Shocker: People Use The Internet And Devices To Communicate

from the what-will-they-think-of-next? dept

How many times does this type of study need to be done? Despite the fact that the internet has always been a communications medium rather than a broadcast one (someone should remind the content companies), there are still those who somehow think that it's "isolating" and takes people away from communities. So, here's yet another study that tries to make it somehow "surprising" that people online stay in touch with a "wider assortment" of people and (oh my!) sometimes it even "encourages people to talk by phone or meet others in person." The first link includes a quote from a book author who is "surprised" by this finding because anecdotally he's heard of "people getting absorbed by a device." Beyond the fact that anecdotal evidence isn't worth very much, getting absorbed by the device has nothing to do with it. They could be communicating with plenty of people via the device... which is why they're so absorbed by it.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Tech Support, 25 Jan 2006 @ 6:40pm

    Too much of a good thing

    Yes, there are many anecdotes which are examples of how the internet has broadened our horizons. We cannot forget however that it can also be a way for people to never have to leave their house. The internet as we know it started first with basic communication capabilities. We then were able to buy some things. Now we are able to get anything we could ever need from the internet, including groceries and even a life partner. This suggests that we never have to get off our asses and do anything. Shall we say weight problems? Communication is never bad; we just have to learn moderation. Perhaps we should conduct a study to see how much the internet has contributed to our obesity epidemic.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Jon, 25 Jan 2006 @ 8:16pm

    Re: Too much of a good thing

    You DO have to get off your ass to do some things. Unless you could find the life partner online that will come to your house with an additional laptop so you can both communicate with the rest of the world while being with each other...

    it'd be pretty bad if it got down to that.

    You still have to walk into the DMV if you want to get anything done relating to driving :-P

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 Jan 2006 @ 8:36pm

    Re: Too much of a good thing

    "Perhaps we should conduct a study to see how much the internet has contributed to our obesity epidemic."

    Why? There are so many overweight people in America (for instance) with substantial numbers that have predated the internet boom. Clearly a deeper social issue at hand. I personally don't care about it very much since I actually exercise!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Ted Smith, 25 Jan 2006 @ 8:37pm

    The Web: Working hard or hardly working?


    CHICAGO, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Are you wasting time when online? Or working? A new study released this week showed that about 20 percent of government staff, while on the job, in one Malaysian state utilized the Internet for purely personal activities -- like downloading porn, games and music. This was one of the main causes of poor work performance in the Johor state, Bernama, the state news agency there said, quoting a top government official, Norsiah Harun.

    Experts tell United Press International's The Web that the Internet productivity problem is global, and that cultural changes are needed to ensure that people are hard at work, rather than hardly working, as our parents' generation used to say. By Gene Koprowski



    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Tyshaun, 25 Jan 2006 @ 8:58pm

    Re: Too much of a good thing

    "personally don't care about it very much since I actually exercise!"
    I wonder if you realize that the obesity problem ends up hurting all of us. Insurance premuiums go up, more medicare withholding, getting really crunched in an airline seat (OK bad joke). The point is that obesity isn't just an individual problem, we all get a piece of the misery. As per the article, I agree with most of it although I do find myself wishing for the old days a bit. I do "keep in touch" with more people, but it seems like the quality of interaction isn't as great. What I mean by that it seems that since communication and interaction speeds have increased so much it seems like people play a much higher premium on time than they used to. I can't remember a group of friends got together and just hung out a bar, none of us really caring about time and not having our PDAs, cell phones, whatever there to remind us of time. Maybe I'm being a bit or a revisionist romantic about "the good old days"

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    System Administrator, 25 Jan 2006 @ 9:16pm

    Re: Too much of a good thing

    Can you eat your Computer?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Dan, 25 Jan 2006 @ 9:27pm

    No Subject Given

    The internet is clearly isolating in every respect. True communication is never conducted via e-mail, IM, or any other internet based technological interface. The internet works as a very poor substitute for true human interaction. Anyone who uses the internet on a nearly constant basis (as I do) and at the same time is honest with themselves, will agree the internet has hampered and not furthered their social existence.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    ?, 25 Jan 2006 @ 11:29pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    Speak for your self:

    1. My entire life revolves around the internet. I sit in my home, fix computers, and communicate with clients, colleagues, friends and family. I HATE talking on the phone, and only do it when I have to.

    2. At least one of my now closest friends I met over the internet. He is a very facinating and intelligent person who is always interesting to talk to. Our family's get together on a regular basis. Chances are slim that I would have ever met him without the internet.

    3. I communicate with two of my very best friends from HS on a very regular basis on the internet. Our worlds are very far apart, and communicating with them by phone would be very near impossable, not to mention letter. Email lets us continue daily discourse about the world, our families, and other generic conversation that would not happen if we had to write letters, or converse over the phone.

    While there are people who use the internet to cut them selves off, and while there is plenty of sillyness on the net, there are those of use who find great use in it for professional and personal reasons.

    Just becaue you can't figure out how to use it that way doesn't mean that somebody else can't. And having said that, I'm sorry that the internet has "hampered and not furthered" your "social existence." If that is something that is important to you, maybe you ought to consider a nother, more appropriate line of work?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Andrew Strasser, 25 Jan 2006 @ 11:36pm

    It's the media's only way of explaining to the les

    How could it not be the next medium of conversation. The legistlation sits in red tape that is it. You can already have vid phone conversations through msn quite easily really with any broadband provider.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    HMB, 26 Jan 2006 @ 4:54am

    Re: Too much of a good thing

    Nah. I work on the internet, spend an average of about 10 hours a day online, and yeah, I almost never leave my house. At the same time I work out 30 minutes every morning and am in extremely good shape and health. Weight problems come from a lot of different reasons but internet use and house-leaving have -nothing- to do with any of them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2006 @ 9:54am

    No Subject Given

    Facts:

    1.) If you had no friends before the Internet, you have no friends now.

    2.) If your only vehicle for making new "friends" is the Internet and you only communicate with those "friends" is via the Internet, then you still have no friends. You are just a group of losers.

    3.) If you feel alone and isolated now, you would have felt alone and isolated regardless of technology.

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.