Will the internet kill our communities?

[gzagee]

I was at a works' leaving do last night and was having a discussion with a couple of colleagues about the scale of importance people place upon sites like Fakebook, bebo, WoW & Second Life, and how people are using these places to make 'friends'.
When i bother to make effort to check there's always a friend request from some random twunt I've never come across and not associated to any of my actual friends.
Now the security issues that come with some of these randoms notwithstanding, why the hell would someone do that?

Most of us i imagine have lives outside of GW, Fifa2010, CMlive, FM, and other online footy related sites, i certainly take the time to see my mates but, a growing number of young kids now use bebo, FB and the like to communicate with peers an an alternative to face-to-face encounters.

If this trend continues to grow what will happen to our already maligned and socially impoverished communities?
Even today whilst at a freind's place there wa a programme (don't know what it was) that reported Korea is the internet capital of the world, where their internet speed is 10 times faster than anywhere than anywhere else on the planet.
It also said the Fakebook has 350 million members; if it were a country they'd have the 3rd largest population after China & India!
As a marketing tool for like-minded folk who are located in different places I can see the point of the 'network effect' but spending inordinate amounts of time on 6-7 different social networking sites surely cannot be a good thing. How can you really gauge what a friend is if you haven't even met the person?

What's your thoughts?

[Artemis8]

I think its all calculated tbh. Im not going to go on an iluminti rant. but it is all managed and it could all changed if the powers that be desired it. If people are unhappy in real life. Let them create a fake life to keep them quiet and out of our way. We just lap up that capitalism and feed the machine. What's that famous Oscar wild quote "we know thw price of everything, but the value of nothing".. Btw no matrix isnt my fav film.

Paranoid point of view. But it would be hard to argue that it inst all fabricated. The whole natural progression argument doesn't stand up. There has hardly been anything natural about our progression.

[Goose]

Lives outside of GW, Fifa10 and FB?

What is this strange world that you speaketh of?

[Gunner Down Under]

Strangers, from the outside! Whoa!!!

Just to let you know I don't use FB even though all my friends do, I don't see the point really. The best form of friendship is face to face I reckon

[Artemis8]

. The best form of friendship is face to face I reckon

Funny that, well ive always thought the best friendship was formed with a bag of sweets and central locking....

[whee]

I see what you mean Gza, definitely. But some of these bickers are so retarded, i'm glad they stay in their bedroom's making new cyber buddies everyday.

Actually, that said, Ben (UFGN pt1) and I were members here 5 or 6 years ago and used to chat on MSN without actually ever having met each other. Then we decided to grab a pre-match beer at a game we both had tickets for - now we're mates on Facebook, have been to Villarreal away together, Bolton too and sorted each other out for numerous tickets in the past.

Gza, you said "How can you really gauge what a friend is if you haven't even met the person?" - I think sometimes you can have a fairly decent idea what a person is like, just from reading their thoughts on line. Think about it, you lot must know i'm a bit of a c*** lol.

I know that's different to someone spending 9 hours a day on FB though, and I agree that spending your days on a social networking site isn't healthy. I had one girl on my friends list who updates her status while she's watching football, Eastenders, then says "goodnyte fb lolz xxx" - I put up with that for about 4 days then hit the old "remove friend" button. I was hoping it would remove her from the planet, but no such luck.

[gzagee]

I see what you mean Gza, definitely. But some of these bickers are so retarded, i'm glad they stay in their bedroom's making new cyber buddies everyday.

Actually, that said, Ben (UFGN pt1) and I were members here 5 or 6 years ago and used to chat on MSN without actually ever having met each other. Then we decided to grab a pre-match beer at a game we both had tickets for - now we're mates on Facebook, have been to Villarreal away together, Bolton too and sorted each other out for numerous tickets in the past.

Hail Ben for me.

Gza, you said "How can you really gauge what a friend is if you haven't even met the person?" - I think sometimes you can have a fairly decent idea what a person is like, just from reading their thoughts on line. Think about it, you lot must know i'm a bit of a **** lol.

This is true but the flipside is you cannot take that as a given. Not all folks are genuine and it's easy to create a persona. That's the power of the internet. You can be anyone.
And with that power one can almost do anything.
Sex fiends are the obvious type. Befriending young kids and their mates, gaining their confidence until eventually asking to meet up.
Yes it could happen with face2face enounters but not as much because of our awareness these days.

I know that's different to someone spending 9 hours a day on FB though, and I agree that spending your days on a social networking site isn't healthy. I had one girl on my friends list who updates her status while she's watching football, Eastenders, then says "goodnyte fb lolz xxx" - I put up with that for about 4 days then hit the old "remove friend" button. I was hoping it would remove her from the planet, but no such luck.

Good move. Whenever i go online i always purge.

[UFGN]

I think theres something quite odd going on and its not good.

Internet should be for functional things and entertainment, NOT "socialising."

You hear people talking sometimes and honestly they should listen to themselves cos its pathetic. "Oh I was doing this and that on facebook" "Ive got X number of friends on facebook"

You werent doing anything, you were sitting in front of a computer.

And as for online "friends"... If you cant phone them up for help in an emergency then they are not a friend. If you cant go to the pub with them then they are not a friend.

[Q8 Gooner]

It depends.. For me it could be a good way of knowing people that u wouldn't have met face to face.. But also it could be the opposite.. But for me u can't be assured of how the other guy is unless u meet him.. He/She might seem like a very decent person but turns out the opposite and the other way round..

[castano]

Someone help me am addicted to facebook.I made a declaration that i will leave facebook on 22nd febuary and my friends placed a bet on me that i won't and within me i don't think i will.But I do want to get it out or reduce it at least now that I got a good job yet running two Masters programs and i still have a family to run

[Forest]

Need for speed series getting rid of 2 player option speaks volumes, can only play against your mates online

[gzagee]

It's got to the point where you can easily conduct your 'life' without having to step out your door.

[castano]

I think theres something quite odd going on and its not good.

Internet should be for functional things and entertainment, NOT "socialising."

You hear people talking sometimes and honestly they should listen to themselves cos its pathetic. "Oh I was doing this and that on facebook" "Ive got X number of friends on facebook"

You werent doing anything, you were sitting in front of a computer.

And as for online "friends"... If you cant phone them up for help in an emergency then they are not a friend. If you cant go to the pub with them then they are not a friend.

I like this part a lot.I really have to sieve out my 'friends' on facebook, get the numbers of the ones i don't have and deactivate my account

[Libertine]

And as for online "friends"... If you cant phone them up for help in an emergency then they are not a friend. If you cant go to the pub with them then they are not a friend.

This thread being a classic example........

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13775&hilit=facebook+arsenal+footballers

[Q8 Gooner]

It's got to the point where you can easily conduct your 'life' without having to step out your door.

Not for a mentally healthy person..