01-01-2011, 12:00 AM
I agree with your sentiment, and to be honest it is understandable. I identify with your words, and i think most here will, unless they are the most dedicated of solitary workers.
On the net you get to choose who you talk to and ignore. If i found my self surrounded by a lot of gossipping people talking about fashion and the latest must have item or what a certain celebrity is doing i would disconnect very quickly. On a forum like this, you have an equally diverse amount of people that you would meet in any bar or club, but everysingle one of us is united by a common theme.
You could talk to a 1000 people in real life and they would all either ignore, shun or patronise you for your beleifs, here you have guaranteed acceptance for being true to yourself. There will still be personality clashes, arguments and disagreements as we are still individuals, but these problems are less severe and rarely cause lasting damage as you ahve the choice to block them or find another site to match your beliefs and make new friends there.
The biggest downside to internet chat is that it is easy to mis-interpret intention or meaning behind a word, in fact our own state of mind can mean we read something completely differently from how it was meant to be written. Without the human ability of reading emotion, facial expression or body language no amount of words can sometimes adequately describe what someone is trying to say on a live chat basis online.
The biggest danger with this type of chat is it can become dominating to the point were real life takes a second seat. I think it is best if you cna combine both, i know that geography is an issue here, but the best internet group i was ever in was a paranormal investigation team were we all RL friends after becomming online ones, which meant the forums and chat were buzzing, many well matched and successful romances were born and is still strong today despite many people comming and going.
I cannot stress the importance of common interests here, and that old adage everything in moderation.
Yes i have been guilty of all the above at some point and still am i n many respects, i find TV repulsive except for the odd movie and football so most of my time is spent on the net, but i am very aware that personal interaction is the most important ingredient to a well rounded experience.
On the net you get to choose who you talk to and ignore. If i found my self surrounded by a lot of gossipping people talking about fashion and the latest must have item or what a certain celebrity is doing i would disconnect very quickly. On a forum like this, you have an equally diverse amount of people that you would meet in any bar or club, but everysingle one of us is united by a common theme.
You could talk to a 1000 people in real life and they would all either ignore, shun or patronise you for your beleifs, here you have guaranteed acceptance for being true to yourself. There will still be personality clashes, arguments and disagreements as we are still individuals, but these problems are less severe and rarely cause lasting damage as you ahve the choice to block them or find another site to match your beliefs and make new friends there.
The biggest downside to internet chat is that it is easy to mis-interpret intention or meaning behind a word, in fact our own state of mind can mean we read something completely differently from how it was meant to be written. Without the human ability of reading emotion, facial expression or body language no amount of words can sometimes adequately describe what someone is trying to say on a live chat basis online.
The biggest danger with this type of chat is it can become dominating to the point were real life takes a second seat. I think it is best if you cna combine both, i know that geography is an issue here, but the best internet group i was ever in was a paranormal investigation team were we all RL friends after becomming online ones, which meant the forums and chat were buzzing, many well matched and successful romances were born and is still strong today despite many people comming and going.
I cannot stress the importance of common interests here, and that old adage everything in moderation.
Yes i have been guilty of all the above at some point and still am i n many respects, i find TV repulsive except for the odd movie and football so most of my time is spent on the net, but i am very aware that personal interaction is the most important ingredient to a well rounded experience.