MediaJoltz

From my post yesterday about what you would do if the internet went down, I found another topic to discuss: Online relationships, how are they different from real life relationships?

Max Web made a comment on my blog about how being online has impeded our social skills because now we are so use to “friending” and “unfriending”. He made a really good point stating:

“I think we have avoided or even ditched, “real life” relationships in some ways because of the ease of Internet relations… if I don’t like you on the internet, it’s not too hard to “un-friend” you, but if I screw up my relationship with a neighbor, what do I do, move? The Internet has been the greatest invention for social slackers, it allows us to have great people we might never meet or relate to in real life, as “friends.”

But for some people, being online has helped them go out of their comfort zones. Where in real life they would never approach someone and start talking to them, online they are a popular social bug. But then again, what happens when there is a meet-up? I felt that at the PME where I suddenly got scared that people wouldn’t like me in real life. But I’m the same in real life as I am online, at least I think I am. I have no trouble approaching people in both situations, but that’s me. I know of others who are online who are not as outgoing in real life-but they are comfortable with this almost alter ego online.

Max brought up another good point- are the people you are connecting to online, the same type of people you would hang out with and be friends with in real life? That’s an awesome question. At the PME I overheard a conversation about how there are some people that get on this group’s nerves. I sat there thinking, why are you connected to them then? Well, its because this group saw that there was value in these people’s knowledge. Would any from the group actually hang out and be friends with these people in real life? Probably not.

Do you feel a little more free about whom you connect to online? How many people are you connected to simply because they share good knowledge, vs. those you really would want to be friends with?

Cammon made a comment about how he likes relationships online because he can talk on his own time.

“It’s easy for me because I have the time to connect with people on my own schedule. It’s hard for our neighbors to all get together because we all have different free time. So staying connected with someone online is not hampered as much by time, it’s easy to write a quick note or post a video and you stay connected.”

I bet a lot of us feel that way. We’ve even got voicemail on Facebook! Now I have to be careful because Cammon is my husband, but, playing devils advocate, why not leave a note on your neighbor’s door? Is that not like an email? You are giving them a message that you are thinking of them, they don’t get it until they are ready for it. Why are we so against direct contact?

Are these skills that we are learning online, hurting or helping our real life social skills? Are they making us more lazy, or are they providing us with an extra means to make more friends. Those you are connecting to, online, do you really consider each one a friend? If not, why?

(a note about the comments-my php friend will be fixing the black text on gray box problem tonight!)