The Importance Of Social Networking on the Internet

Remember George Orwells novel 1984?
The populace living in fear in squalid, government owned appartments with the only source of entertainment allowed: A giant screen in each flat, (unless you are part of the elite ministry).
On this giant screen 24 hr propaganda.
Funny how Sci-fi slowly becomes reality.

Substitute this giant screen for your home PC.
This may be seen as a window for propaganda also. The ministry is the government/corporate ruling faction.
Simple needs ( such as razor-blades in this novel); are priced out-of-reach to the normal citizen. Double-speak is political correctness. See the parallels???

When I come home from work I most-times enjoy my escape; a few beers whilst chatting on ATS forum, FaceBook or via E-mail.
Many people do a similar ritual; it is a no-hassle substitute for the real thing; Human Contact.

My question is: Is the Social Networking facilities available on the Internet destroying/evolving Humans into anti-social creatures?
Or is the Internet simply an easy outlet because corporate rule has forced the cost of things we used to enjoy so 'freely'-beyond the financial reach of most?

Everyday I am shocked at the lack of social skills ( fundamental Human compassion and courtesy); and I am surrounded by highly trained academics!!
I have found myself, over the past 2 years becoming more complacent about the feelings of others that I interact with day to day.
This disturbs me.
I used to give everyone a fair-go. Now I treat most with impolite indifference, until they earn respect. Is this right?

What do you guys think?
Chicken or egg?

Is social networking a product of mans fear of a 'media painted' reality outside the comfort of the Human home?

Or is it simply that our corporate slave-masters have outpriced even the
fundamental trappings of being social, I.E: its too expensive to go out?

Or have social networks been created to keep us just where they want us; where 'they' can monitor our every thought, feeling and habits........just like 1984????

One word. Yes.

I think that these social networking sites are a bunch of doo-doo. (sorry mods). I've been there, done that. It gets old. When I realised that these sites actually use the info you put on there, for other purposes, I took everything off. When you see ads coming up with your hometown, or dating sites with your zip code, thats too much spyware for me. I don't want people diving into my life. I'm not into that.

Forums are different. We are sharing infomation. Social sites are for communication. I'm starting to see where people are putting certain av's on this forum and making it look like a social networking site. [sarcasm] Like, OMG, did you see my facebook?[/sarcasm]

Maybe I'm just bias and anti-social.

Good thread.

reply to post by havok


thanks Havoc,
it started out as a thread to voice my suspicion of why I, at times, enjoy ATS so much.
When I thought about it, I concluded its a cop-out for real Human interaction. But then thought more, and concluded that there is a miriad of possibilties for this.
What I've noticed is there are a lot of aggressive arguements on here ( I've been involved in a few also). It kind of reminds me of the rude-driver mentality; cut 'em off- who cares, you wont see them again.
There are probably about 70% of threads where people give their written version of the 'Sucker-punch'- I write what the hell I feel, and with no explaination, I'm out-ta there just as quick!

Then......it became a realization of how much life parodies 1984!!!!AHHHH WELLL

[edit on 8/28/2009 by KRISKALI777]

[edit on 8/28/2009 by KRISKALI777]

reply to post by KRISKALI777


Hi KRISTALI777, I do feel that social networking is important in that you get to meet people you would never have met in person. There are looney toons everywhere but also brilliant people that we can learn from. The good thing about the internet is that you an turn it OFF. As for people in society being less than kind....yes you will find that everyday but It also depends a lot on where you are looking. I personally meet very kind and polite, considerate people. Lets put it this way, I believe that basically people are good. There is usually a rat in the woodpile somewhere but remember that if they don't know you personally then their rage isnt really about you.

reply to post by Magantice


Thanks for the reply,
what i was trying to say is that we are more or less urged to use the internet more, because of financial pressures ( think of working families that have never had to wok so many hours to sustain their lifestyle); the flip-side of that is the corporate oxygen wasters ( run companies and peoples lively-hoods into the ground- then escape with a record pay-out).
People simply do not have the same amount of disposable cash to entertain themselves with nowadays (or is this untrue); does this lack of cash, or other factors drive people indoors, shunning human interaction and substituting this with their computer??
Society is lossing its abilty to socially interact on a more sophisticated (polite) level, because of the impersonal nature of virtual reality.
Do you disagree or agree?

I too am against social networking sites, they do collect way too much information about you and sometimes use it for sinister purposes, there is no doubt of that. the thing that gets me is this; People on sites like MySpace will put their children's photos and names up there for anyone to see, and never think that perhaps an internet predator may be trolling for new meat. I asked on girl I know personally, who has a beautiful 5 year old daughter why she did this, and she replied, " I can erase them any time I want to." You should have saw her face when I told her what is on the internet, stays on the internet. When a person does this, they may as well hang a sign around the child's neck.

Forums are different, I am a long time veteran of internet forums, and belong to nine of them right now. Forums are a way for people to meet, and discuss new ideas and thoughts, and to expound on new theories. I meet and talk with people in this forum that are way more intelligent and knowing that the people I meet in my town. The only real sad thing about forums is people with closed minds....little do they realize, a mind is like a parachute, it only works when open.

[edit on 28-8-2009 by autowrench]

[edit on 28-8-2009 by autowrench]

reply to post by autowrench


Exactly, autowrench. Exactly.

You hit the nail on the head.

By the way, I am using your last sentence in my sig. If that's ok.

[edit on 28-8-2009 by havok]

reply to post by autowrench


I am a user of such things as faceBook, I have found it handy to get re-aquainted with friends that I haven't seen in years.
It makes me wonder sometimes though, weither its a tool to condition our behaviour.
Maybe the 'powers-that-be' don't want us interacting in anyway they can't monitor!
Remember the laws they tried to bring into England in the early '90's; more than three people hanging out (dancing) was to be considered an illegal "Rave?
Apparently, the internet was originally an intelligence tool ( Government).