A Dry Spell

[Gryffindorian]

The following article is related to this topic, so I thought I'd share the link:

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-living/ci_16289328?nclick_check=1

"Technology does not seem to be the cause of isolation and loneliness," says Lee Rainie, director of Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. "The people who use technology have bigger networks and more diverse networks than people who don't. People who are social networkers are, in all cases, at least engaged with their communities more than people who don't use social networking sites."

This article again reminds me of two very interesting books I once saw at the bookstore. One was called Distracted and other was Our Dumbest Generation. Our telecommunication systems (cell phones, smart phones, etc.) have gotten a lot more sophisticated in recent years, coupled with the fact that social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have become powerful tools for sharing personal information on-line. I'm not saying these are entirely bad, but the bottom line is that too much of anything isn't necessarily a good thing.

 

[Finn]

^There is, but it's hard to have a conversation on economics, philosophy, relationships and Shatner's hairpiece: Series vs Movies all within 10 minutes of one another.

Actually, RL convos are a lot like the stupid crap on Facebook. Except, courtesy tells us it's rude to totally eye-roll and ignore someone when they tell you how good their coffee is to your face. So you end up having an inane chat about coffee, which leads to weather, and maybe someone will brag/bitch about their s/o, but you really won't care because they're not really looking for advice. It's just whining/boasting for its own sake.

I was once at a neighbour's house and she and a friend of hers managed to talk for 22 minutes on how they did their ironing. I only stayed because I wanted to time just how long such a conversation could go on for. They even spoke about how they ironed their tea towels.

Years ago at an old job, my coworkers were having a conversation about who they've seen naked in the locker room (we wore uniforms).


As for the internet use, it has generally declined in recent years. I don't really surf much. I hardly post anything in FB. And TrekBBS does seem quietier than when I first registered over four years ago.

 

[kes7]

Sometimes you get laid?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is this concept?

Dude, it's pretty fun. What happens is ...