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WAR OF THE WORLDS
We talk as if online exists in isolation from the rest of our lives but of course it doesn’t. It becomes intertwined with our face to face encounters and the trick is to get the best of both worlds.
The online world doesn’t exist in isolation from the “real” world. In fact let’s deal with that word “real” for a moment. It always has air quotes with it when being discussed by those used to spending time online. The assumption that our physical world is more real than our online world is problematic. I would argue that the relationships we establish with each other online are no less real than those we have face to face. In many ways we get to know each other better online through more open and thoughtful written exchanges than would be acceptable in a casual office conversation. I feel as if I know people I have known online for years, but have never met face to face, better than people I shared an office with for years. We can also spend a lot of time sharing the same physical space with another person and hardly know them at all.
There are benefits to the Internet that are different from some aspects of our physical realities. On the Internet you are as good as the ideas you express and your willingness to help others. No one cares, or will possibly ever know, whether you are tall or small, good looking or average. This non-physical world will have its own elites but they are less likely to be based on physical appearance. Equally there are lots of downsides ...
