can be so complex and multifaceted that it can give participants what a forum exchange cannot.
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The chief loss that I see in online communication is empathy. It's a lot easier to be cruel to the faceless nonentity floating in the mist. Which is why I'm an online pacifist. Maybe I'm just a wuss who hates arguments.
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Imagine spending a New Year's Eve drinking with a few breathtakingly brilliant people. Now contemplate spending the next New Year's talking to those same people on Facebook while being physically alone. Which night is likely to yield more inspiring memories throughout your life?
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I hate parties, but I also hate Facebook. I don't know that either experience would inspire me for a lifetime. A party, even a small one, would be much more draining, however. Like being the only living dude at a vampire convention.
I don't really see the fascination with smart people. Maybe I've just never met anyone who was smart enough to blow me away. I'm much happier to be around kind people. And even they can be a drain.