The internet is a dangerous place. Adults never have to leave the house because everything is so readily accessible from home. They sit in front of their computer monitors, converse with their friends, order their Christmas gifts, work at their jobs from their home offices, get new educational degrees, play their online video games, pay their online bills, and when they run out of food or other supplies, those can be ordered online and delivered too. In my opinion, however, what is more hazardous is our ability to keep tabs on other people and drive ourselves completely insane. Myspace gives us the ability to see when someone is Online Now! AIM lets us know when someone is idle or active, even if they have an away message up. SG lets us comment stalk people, which I think may be the most detrimental because then we start reading into things and wondering what someone really meant by that, not to mention the harm that can come from actually reading someones journal! Now, dont misunderstand me. I love all of these sites/programs; however, I know numerous people, myself included, that have used one or all of them to drive themselves insane. 10 years ago, that would not have been possible.
To quote a journal I probably shouldnt have been reading: And people wonder why God invented booze.
To quote a journal I probably shouldnt have been reading: And people wonder why God invented booze.
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Interestingly, I had a conversation about this just an hour ago with my friend. She's having issues with a guy and his other women, and lately she's been watching their comments on Myspace. It is kind of like spying.
My boyfriend was on SG for a short while but cancelled his membership because he spent most of his time here comment-stalking me, which made him uncomfortable so he quit the site altogether... then he cancelled his cable service and dismantled his modem.
But keep in mind the other half of Internet Connectability: I don't have time to hang out with everyone I'd like to in real life, but we still keep in touch online. It's a very positive thing in my life; I have an easy 24/7 contact with most of my friends, I have ways to meet new friends, and I can organize our real-life meetings much simpler than by phone. Especially during the busy semester, it's hard to find time to keep up with everyone.