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a new way of looking at... love >> internet and romance - 1 |
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a friend of mine posed the question of the effects of the internet on romance in general, and it sparked a hell of a conversation. as we approach this new(er) medium of the internet, we are slowly bringing the world together, opening up lines of communication that we did not have before. in my small existence on the internet, i have talked with people across the nation, in the united kingdom, australia, japan, and thailand. i miss that guy from thailand, he was nice. it's opening up new doors for opportunity and advancement... and also gives the ability of shooting ourselves in the foot. most particularly in romance.
i usually equate use of the internet as people living in the "western" world, which i don't think is far off the mark. it's something that mostly "middle class" people have access to, and a certain amount of affluence is needed by a family to own a computer (despite what computer manufacturers say nowadays) or a certain amount of technological advancement in the community to have library computers or some other such public access to the internet. therefore, i think that we are influenced a lot by two major factors: romanticism and individualism. romanticism tells us to relish every moment. carpe diem. it tells us the importance of love and its effect on the world all around us. it also bring a lot of baggage that simply isn't true. i hate to crush everyone's dreams, but there is no perfect man/woman/other out there for anyone. true love is built, not found. romanticism gives us this hope and dream that we can find that soulmate for life out there. it's simply not true. but i was talking about the internet, wasn't i? here's my hypothesis: with the increase in the lines of communication and the easier time one has talking about themselves over the internet without social distortion of their persona, coupled with the ability to now find anything you want (search yahoo for "perfect mate"), the internet has given us the ability to try searching for a person to fit our needs as opposed to fitting our needs for another in a dual engagment of a relationship. whew, that certainly sounded scholarly. let's break it down. first, the lines of communication have opened up, as i stated earlier. we now have access to find all sorts of people that we find interesting and exciting, and gain knowledge from one another. the internet is a wonderful resource. second, people have an easier time speaking on the internet then they do in person (most people in social situations are naturally introverts or extroverts, the internet provides a leveling ground). i have been able to better communicate with other over the internet because i can stop my mouth before i say stupid things. it gives me time to formulate and answer, and get my entire thought out, compiled, and refined before i push the magical send button. it's wonderful for that. 1 | 2 |