Quote:
Originally Posted by desertgrandma
Stay away from forming personal relationships online.
As much fun as they may be, they aren't 'real'.
|
Obviously I don't agree, but I'm not really all that surprised to hear this sort of sentiment expressed. It seems to me that at least part of this divergence in the way people perceive the internet -- and all things related to it; relationships, etc. -- is directly related to what generation they grew up in.
I have an aunt and uncle who live in an old plantation house in rural Pennsylvania. They have a wood-burning stove and a coal-burning furnace. 70% of their food comes from their own garden, and for most of the year my Uncle rides his horse to his job at a farm down the road. They've never owned a computer and have no desire to ever do so. They have a vague understanding of what "email" is, but can't grasp why they would ever want to use such a thing. For them, communication consists of paper, pen, stamps, and a good long-distance phone plan.
If you set a laptop in front of my Aunt and asked her to type out an email and send it to her sister (my mom), she'd probably slowly and carefully tap out her message, and then seal the laptop in a box and take it to the post office to mail it out.
I'm not saying that everyone of their age is like that, of course not. I'd never make such a sweeping generalization. But I can see how someone of that age
might think differently about a technology like the internet. I can easily see how one
might feel it was "unreal", and should have no impact on "real life".
I can see how someone like that could think of the internet as more of a quaint diversion. Something to be hopped into briefly and then set aside when done.
I grew up in a different era.
My first real job was as a freelance web-designer. All my contacts were online. All my clients found me through the internet. My entire portfolio was virtual. I had no office you could come visit. My projects usually went from start to finish without me ever meeting my employer face to face. My efforts on the internet provided the down payment on my house, and completely paid for my first car. So I see the "real" aspects of what the internet can help provide all around me.
(Not to mention the one I wake up next to daily
)
I think the internet can provide real jobs, real support and real relationships. I think it can provide friendship and love. I think it is a door to people and places that you would never otherwise get to know.