Does the Internet stunt social growth?

[haste]

Everyone on this board has and is involved in communicating via the internet in some way, shape or form - whether it be, bulletin boards, messengers, email or chat rooms. It has increasingly become the means of communication for many people, many spending hours in front of their screen staring at words, which in the past would have been someone's face. The internet has allowed us to easily communicate with people from around the world that in the past would not have been possible to meet - it has opened the door to the world and many cultures.

With all its greatness and all encompassing reach, has the internet stunted many people's growth in face to face social settings? Are we losing the ability to communicate with people on a personal level, opting to leave messages or send an email in replace of a phone call or personal visit? Does the internet give us new found self confidence - saying things over a bulletin board/chat that we would not normally say to people in a face to face situation?

How has the internet affected you? - good or bad - and to what extent has it helped or hindered your social skills?

 

[Smiley^]

Hell yeah the internet stunts social growth.
Whenever I meet someone, the first thing I say is "a/s/l"

 

[haste]

yeah ok

 

[nezo]

I've been using the internet for a while now. I can still remember the days of when 9600bps was a cookin modem, Mosaic was King and Netscape was the da shit, when warez bbs like druids ruled the roost and when the porn on the web was still free - the good old days. I use the web every day for work, play, business and have found that it's a great way of communicating but doesn't replace the need to make that phone call, do the face to face etc. Relying on the web to communicate does stunt your social growth I think because you're limited in what you can say and do. That being said, I don't think everyone who uses the internet to communicate is a social midget - it all depends on whether you take that communication to the next level. Some people are happy to do all their talking over the web whilst others use it as a means of making inital contact and then building on it to take it to a more personal level. It all depends on what type of person you are. In short, the internet is a communication TOOL. Not communication in itself, how it is used is dictated by the person, not the other way round. Ie Extroverts will usually make intial contact and then meet face to face whilst Introverts may prefer just to rely on the voicemails, the emails, the SMS etc. That was just a huge generalisation and not even defendable in an arguement but you get the gist.
Now what was the topic again??

------------------
"Warning - May Contain Peanuts"

 

[Fry-d-]

No need to think about it.
Plain and simple.
Yes it does.
If the use of the internet keeps expanding the way it does ........... Matrix maybe? Maybe not so extreme but everyone plugged in at home with no need to go and see people or maybe even talk on the phone for that matter we can just live our lives on the net, work or play whichever it may be .... *shudder*

 

[Nickstar]

Just on a side note about the Internet continuing to grow and getting worse. It will probably actually improve our communication in the future as we are not very far away from having video phones via internet. In fact we could do it already if you had an internet cam. im sure it will become common place to be actually able to see the person you are talking to (thats if your talking in smaller groups) and then its an even better form of communcation than a phone isnt it? Because you can see facial expressions.
And maybe they had these same issues when the phone first became common place? Parents probably used to complain that their kids are always on the phone and never go out and see their friends face to face like they used to in the old days

. Where as now we see the phone as a great communication tool that helps connect people together. The Internet will probably be the same once it fully develops and is less restricted by bandwidth. Yes? No?

 

[nezo]

I don't think the Internet will ever fully develop - it's constantly changing and it will never reach a point where ppl sit back and 'there, it's finished'. Also, you'll probably find that as bandwidth increases someone will develop a technology to make full use of it - ie bandwidth will never catch up with the types of technology which try to make us of it. When 14.4K modems first came out , internet speed improved to a point where normal users didn't have to sit around for 30 minutes for a page to load - the whole e-commerce industry boomed straight after that cause business now they were able to build web pages rich in text and graphic as well as being practical. So what did the bright sparks go and do? Create Flash, Java and other bandwidth hungry apps like that to slow down web pages.
------------------
"Warning - May Contain Peanuts"

 

[mr_fluffy]

I DON'T FARKN THINK SO. D00D, THE INERNET R00LZ!

 

[De Quincey]

everyone uses the internet to communicate (young ppl i mean), so i don't think it makes much difference. we all need to have real lives as well (ie at work, at school, at the shops, trying to meet fuck buddies, parties etc) so at the moment i don't see the internet stunting social growth.
if anything, it lets people explore personas they don't usually get to use, and it helps shy people express themselves in more public ways (like bulletin boards

). I think this is a good thing for most people. Just as long as you don't spend *all* your time in front of your screen typing in 'net jargon to people you'll never meet. that's just fucking boring.
DQ.
------------------
"Cabbages... knickers.... it's not got a beak!"

 

[Tarsarlan]

...and what's wrong with spending all your time infront of the screen eh? ...I spend 8hrs a day infront of one and I get payed quite well to do it so I'm gonna stop...

Seriously tho, I don't think it stunts social growth as long as it isn't allowed to take over from more personal social interaction... as long as people don't start giving up meeting face-to-face in exchange for interaction via the internet...
There are also benefits to the internet, and possiblities for openings in social interaction which wouldn't be possible without the internet... I wouldn't be going up to Sydney and Brisbane if it weren't for the internet... and I wouldn't have met some of the many great people I have...

 

[MíkeySåmmy]

i think the net has seriously stunted my social growth ..
around friends i am fine but ever since i started spending more time at the computer and less time out partying and being sociable, i have gotten used to hiding behind a screen where i can plan out what i want to say before i type it.
on top of that, i havent had to worry about peoples perceptions of me.
as a result, nowadays when i go out i can never start a conversation with new people, simply because i feel uncomfortable and dont know what to say.
'tis a problem.
i am quite possibly missing out on many opportunities.
------------------
The fact is that nothing becomes as old as quickly as a new s o u n d
-Slide Beneath The City-

 

[BigfootDragon]

i have to agree, it definately stunts social growth. but, i don't think that its all a bad thing.
i use the net now to talk to people i already know, arrange to meet people that i met online and communicate with friends/family that have moved away (its so cheap!).
however, i feel that the internet has actually helped improved my social skills. it probably sounds weird, but i think its true. bluelight has helped me meet sooooo many people that i now call friends, and i'm sure there will be more in the future.
before i had the internet and (mostly) bluelight, i was shy as they come... and for the most part i still am

but meeting so many people off here and the internet in general has allowed me to 'practice' social skills getting to know them. so thats how i feel its actually helped my social skills.
yeah

BigfootDragon.

