Hi, my name is Sara Jih and I’m a junior majoring in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering (ORIE). I was born and raised in
One phenomenon the internet has created is the vast opportunities for social interaction. People from all over the world can spend hours on end in chat rooms or messaging each other. Wallace refers to this internet environment as synchronous chats because people online at the same time can hold real-time conversations with each other. For the not-so socially inclined people out there, this has given them a chance to interact with people more than they ever would in person. Why is it easier for some people to talk online? Is it the anonymity that makes them feel more comfortable in their own skin? Some say that online chatting has allowed shy people to develop and strengthen their social skills as they become more content with the way they respond to remarks, but others argue that it is hindering them when they spend most of their time online and not experiencing the face-to-face interaction.
What is it about the internet that makes it easier for shy people to converse with random strangers, and in some cases, even fall in love? I can understand using the internet as a tool to meet people for dating purposes, but I don’t quite understand how people can fall in love over the internet, miles and miles away from each other, and eventually get married. I would feel like it would be awkward meeting this person in real-life because people may act differently in person than they do online.
Wallace states that “greater Internet use is associated with increases in loneliness and depression,” but maybe people don’t feel as lonely when they are able to use the internet to talk to other people. In many ways, chatting online has satisfied people’s need to socialize. People can go days locked up in their computer room without getting offline and never feeling like “Hmm, it’s been awhile since I’ve talked to someone in person,” but feeling more like their eyes are tired from staring at the screen for so long.
Internet has become another means of social involvement, but I guess online chatting can be considered an aid or an impediment, depending on whether you’re turning yourself into a social hermit or blossoming into a social butterfly.
4 comments:
That is a very interesting post. I have always agreed with Wallace in that “greater Internet use is associated with increases in loneliness and depression.” Then again, I had never really thought of extreme internet users as “social butterflies” who are trying to develop and strengthen their social skills. Despite the opposite angle you proposed, I still agree with Wallace. How many so called “popular” people do you see staying up to the wee hours of a Friday night chatting online with other “popular” friends who are doing the same? Not many. These people are typically surrounding themselves with at least one other friend and partaking in activities that they have a common interest in. Not to say these people do not have a profile on at least Facebook that they update and check regularly. But it is these people that will pass up checking Facebook to go out with friends because they have already developed social skills and are known to others as “social butterflies.”
I think the anonymity is a big reason why shy people feel more confident online than face-to-face. I also think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that conversing online is usually text-based. I often find it much easier to formulate my thoughts online than in person because I have more time to think things through before actually committing to what I'm going to say. You generally don't have that luxury in face-to-face communications, and it can definitely give you a boost of confidence.
I don’t think the anonymity only helps those who are shy. I consider myself a very outgoing person, but the shield of two computer screens and a few miles between the person I’m chatting with online and myself, makes social interactions a lot easier. As Wallace discussed, online chats, even the synchronous ones, don’t have the steady flow of face-to-face interactions. In the middle of an online conversation I could get up, walk to my kitchen, get a snack and come back and continue the chat, without the other person even knowing that I left my computer. These pauses allow us more time to think of what to say. If one is having a fight with a friend online, the pause allows us time to think of a great comeback. Or if one is talking to a crush online, the pause allows us to think of the perfectly flirtatious words to say. So in response to your questions: Why is it easier for some people to talk online? I would say that in addition to your ideas of anonymity, it is also because the flow of an online conversation, which is so unlike a face-to-face conversation, makes it much easier for people to seem like social butterflies.
Hi Sara,
I actually posted a similar entry about not really understanding how people act differently with one another online than in person. It definitely is interesting how people can act the polar opposite of what their personality normally is on the Internet.
I strongly feel like falling in love online is almost impossible and see online dating as kind of weird and don't see how it got so popular. It's almost scary to think that it could become the standard to start with online dating when looking for a significant other. As of now, I am reluctant to believe it could happen and seems like you agree. It was very interesting to see your opinions on the issue and glad to see I'm not the only one who feels this way!
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