Backsliding

Everyone is so focused on how disconnected and anti-social our generation is because of the computer, but it's like being in the eye of the storm, you can't truly see the impact it's had until the storm is over. We are in the middle of a huge upheaval, where everything we've known is changing thanks to advances in technology. Naturally, things are going to need to be broken down and readjusted.

Rather than looking at the technology revolution, I'd like to take a step back and look at history, using Shirky's chapter 8 as a guideline. The best example I can think of relates to my creative writing pursuits. The reason I love discussing my story and getting feedback from other people is that I sometimes get so stuck on an idea that I don't even realize it is not even necessary. For example, last week I workshopped my novel in which there is a camping trip. Someone asked why it was necessary and I realized when I was rewriting the story, I never even thought about the significance it. That scene had been there since the beginning and just seemed a natural part of the story. That's what I think of when I think about people's idea of "spending free time." Over the decades and centuries, these things have changed but become so naturalized in our society that redefining our idea of free time doesn't seem like an option.

Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, reading books was a luxury. Then it became normalized and reading/literacy was encouraged. People bemoaned the fact that no one spent any time outside. Then came along the TV and everyone frowned upon it and bemoaned the days where we snuggled up with a good book. Now in present day the internet is looked upon as an awful thing while going outside, reading, and watching TV are nostalgic moments we long for. The point I'm making is that our definitions are always changing, although we don't usually notice it. When I was a child, "gay" meant happy. Now I rarely even hear it used in that context.

Shirky points out in Chapter 8 that nothing will ever replace face to face socialization, and it's absurd to think that way. I personally think it's not accurate to say the internet is antisocial (I suppose it depends on how you use it). The computer is nothing but a tool that mediates our interactions with other people (in regards to social software). I can honestly tell you I talk to more people than I did ten years ago. That doesn't mean I just hole myself up in my room all day (granted, some people do), but I also think I have meaningful contact and exchanges with REAL people online on a day to day basis. Once the fad of the internet dies down, I'm sure we will realize that we still crave that face to face communication with other people. Although I am a fan of face to face interactions, I want to play devil's advocate: What is so important about face to face communication except that it's part of our culture? Anything besides face to face interaction wasn't possible a hundred years ago, so of course that's all they had. If technology existed hundreds of years ago, would internet communication be considered the norm and face to face as odd? it's bizarre to think about, but it's important to remember that everything we do is based on how we are socialized, particularly historically and culturally.