Internet
Chat Rooms: Are We Missign the Point?
by: Jesse S. Somer
In my short life, after years
of talking too much, I've come to realize that if one is always speaking,
one never listens. If you never listen to others, well, you're limiting
your access to a lot of knowledge and information. Recently, after much
deliberation I thought I'd check out what the world of Chat Rooms is
like. People talk to each other by text, voice, and web cam. This is
a really big phenomenon; I wanted to see what all the fuss is about.
I expect there are many chat
rooms where people with similar interests get to know each other, and
share their perspectives on various aspects of life. These are great,
much cheaper than telephones, and multiple, random people can chat to
one another simultaneously.
But I speak the truth, and
my preconceived ideas about mindless gossip from jaded humans were sadly
affirmed as I arbitrarily checked chat rooms that supposedly discussed
important subjects. It seems some people are just very bored, and want
to be cool and swear on-line, insulting others, and giving this area
of information technology a bad name. I think a lot of people are using
the rooms solely for personal conversation that contextually no one
else can understand.
I went to a chat room about
religion, and then to one about tattoos and it seemed like the same
people were talking. Most of the conversation didn't even touch the
supposed subject matter. It was definitely a disenchanting experience
but hopefully with more research I hope to come across some serious
rooms where the true intent of the creators has come to fruition.
I guess it's good that bored
people in our technological society have others to talk to. It means
depressed adolescents may feel more connected to others and not so alone
in the world, maybe even having a positive effect on a possibly suicidal
youth. But, I do feel this nonsensical chitchat is a sign of our next
generation's apathetic view of present reality in our postmodern culture.
When reading the text from a supposedly religious discussion, and hearing
graphic use of derogatory terminology, I really have to wonder about
the present spiritual beliefs of my culture.
I'm a true believer of the
concept that technology is here to further the consciousness of humanity.
Computers and the Internet can help bring all of us in the world together,
thus evolving our society to the next level. After looking at chat rooms,
I feel there is a need to integrate more wisdom and compassion into
our 'new world' generation. Having the technology is great, but it is
only one half of the equation. To make the Internet work properly, I
think we need to instill the same faith we have in science, into a faith
that encompasses the actual creators of the information and communication
tools-humanity itself. We seem to realize that we can invent many great
things, but it looks like we're missing out on the great truth: that
we ourselves are part of, and made of something great in itself: Life.
(Existence!)
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