Aspects of online socialization

Playing and chatting online is going to become an even bigger issue now that consoles are making it easier to do so.
Is this going to help or hinder socialization?
When there are so many ways to talk to people without having to see them it's a legitimate worry.
I prefer talking with people baout serious issues face to face, since typing online loses tone and expression, among other things.
It's also easier to work from home. Will we eventually end up talking to each other only from our dungeon basements? It may seem a little extreme, but some think that's where we are headed. I think we'll see a backlash to all of this. Humans can only be islands for so long!
Discuss!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by AliceNWondrland

I think that's a real problem, T0X. This is my main concern about internet socialization: It gives people who are already antisocial a crutch. Instead of having to deal with real life and real people, they can rely on their virtual friends to fill the voids in their lives, when they should be learning how to socialize with others and become functional members of society.

This is exactly what I was getting at. People who are antisocial to begin with now have no excuse to get better, and may even recess deeper into their aloofness. Heck, you can order anything you may need and have it delivered!
The anonymity also plays a key factor in people's true (for the most part) opinions and personalities coming out. Some are annoying trolls, while others are hatemongering biggots, while still others have excellent netiquette and have adapted well to their new cyber environs.
Still, it is about the best day and age for agrophobes!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Avalokiteshvara

So how are we using "antisocial" in this context? Are we talking those with absolutely no social skills, because I'm ok with bitching about crutches in that case. However, I should point out that if you're not well-adjusted off-line, there's no way you can maintain some sort of decent personality online. At best you group yourself together with a bunch of other socially deficient children, and mope about it together. Unfortunately, there are support groups off-line which do exactly the same thing.

If, however, we're talking about people who simply choose not to interact with others as a matter of preference, then, well, you're all judgemental morons. My apologies if the connotation is somehow self-evident. I've been accused of anti-social behavior simply because I don't generally initiate conversations, so I no longer assume.

That's a good point. There are definitely several people I would never want to initiate anything with! The psychology of the online social world is so interesting to me though. The net, for the most part, removes things like race, sex, age, class, etc. and lets people be their true selves, or even become someone else.
It's just a part of the human psyche we have had very little experience in exploring, even today, and we're all sort of trudging our way through the blindness.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.