Time Magazine’s Person of the Year is You. Yes, you, staring at the computer screen, fingers poised over the keyboard, about to address much of humanity.
I read the stories of the token Yous with interest. All of You, leveraging the power of the internet, whether it’s to shift hip-hop or shop congressmen.
It’s amazing, isn’t it, just how connected we are? I’m sitting in the west of
Except you’re not, are you? And this isn’t really intimate is it, because I can’t see you and you can’t see me, and we know nothing about each other. The wider world is better connected than ever before. But as people, are we less engaged with those around us who ought to matter most?
The power of the internet is amazing. But my worry is, are we spending more time in a virtual world than the real one? Are we beginning to confuse the two? Are we breeding a generation of kids who see no meaningful difference between a real time, real live conversation and an SMS one?
The real one is more meaningful isn’t it? Well isn’t it?
I’m mulling two separate, but related, lines of thought.
1 – does the proliferation of “virtual” conversation actually put a premium on the real thing? Do we cherish those face to face moments a little more, given that so much so-called interaction now involves a buzz in your pocket or a click of my mouse?
2 – what implication does the age of, ahem, Web 2.0 have for those who want to, need to, gain the attention of an audience? Not in cyberspace. In school halls. In boardrooms. In churches. At the half time whistle. In my 8 year old son’s bedroom.
[What the hell am I doing discussing this with you anyway? I’m going to go bug the wife.]
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