McMillan and Morrison's article and research is fascinating. I enjoyed reading the article although it was a bit dense and I had to read through it a few times.
I found the discussion of internet dependence particularly interesting. Online communities have changed immensely since the start of the internet. McMillan states "the internet was often used for sustaining real communities" and I loved the way she explains the transition or the original idea of an online community. A few friends of mine use a site called Second Life. The site is used by real people using Avatars in a 3D online community. Thousands of people live pseudo lives in this community making friends, going out dancing, and even getting married. More recently, many people have become concerned with the sexual content offered on Second Life. Check out this video where a news station investigates porn and Second Life:
I personally have no interest in signing up for an account on a site like this. But, it is entirely understood why anyone would. Life is extremely stressful, filled with awkward situations, sadness, and anger. Second Life allows each individual to live life exactly how one wants to too. Life isn't stressful in this new world unless one wants it to be. For every socially awkward person who wants to go on a date but could never ask an actual human being out, this site is perfect.
The relationship between young people and the internet is something that I think about quite often.
I am heavily involved in internet usage because of my work in school and with my band.
For school, I am constantly looking up articles and books for class.
For my band, I promote heavily for our shows online and send mass emails to fans, friends, and family about up-and-coming information.
Sometimes I find myself in another world when using the internet. When I have been working on a paper for hours (or perhaps days) I get confused when going into the real world. It may sound crazy but my eyes may hurt, my fingers may tingle, and it takes me a few minutes to reconnect with reality.
Questions
Yet, have we gone to far as a society that maintaining intimate relationships rely on the internet for communication?
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