Internet=Relationship

[Mjannie]

Hi dear people,

I always like Internet communication. It's human relationship, of course it's magic!
Do you think you benefit a lot from internet?
Do you agree? if you say it's human relationship?
Thank you,
Mja

[Monte314]

I couldn't do my job without the internet.

Much of my communication with friends, family, even my wife, is by internet. Two of the scientists who work for me are in other states: without the internet, this would be impossible.

Further, the internet allows me to maintain communication with a much wider range of friends and acquaintances than I could if face-to-face contact were necessary. By internet, I have regular conversations with school chums and colleagues whom I haven't actually seen for many years (in one case, for over 35 years!)

The internet has revolutionized not only our business models, but our social structures and culture. And this is only the beginning....

...and, of course, were it not for the internet, none of you would have the benefit of knowing Monte!

[Icristhus]

My life's definitely been helped by the internet. 'Course, on the flipside, it also harmed my life greatly for a few years there, when I was obsessed and addicted to it at the expense of everything else in my life.

But that dismal period aside, I think I've ultimately gained far more than I've lost from it, simply in the form of human contact. Some of my very dearest friends have been met online, and they've definitely made an intense impact on my life. So much so, that I wouldn't be in half as good a shape as I currently am, without them. Weird, I suppose, but just the way things seem to work.

In short, I think the internet's great. Just got to get it in moderation and as-needed; can't let it dominate your entire life the way I nearly did.

There any deeper questions to this thread? What were you hinting at about magic and human relationships? If the topic's purpose is just to find out peoples' opinions on the internet being good or bad, then I think it's pretty well covered by Monte. ;)

[Gwynde]

Not human, but it can meet some of the human needs such as a place where you fit in, or needed knowledge to find food, housing, etc. Text is processed in your brain, and without appropriate feedback, including nonverbal, we humans may all too well fall into the trapped mentality of the automaton. He discerns not emotional involvement with his assessment.

[Synamon]

I've made connections and friendships online that would have been impossible to find in "real life". It is different than real life because when you develop friendships online the environment has an impact. The screen between you and them makes it safe to say almost anything, and the time it takes to type your thoughts on the keyboard gives you the chance to really listen and absorb what the other person says and to fully form your own thoughts. You can't blurt things out (well OK, I can and do), you have that split second to decide whether to send your thought right before you hit enter, and there is always the delete key.

The online environment also has removes barriers like distance, appearance, age, and even time if you post messages they can see later. Online you can meet and talk to exponentially more people than you will ever meet in real life. The only barriers are language and typing skill. It is a wonderful place for an introvert like myself to interact.

You hear all about the downside of online relationships: the scams, the predators, the obsessive behaviors, but rarely about the amazing amount of friendships that this medium fosters. I've made great friends online, both male and female, that I could never have found in real life, so for me the positives outweigh the risk by a factor of 100. Open and honest dialog between friends is wonderful gift. These friendships are valuable and should be cherished. Welcome to the 21st century.

[Allie]

I still haven't gotten to that phase yet where internet = relationship (of any kind) that others experienced. I don't think I ever will either, and it's mostly due to my personality and preferences.

I think it's great that others could find friendships/relationships online. It must be very uplifting.

[Homini Lupus]

Internet is an enormous source of possibilities. As any possibility, you have to find a way to use them at your own advantage. It helps you mantain relations, it creates new and can be a starting point for First Life relations (at least I know some people who did).