Size may or may not always really matter, but one size seldom fits all. When it comes to communication and connection, the medium sometimes IS the message. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn,, Squidoo, Tumblr, Digg, StumbleUpon, and all the other social networking and internet dating sites are a great way to meet or stay in touch with people (all over the world), BUT facing a computer and typing is NOT the same as talking face to face with people in person – or having an “offline” relationship. Perhaps like most Meetup members, we need to remember that connecting in a virtual world is not a substitute for meeting in the real one.

Are televisions, computers, cell phones, music players, electronic games, and other popular communication and entertainment devices actually creating disconnection and alienation from “real” life? It seems like more and more people would rather text or email than actually talk to or spend time with others. People standing next to each other often direct their attention into some hand-held device instead of toward each other – or are listening to whatever is broadcast into their ear(s) instead of the sounds (of anyone else) around them.

What do YOU think of this trend? How much time do YOU (or those you know) spend tethered or attendant to an electronic device? What percentage of YOUR activities, entertainment, and/or interactions with the world is primarily sedentary and/or solitary as result of a preference or dependence on something requiring batteries or access to electrical power? How do YOUR online and offline “friends”, “relationships”, communication, and information compare (in quantity and quality)?

Oren Pardes

Oren Pardes has written 56 post in this blog.

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