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.

Online socialization, huh? Well I guess a lot of us are ahead of your game, being that I for one have lived in a basement with nothing to keep me company except for routers, cables, servers, PC's and my college textbooks. There are countless like me. I've pulled away from that lifestyle, thankfully. Nowadays, I prefer to talk on the phone and I don't take online acquaintances nearly as personally as I used to. I used to meet every one of them I could. Now I couldn't care less in most cases.

I guess with the new generation of Consoles and Gamers, there will be a recurrence of similar lifestyles. No less caused by the ever increasing centralization of our entertainment centers and workstations. But I mean, this is like when I heard some kids raving about Final Fantasy X a few years back and they failed to realize that X is a Roman Numeral.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I never had a problem with my socialization, seeing that I go out regularly.
I go to parties and I'm quite outgoing so I'm not affraid to talk to complete strangers.

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

I think that online socialization is a good way for a lot of people to open up. Work at home, online schools, or chatrooms in general, it let's some of us do things that we might be afraid to do in the real world.

So some people like talking face to face. What about those who don't? Who are too shy to walk up to someone and start a conversation?

What about adults in their 40's or 50's that want to take or finish a college coarse but doesn't have the time to make the commitment and go drive to school, get the books, do homework and study for exams in a given amount of time?

I think online socialization just gives people more options. I don't think that people will be confined to their basements and be stuck there typing away. People have to be with other people, not isolated so I don't think socializing over the net is ever gonna become a problem.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by T0X1Qu3

I think that online socialization is a good way for a lot of people to open up. Work at home, online schools, or chatrooms in general, it let's some of us do things that we might be afraid to do in the real world.

So some people like talking face to face. What about those who don't? Who are too shy to walk up to someone and start a conversation?

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.

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!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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.

Agree 100%.

I don't think this whole "internet socializing" thing is half as great as it seems. I mean, yea, sure, its great for some of us. But it only encourages a LOT of people to recede into the depths of their basements, only to play Halo and stare at hentai all fucking day and night.

FELIPE NO

Quote:

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.

I went down this path..and it is something I'm having a hard time getting out of. The negative change that came with it and other things.

How ya doing, buddy?

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I think that's too optimistic, shadowlink. There are aspects of personalities that shine through, especially given prolonged interaction with each other. I don't expect that many people have the capacity to behave in a drastically different manner for a long period of time. I certainly don't.

I'll also point out that while characteristics like race, sex, and class are made irrelevant, we simply introduce different standards by which to categorize ourselves. For instance, literacy, choice of name and popularity. We still have a class system of sorts. Hell, gamingforce has achieved something roughly akin to the conflict between landed gentry and the bourgeoisie. Clearly, for me, it's a sociological experiment, rather than a psychological one.

I also think age is evident online. It is fairly easy to judge someone's age by the maturity of their posts. For instance, people who advocate wide, sweeping, simple solutions to world affairs are either retarded or aged 13-16. =p

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Online socialization is good IMO, but of course dont make it into the highest priority in our life. I enjoy chatting as much as downloading, but I dont forget about the real social life. We should be careful so that we dont turn up into some hikikomori.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by shadowlink56

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!

Pretty soon we'll all be living in the Matrix! But seriously, yes, there's so many ways of communicating online to people that it's becoming a bit much. I, myself, don't mind talking using Trillian and stuff, but I can't get back into the whole chat room thing. It seems as though people would rather use online communication than real communication these days. Thank goodness I have a job, otherwise I'd be sitting in the house using Trillian all day (I've done it before).

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Originally Posted by Lady Miyomi

I, myself, don't mind talking using Trillian and stuff, but I can't get back into the whole chat room thing.

Me neither, and it doesn't help that chat rooms usually consist of 3-4 retards that speak constantly while the other 40 people lurk.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Lady Miyomi

Pretty soon we'll all be living in the Matrix!

Soon? Wrong!
The Matrix has you.

FELIPE NO

As others have mentioned, conversing online is a kind of socialization, although it is cyber/virtual socialization. It is important for people to be able to express themselves in as many mediums as possible : face-to-face, phone, letter, e-mail, etc.

Written communication (both online and on paper) has the disadvantage of being misunderstood easily, without inflection or body language. It is important for people to understand that, but the current trend seems to be to get mad at someone because they e-mailed/posted/texed etc. something you don't like and overreact before thinking things through. I guess the next step in this socialization is somehow to teach some patience and calmness when dealing with such things!

I have seen a few students who are so obsessed with talking to people online that they pretty much have refused to have relationships with any of the flesh and blood people around them save their parents and teachers.

I also know some people who do work from home. There are some great advantages and some serious disadvantages. As things become more automated, there will be fewer face-to-face interactions and some people may really have to intentionally make the effort to see another person in a week's span.

Definitely interesting...

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

In this day and age, online socialization has become inevitably as was said. I think everything relevant about online socialization has been brought up. People can socialization through another medium. This is of course a safer medium because you don't have to deal with the aspect of owning up to yourself.

This is of course in the same aspect problematic because people won't be so keen as to open up as who they are in real life. But I feel that you heavily depend on internet socialization that you'll eventually get the hang of it. And since there is no particular pressure on you to reveal you real life self that you more likely chat with your actual self than that of a fictional identity.

So anyway... it should always be okay if one stikes a healthy balance between online and reality.

How ya doing, buddy?

I usually don't chat online. In fact, I hardly ever use AIM. If anyone wants to contact me, I tell them to call me. Things get done a lot faster when you talk to someone in person. The only advantage I see with the internet and socializing is email, since it's free and have no bounds. But only then it's for people I used to be close with, so I still know them in real life.

I think being social online is like a temporary fix for not being social in real life. Most things in my life that are memorable are with people I know and see everyday, not strangers I chat with online.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Alice, are you talking about me... =( I am so disgustingly shy. I tend to communicate through mail and the internet....even with my family. But then again...my family never calls me anyway. Noone does. I don't have internet friends either, though.

I don't just stick in my house, though. I do like to go to stores and restaurants and stuff. Once I am out, I'm pretty brave when I have to be.

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