Computer Mediated Communication and Society
...appen to be communicating with them over the internet instead of the telephone […] they have become fake, and your ‘contact’ with them has become a bogus exchange” (167). In his view people are not socially inactive due to the internet; rather they find their social interactions over the internet. He writes that people are using the internet to find more people in groups that they can better relate to. Rosenburg does not provide sufficient support of his ideas. The idea that communicating with people over the internet is the same as any other form of communication between people is unsound. The quality of relationships between people who are restricted to the computer cannot be the same as real life interpersonal connections. Communication over the computer is impersonal and artificial. Very little can be known about whom one communicates with over the internet. Unless a prior association already exists between the internet users, they can put very little trust into their relationship, and even still it is hard to trust someone when a keyboard and monitor separate the two. Rosenburg asserts that the internet allows people to form communities “based on choice and similar interests”. This provision limits people, however, to interacting only with people similar to themselves. By creating groups and communities such as these, internet users are in fact isolating themselves to the same genre of people. By being grouped in “accidents of geography”, people are forced to get to know each other, despite their more selfish interests. Bringing together people of different interests promotes a more diverse culture, and forming closed minded-groups on the internet is defeating this idea. In addition to not providing sufficient support for his ideas, Rosenburg does not address the health problems and other negative aspects associated with internet overuse. In contrast, Reisberg addresses the effects of internet overuse on the individual’s health, and social life. Reisberg uses a study conducted on college students from around the country to support his ideas, citing research by Keith J. Anderson “...Sleep patterns go down. And they become socially isolated,” (172). Reisberg also gives a case study example of student who “[…] had experienced mild depression, sleeping problems, and conflict with his parents […] he had spent about 2,000 hours from January to April participating in an online chat community […] the online group had become his primary form of interpersonal communication” (173). Reisberg proposes that internet use to an excess is in fact having negative effects on individuals who choose to partake in such activities. His ideas are supported well by the findings of the study done by Anderson. Reisberg’s idea of how health can be jeopardized by over use of the internet is displayed well in the example given of the student who spent over 2,000 hours on the internet. The internet can consume one’s life, taking up all hours of their ...