here's something a very good friend of mine says about my online relationships:
As far as the online friend issue...it's hard to respond to each point you addressed, but I know it's difficult because you do tend to become "friends" with people online. But the thing is, some people don't look at online friendship in the same way. The dynamics of interacting and becoming close with people online are different than in real life, or at least to some people they are, and if two people are approaching an online friendship from two different views, then problems or hurt feelings can result. Remember, while the Internet makes it possible to connect with people we ordinarily wouldn't or couldn't, it also "dehumanizes" people, turning them into faceless impersonal screen names. I have always been a firm believer that avatars, emoticons and other tricks don't replace or equate human contact and communication. This becomes a problem because people can more easily fight, trash or dismiss someone online - because the human factor isn't there.
Of course, the other thing is, thanks to trash TV like the Jerry Springer show, people can even trash each other in person and no one thinks anything of it anymore. I believe that courtesy, decency and respect are going by the wayside thanks to these shows and the way they depict people. Screaming and fighting like the JS show cause people to become desensitized to that kind of behavior and it thus becomes an acceptable norm. Well, I don't think it's acceptable. but some do, because they don't have a problem acting like that.
I know this seems like a sociological discussion because it is! That's my take on online relationships. As you know, they all don't turn out bad...but the trick is to remember not what you can't control, but what you can. You can control how you react to people, how much you give and when. Be guarded until someone proves otherwise. It's a fine balance, and you have to learn to walk the tightrope!
Of course, the other thing is, thanks to trash TV like the Jerry Springer show, people can even trash each other in person and no one thinks anything of it anymore. I believe that courtesy, decency and respect are going by the wayside thanks to these shows and the way they depict people. Screaming and fighting like the JS show cause people to become desensitized to that kind of behavior and it thus becomes an acceptable norm. Well, I don't think it's acceptable. but some do, because they don't have a problem acting like that.
I know this seems like a sociological discussion because it is! That's my take on online relationships. As you know, they all don't turn out bad...but the trick is to remember not what you can't control, but what you can. You can control how you react to people, how much you give and when. Be guarded until someone proves otherwise. It's a fine balance, and you have to learn to walk the tightrope!
