All the Lonely People
by John Sickels on Nov 12, 2010 8:48 PM EST
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PrintI no longer post or link to much non-baseball stuff on Minor League Ball any more, leaving that to my personal facebook page. But this recent blogpost from Roger Ebert about the topic of being lonely and the internet just can't be ignored.
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Ebert
Over the past few years, I have become a regular reader of Roger Ebert. Cancer may have robbed him of his voice, but thankfully it has not silenced him. He is really a tremendous writer and produces some truly thought provoking posts. Definitely recommended reading.
Interesting, at least
I’m with Roger, in being an only child. You learn at a young age to develop interests, to immerse yourself in things. Loneliness is also a word I don’t know I’ve felt too often in life, like mentions.
But, it is interesting reading. The internet, video games, cell phones, PDAs, etc, etc, sure make it easy for people to just drop out of life. I’ve said for years about texting, there is no way this cannot affect human interaction. How do you meet someone, when everyone is looking at a cell phone, thumbing away? Not to mention just talking on cell phones.
There’s a long list of how technology depersonalizes us.
Not only depersonalizing, though
as I’m sure you realize. Cell phones, emails, etc. also help us stay in touch with loved ones. I can email, call or text my wife, brother, sister, etc. several times a day/week. Long distance calling is cheap or free and I feel more aware and involved in the daily life of my family. Technology is not just for lonely people.
When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream.
I would disagree
There has been a lot of talk, mostly conjecture without any specific examples, about how the recent trend of technological innovation has tended to push people apart and to make it so that people can “drop out of life” as you put it, only interacting with others in superficial ways.
In reality, research that has actually been conducted on how people use these tools has suggested the opposite; people actually use things like the Internet etc. etc. to enhance their previously held beliefs and practices rather than to completely deviate from what they might have otherwise done.
Thanks John
. . . for posting this. It’s lovely writing and interesting. It reminds me of some thoughts I’ve had on here, the only blog I really write on. I have a decent enough life, a great girl I live with, enough close friends but, over the years when writing on here I feel lonely myself. When I’m in the midst of a discussion on here I want to say “I’m a real person!”, not an “internet” person. I don’t need anonymity. I get irrritated about something but, there’s a good person here and on the other of the discussion too, I like to believe anyways.
It’s hard to explain. I haven’t met a single, real friend the whole time I’ve been posting here but, I like a lot of people, appreciate John Sickels a whole lot, and wish we actually knew each other more! Then again, it’s easier this way :-)
Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.
-George Carlin
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