Technological Increase....Social Decrease

With the on-going increase inside the many fields of technology, it should come as no surprise to us that the more social side of living has all but landed in the gutter with an alarming splash.
Years ago, it was common place for people to walk down the streets at night, take strolls together on the beaches or even hike up in the local forests to view the stars sparkling in the midnight skies. No more. Those times are all but fading memories, only to be relived via the blue-hued screen on a computer system, or through the silver screen in a theatre.
The question may be then, what does an increase in technology have to do with the decrease of social politeness? Frankly, there are many aspects involved here, however, when it boils down to the very essential explanations,forward movements in the technological fields have created more or less a type of electronic barrier.
Some say that the crime rates and the increase in violent crimes around the world have brought this anti-social type behavior to the forefront. Others claim that it is the 'newer generation' of parents these days. Then still there are some that believe in the very old-school means of being bound to the realms of organized religion, and blame the lack of religious knowledge of today's youth on this anti-social climb.
Personally, I feel it's technology. Certainly it's got to be a very exciting feeling that comes over a person when they sign on to the Internet and realize that they are speaking with someone who lives a half a globe away from them. And it has got to be amazing for younger people to find out that the person they are chatting with has the same interests and hobbies, and yet lives in an entirely different time zone...possibly crossing the international date line.
Reality check time. Humans are humans, no matter where on the planet they live. There are just as many negative people on the Internet as there are outside on the street. However, the difference is that in many cases, when talking to someone on the Internet, there is no face to place with the writing. Therefore, it becomes a mental interaction, rather than a physical/mental/emotional one, as we get when we're met face to face with people outside of our homes.
Why then is it so difficult for people to grasp onto the fact that there is a very 'real' place on the Internet?
Socialism is often found at its best on the Internet. Grandois discussions about anything and everything can be found. Minds from around the globe can come together to foem a wonderfully harmonious labyrinth of ideas....in the physical office this is known as 'brain storming'. Puh-lease. Brain storming my behind...it's "I want to get the heck out of here for lunch cause these people bore me to no end". That's not how it works on an internet.
Thus...technology has brough a type of 'end' to the socialism that people of the globe often replied upon.
Of course this is not necessarilly a bad thing. It simply means that there is now a greater aspect of private socialism that has to be taken into serious account by the 'in real life' world. People that are not yet used to working with the Internet tend to look down their noses at those who are using the Internet quite often. In fact, amongst those in the 'offline world', the ones who belong to the Internet world have a 'negative stigma' of sorts.
Thinking of the Internet community in a more possitive manner would help matters greatly. Think of this:
A woman is physically handicapped from an auto accident, and is forced to stay at home for most of her days. She is alone, middle aged, and her children only visit a few times a month. She requires help to go outside of the home, and lives on social security and disability. Wanting to try and regain some type of socialism in her life, and at least have something active that she can look forward to, she purchases her first computer... and BAM! A whole new world opens wide up for her.
She finds people who are in the same or closely similar situations. She gains advice on how to make her forced life-stlye easier. She no longer has to worry about getting information that is up to date on possible medical treatments for her condition, and she now has the ability to talk with her children more than once a week on the phone, or a few times a month during short visits.
I personally see nothing 'negative' about this. However, sadly, there are those who do. They would tell this woman to 'get out of the hosue and exercise', or 'go to a real doctor and get some help for yourself', and a million other blindly-stated ignorances.
To sum it up... technology has increased by leaps and bounds. It has opened up countless new worlds for people of all ages... and yet, to those who do not yet know this world, the socialism within the general public domain...is about as void as space itself. Time to wake up people... this is the new age of technology. Plug it in, turn it on... communicate! Let yourselves be heard!