I use the internet for ......

She Said

Ron and I have one major disagreement about the internet-what it is for. Ron sees it as his window to the world. The "information super-highway" and all that. I should not be surprised; I first met Ron in a Web Community, and thinking back, except for a few comments here and there, his contributions were mainly links to some pretty cool sites he had found surfing the web. He even started a neat game that got me looking beyond the "usual places" and finding some interesting things are out there, if you look. Ron is the man who, on a whim decided to build this website- and only after he got it to a point that I could actually SEE and make sense of the whole thing did it interest me at all. Mostly, I didn't, and still don't understand most of what it takes to get this thing going.

I see the internet much as I saw the telephone before I owned a computer, a way to get in touch with my friends. The great thing is, my circle of friends has gotten bigger since I have gotten the computer. I now know people from all corners of the United States and a few from across the ocean. I once considered myself a shy person, and the internet has helped me to become much more outgoing, a skill that I have been able to carry over to my real life.

When I hear Ron's Macintosh whirr to a start in the bedroom, I know he will soon be looking up information about the newest satellite car stereo system or reading one of the many newsletters he subscribes to. He has come to know that I will be checking the message boards and seeing who has logged onto an instant message program. Every once and a while he can spark me into looking something up on the web. We will discuss it for a while, then a friend will sign on and he will see that he has lost me to the draw of girl talk., with a sigh, and a shake of his head, he will leave me to discuss the topic of the day.

I don't want to say that Ron is totally adverse to using the internet as a vehicle to meeting people; after all, he and I did meet online. I know he has journeyed out and met others who he met via the internet. His point to me is that I am missing a whole other part of the internet- the "world wide web" component to be exact. He says I have a machine that can take me anywhere, and yet I go the same places and see the same things. He is right, I do. I have a list of favorite places I go, and they are social based. He says I spend too much time there, and he is sometimes right, sometimes not. He says it is not real, and I argue that it is as real as he was before we met, which was pretty real to me. He does express concern that it becomes all consuming. I concur on that point, and have even seen it happen to me. But, to be fair, I have seen him spend entire weekends searching and reading, and building this website, and not interacting with a single soul- including the one in the same room. I ask, is one any less healthy than the other?

I do also research the internet, but not to the degree that Ron does, and not with his skill, that is for sure. I marvel at his savvy, his understanding of search engines, his wide understanding of a variety of topics. I honestly don't find the interest in it. I also know people on the internet who point out sites that they think are absolutely hilarious that I visit once and don't feel a need to see again. I just know what I like, and what I like to do.

He Said

Over the past six years, the internet has become a powerful tool or entity in most people's lives. For some, it has become their whole life. For others, it is a part of. As with any social tool of communication - there is a balance in life.

Social Medium

I would say this is how a majority of the people use the internet; as a social tool of communication. Chat rooms, groups or communities of like-minded interest, instant messenger, webcam and email are the tools. One fallacy I see (except for webcam); the net allows you to see the "illusion" the person portrays - it is human nature to interpret words in print to meet my expectations or desires, of what I want that person to be. This is not "real life" - it is fantasy. Kelly and I met on the net, but it was only an introduction. The followup was numerous phone calls to hear laughter, imagining the smiles and hearing the tone of voice. Most times the conversation flowed, seldom was there a pause and at times experiences in life were worded very carefully. This is one of the beauties of the net; an introduction to meeting people. A useful website would be meetup.com. They meet once a month in many cities. Its free to all members, supported by the eating places that host the venue.

Entertainment

Social interaction gets caught in the crossfire with this means of use. Participating in groups or chat to chill out or relax after a hard day at work. To do no thinking, just light hearted social interactions. Go visit the game or puzzle sites that are a dime a dozen. This is no different than watching a few hours of tv at night. It is when I continually stay up to 3am and am late or tired at work, that I cross that fine line of addiction vs entertainment.

Learning

This is my main use of the net. I find some aspect of interest and look it up on the net. Main search engine is google, advanced search for websites or the news search. This balances out my half hour of watching headline news before work. I am quite net savvy in finding information on the net. I subscribe to newsletters, which I learn much about the net from. Although I do get distracted often; see web whore.

This Website

I don't update it nearly as much as I should. Proper maintenance would be 15 hours a week researching topics and websites. That would take time away from "real life" - the time Kelly and I spend together outside of our job hours. For me, doing activities with Kellly is more important than building a viewer following.

Conclusion

I probably diss the net too much, but it is a solo endeavor or activity. It is easier to communicate on the net than intereact socially with people in real life. On the net I can be anybody or any personna that I want to be. For the most part, in real life I can not do that. I truly believe in the line - "get a life". On the net, I try to find a balance between reality and fantasy; the net being a part of my life - but not my whole life.

IRL

Both of our personalities are reflected in our use of the internet. Ron is more of a loner; a person that minds his own business and chooses to have few friends. He has alot of "associates" - enjoys talking with them whenever paths cross (shopping mall, parking lot, etc). He doesn't go out of his way to be socialable, but is quite friendly if he knows the person. Kelly is not to the point of being a "social butterfly", but goes out of her way to talk with friends if a problem arises in their life. She thrives on people contact and always greets strangers with a smile.