Week 7 #17

I know this will sound anomalous since a lot of people believe that the new technologies are bringing more people together, allowing people to share their thoughts, wiki-ing, blogging, etc., but the few times I have looked at places like myspace.com, blogs, and other technorati that are "bringing us together" I have thought that technology is actually keeping us apart. First of all, each of these sites represents a person sitting alone in front of a computer (even our patrons that are sitting elbow to elbow are strangely alone in their own little world) and that means the person is not sharing with a real someone. And, how much are we losing by limiting our face-to-face contact? How many of these people behind the blogs/spaces can live up to whatever they are writing? And why aren't they involved in a flesh and blood relationship (I don't necessarily mean boyfriend/girlfriend, but just friend/friend)? Are we turning into a nation that lives through a screen? And if you only connect online, are you losing the ability to have a "real" relationship where the other person sees you with your not so perfect hair and a few extra pounds instead of the beautiful avatar you have posted? And are we turning into a people that likes the shadow instead of the reality?