ALIENATION AND THE INTERNET

Will Baker

3     I had a recent discussion with a friend of mine who has what he described as a “problem” with the Internet. When I questioned further he said that he was “addicted,” and has “forced” himself to go off-line. He said that he felt like an alcoholic, in that moderate use of the Internet was just not possible for him. I have not known this fellow to be given to exaggeration, therefore when he described his Internet binges, when he would spend over twenty-four hours on line non-stop, it gave me pause to think. He said, “the Internet isn’t real, but I was spending all my time on line, so I just had to stop.” He went on to say that all of the time that he spent on line might have skewed his sense of reality, and that it made him feel lonely and depressed.

4     The fragmentation of society has been lamented for some time now. It seems to me that it probably began in earnest after World War II when a generation returned from doing great deeds overseas. They won the war, and by God they were going to win the peace. Automobile ownership became commonplace and suburbs were created. “Progress” was their mantra. So even prior to the Internet’s widespread popularity, folks were already becoming distanced from their extended families and neighbors. And when we fast-forward to today we see an almost cruel irony in that people can and often do develop on-line relationships with folks on the other side of the globe, without leaving their homes. But at the expense of the time that would have otherwise been available for involvement in other activities which might foster a sense of community in their villages, towns and cities.