Socialization....ONLINE

[Merika]

I was reading another thread on how much time people actually spend on their computer.

I was wondering as far as social interaction..how your computer time weighed up against the 'real time' you spend with family and friends.

I'm not AT ALL suggesting 'real time' is more real. I don't feel that way. My online friends are just as real as my face to face friends. I just couldn't think of a better descriptive word.

I happen to PREFER online socialization. I can wear my boxers, not brush my hair and pull the plug when I'm done. It works for me.

How about you?

I wanted to add that in our house....each of us has our own puters in our rooms and often email back and forth about dinner or movies rather than leave our room! HAHA!

[Stone]

Mine is about equal, I talk to people all day for a living, so when I am doing computer work online( I always have forms up)

At home I am on the puter before I go to bed or when my b/f is watching the game or his political shows.

I am rarley online durring the weekends. I am more of a 9-5er

[Duke]

I'd have to say I'm pretty equal too because I do socialize a lot at work to keep the stress level low. I sometimes go out with them after work, go golfing, etc, plus, I'm a weekend father and spend most of the time with my daughter.

[Duke]

Wow, nearly two years ago this post was made

Anyone else want to comment on their online social interaction time vs face to face time?

[Vautrin]

Have to agree with Merika. I prefer online - that is where I met most people, and where I met my gf. And at my parents' it is no different either; IMing to notify of plans etc.

Of course the cats ruthlessly exploit our lack of real-time communication. As we don't know whether or not they had their treats.

[PepsiChic]

out of 168 hours a week, i spend 65+ working, 28 sleeping and about 5 hours worth of eating....which means i spend about 70 hours on my computer a week....and i still dont have enough time to do everything i need online!

friendship wise, i have hundreds of friends online! and i love every one of them as much as a "real life" friend. I have travelled so many times to meet different people too. im constantly organising trips to see people. i have one coming up in august and im hoping another in november. Id do anything for my friends online, love and protect them as fiercely as i can. Im extremely lucky my friends are amazing and they look after me as i do them and i couldnt ask for more!

"real life" friends...hmm i dont have any in my home town, i moved away when i was 16, and lived away from for nearly 4 years. now im back and i dont know anyone anymore. most of my friends have move away/gone to uni. people i know but dont class as friends have kids and stuff. and my best friend died a year and a half ago. I have a group of friends in the city i had moved to, and i try and visit them when i can, and i do miss them....but now im not there we talk online!

[Vautrin]

It is as if with online friends you have a remote control. You can switch them off at will, unlike RL friends.

[darkangelism]

i like online friends, but it does at least somewhat allow me to not have RL friends.

[PepsiChic]

Originally Posted by Vautrin

It is as if with online friends you have a remote control. You can switch them off at will, unlike RL friends.

ive never needed to! when im not online my phone is flooded with txts and calls from people all over the world, i dont mind tho, they wake me up when they are feeling low just to talk or something and i never normally mind unless im really exhausted.

[Mondo]

Originally Posted by Merika

I was wondering as far as social interaction..how your computer time weighed up against the 'real time' you spend with family and friends.

At one time in the past, around 4 years ago I discovered a website which I've visited everyday since and made some very good freinds there. For a while I pretty much ignored my other freinds in favour of these new people I was meeting. Part escapism and part finding like minded people I could have a laugh with, like D00key here and another nefarious..ok thats a strong word ..Canadian I ended up spending allot of internet time mixing BF1942 and late night drinking sessions and putting the world to rights on MSN and over TS.

I probably spent more time with my new friends from Canada, US, Holland, Spain, Sweden and Germany than I did with my girlfreind at the time or any of my 'real freinds'. Not much of a surprise we split up.

4 years ago this sounded almost weird but since 2003 its becoming more and more common for people to have internet freinds as well as 'IRL' freinds. I personally don't have that seperation of 'real' and 'internet' freinds though. The only difference is I can't share a beer in person with those freinds who live miles away...although I intend to one day.

[Duke]

I really miss those days my friend, it really was some of the most fun I've had online ever. It would be really great if we all had a game to pull us together such as Vanilla BF did but I'm not sure if that day will ever come again.

The other thing that was nice about those times was even though we were only online, it felt comfortable, familiar and almost like family. It seems as though, every time you would login, there was someone there to welcome you home. I really treasure those memories and the friendships (such as yours) that grew as a result.

Ken

[Luba]

I just don't understand how this box that I'm looking at while typing on my keyboard can bring me so close to you, dear friends! It's like this box holds all these wonderful people inside....

[TKDLady]

In a sense it does. Too bad there isn't a way to climb out and really meet the people we talk to.

[Duke]

There is Teamspeak and webcams