Introduction, Outline and Conclusion. - Rachel Khosrowshahi - " Does logging on mean tuning out? "

 Introduction:  The way that we relate to one another has undergone many changes in the past decade.  This new medium for exchanging ideas has given us a uniquely different way to speak with others.  We have the option to be who ever we want online. Most of what we say and write online is premeditated, the spontaneity and unpredictability of real time is removed. We cannot hear the slight tremor in a voice, the intonation of the other person, the tone they are using- we can only guess and interpret using only the words given to us. So much is lost this way. At the same time – internet networking sites, blogs, Facebook etc. have opened up a whole new world of information and an exchange of ideas in a way which is not easy to define.  Social networking sites have allowed us to be present and available, in a sense, at all times and to have access to our “friends” both day and night.

The way we speak with one another online is sometimes vastly different from the way we speak in person or in other traditional forms of communication such as letter writing or using the telephone.  Behind a screen or in a text, inhibitions are lowered.  It is almost a taboo to mention a conversation you may have had with a friend   online, perhaps you did not know this person very well. They are fine to speak with in less personal forums – but not so much face to face.  Our computer screens have become our confessionals. We say things on the internet that we could never say in real life. With no companion whose body language you can watch to gauge reaction- we are free to say whatever it is we are feeling. We use discretion much less when speaking with others on social networking sites, as if what we are saying is not valid because it is said behind the guise of networking. When the magician’s curtain is pulled back – we are left wondering – which is the most authentic version of ourselves – the persona we present online – or the face we show in our day to day lives?

 Without the barrier of online communication and texting to conceal our anxiety, our fear, even our happiness- we feel that we are able to speak more freely. Since this type of communication is seen as disposable, quick and easy- the things we speak of online are not exactly the same things we speak about in person. This type of communication leaves both parties a bit confused. Was this a real conversation? Or only a way to pass the time? It is important to understand the role of technology within our social lives and to understand the separation between our day to day lives and the interpersonal relationships we develop while speaking online. Online communication should be an addition to other social interactions – not a substitute. I would like to examine the connections we make online, how immediacy affects our feelings about communicating with others.  I would like to examine the fantasy verses reality. How does our sense of self change in accordance with our online correspondence and what are the advantages and disadvantages to this type of interaction.

Outline-

·         The effects of immediacy on human interaction

·         Changes in the way we communicate

·         Strengths and weaknesses associated with this type of communication

·         Quality of relationships in which the  interactions  are primarily  conducted online and what those relationships represent to us

·         Romantic relationships which developed online.

·         The social self verses our day to day persona

·         The effect of online social networking on identity, how we chose to present our selves online verses our day to day lives.

Conclusion:  There is a very fine divide between connecting with others and closing yourself off from them. Using the internet to cultivate friendships and romantic relationships has its advantages as well as disadvantages. I also want to discuss the failure rate of marriages resulting from connections made online and dating sites such as EHarmony. I would like to examine the idea of personality profiling to find a mate and the reasons behind the emergence of these types of services. I would like to examine the reasons why we are looking for a quick fix, a quick answer obtained on the internet, a partner that we did not meet organically but whose face we saw for the first time online.  Why are we curiously drawn to this new type of interaction and what effects that has on our relationships- be it good or be it bad.