 

[ruski]

Like nezo i've been around long enough to remember 300 baud modems and running a two node bbs on 2 x 2400 modems and soliciting illegal software.. because it was the in thing in like .. 1988... (about the same time I was making hardcore on my amiga)
watching the internet progress and grow from using freaking text based browsers like lynx on Linux v2.0.3 back in 1991.. and sitting on IRC 24/7 since i cant remember when (yes im still logged into efnet now.. god its been like 7 years i think idling away) .. people have gone from talking about crap to talking about even more crap.. meaning that we probably all have even less to say... but i dont think internet has stunted social growth.. for me it has increased it. If it wasnt for the likes of IRC or BBSing back in the early 90's I dont think I would know some of the people I knew today and on top of that you guys wouldnt know each other because there'd be no bluelight!!!
I freaking hate computers, I hate SMS & I hate the fone.. I just want 2 c people face to face.. spend time with everyone all at once and embrace sociability to its maximum because who wants to see peoples text anyway? its no fun.....
I guess to make one big fat generalization that has no founding principles or prior research and merley rests on my opinion, the internet has screwed us up and yes it prolly has stunted social growth because we are less inclined to go out these days because its much nicer keeping our insecurities at home and sitting in front of a monitor.
For me persoally I dont think its hindered it (although there was a year there where I didnt leave my room, but after pretty much throwing my PC out at the time I decided it was time to see the sunshine again) .... as a tool the www/bbs'/irc/icq/MUDs(haha) all the possible text mediums alike are just tools for increasing your socaibility not hindering it.. its only when you prefer to sit at home by yourself and totally immerse yourself in the electronic goodness that is the internet then you start to cause anti-social problems for yourself....
Like with everything that is a tool or even things that are merley for recreation... moderation moderation moderation. Use it a little and it will give a lot back.. post a little on bluelight.. get to meet lots of people... are we stunting social growth? naaaaah

------------------
A drug person can learn to handle such things as seeing their dead grandmother crawling up their leg with a knife in her teeth. But no one should be asked to deal with this trip. -- Fear and Loathing

 

[Magoo]

It hasn't stunted my social growth. But when three housemates start ICQing each other rather than getting up off the chair in front of there screen and actually conversing to the other person in the next room, I think you've got to ask serious questions.
I won't name names, but I will say that one starts with Ha and ends in ste.

 

[haste]

errrr yes .....hmmmmm forgot about that hehe .....ummmmmm well you see Anjele has this big killer of a dog with blood drooling from it's mouth from the last person that walked into her room - it's much safer this way

And Chaos, well he's into all this weird shit, sacrafices I suspect - always smoke coming from his room - and I've also seen an ancient ritual tool in his room - I think they call it a dong, hmmmmm thats not it...ummmm cong, shlong, wong......bong - thats it - a BONG!
I'm afraid...very afraid

------------------
CEO of B.O.A.R
Burnt Out Association of Ravers
....SLIDE BENEATH THE CITY......feel free to visit
Ravers click here for free porn
[This message has been edited by haste (edited 17 April 2001).]

 

[Miss Peks]

The internet has actually improved my confidence in meeting new people believe it or not.
I've been using it for about 5 and 1/2 yrs and during that time I've met a hell of a lot of people from it. Sure maybe I do spend a lot of time in front of the computer, but I also have other things in my life to occupy me as well, such as work and social life. For instance if I hadn't of been an internet junkie I would never have gone on BL and I would never have met you all.
In summary I've had a lot of experience, opportunities and I've gained more confidence in meeting new people. These are great things that might not have happened if I hadn't have ever gone online.

 

[atomica]

thanks to the net, i met my soulmate who happened to be on the other side of the world. i met online friends all over the usa in person, i just kinda rocked up in their town, gave them a buzz n said "hello, im in town, wanna hang out?"
if you woulda told me i'd be doing that when i was in high school, i'd have called you crazy. if you'd have told me then that i'd be behind a drug-info stall meeting ppl all over the place, chatting w/ them.. meeting new ppl every weekend (and somehow i actually talk more when straight, so its *not* the drugs!!).. well i'd never have believed any of it. i was *extremely* shy.
i'm still quiet and i still suck at small talk, but i'm not painfully shy and i'm happy to meet any new ppl. part of this is due to growing up, part is due to learning how to deal w/ bipolar disorder, and a good part of it came from the net. two years on IRC can be very good for you, or very bad (i did also get thrown outta uni hehe)
so i guess my answer is no. for me anyways, the net broke down barriers that allowed my social self to grow. for many that will be the case, for many they will be trapped behind a screen. like all things in life (drug addiction, successful marriage blah blah), it depends on the individual. you cant say something is good or bad.. its a multitude of greys

=)

 

[Tarsarlan]

Just lost a pretty huge reply to this thread... Dammit!
Ah well, i'll do it again if I get the chance, but for now... *bump*

 

[haste]

bump

 

[blufluffybunny]

well.
I met bluelighters on the net. No one else.
I met them in person.
I see them often.
I am going out wif one.
soo, NO. I think it has expanded my cirlcle of 'friends' to a certain degree.
But then again, most of you guys are computer geeks aren't you!

*bunny runs from the onslaught of computer geeks chasing him down the street*