RCdc
Posts: 8674
Status: offline
|
This is Darcy I think if push came to shove then I could live without the internet, but having been surfing these ether highways for close on a decade now I find that despite the negatives, my experience and what I get out of it far outweighs the downsides. For example, without the 'net I might never have met the.dark, which would have rendered my life far less satisfying and wonderful than it is with her in it. I also would have been unlikely (I never say never, as who knows what strange paths of coincidence or chance may have brought people together without the net) to meet several people who I now number among mu close friends. People I have actually met and interacted with outside of cyberspace, and who have made my life a richer place for it. It has made shopping much easier, and opened up literally a world of choice. I love movies, and regularly purchase DVDs from all four corners of the globe. Prior to the 'net this would have entailed much research in specialist magazines, followed by long, expensive phone calls to find exactly what I wanted (though I did employ such methods on a fairly regualr basis to get what I wanted). Now I can search hundreds of outlets worldwide for that particular movie, and then have it drop through my letterbox several days later. Porn has been mentioned, and again the choice and availability (if you know where to look ;) ) of free porn is staggering, not to mention entertaining. As has also been mentioned, the 'net provides good sources of information that are free from the censure and bias of the major networks. Of course there is the caveat that you can't believe everything you read, but this has been true since the first book was printed long, long before the 'net was but a twinkling. The basic rule here is cast your net far and wide, and corroborate your evidence and stories. With a little work the 'real' picture about things can be gleaned from all of the nuggest of information that are available. The rise of YouTube has been wonderful, and I have discovered many videos and shows on this and other networks that I thought were lost in the mists of time. Of course it's also full of morons proving how manly they are by speeding in cars, and assholes filming themselves being antisocial, but as with everything, there are swings and roundabouts. So, on the whole, can man live without the 'net? If he had to, yes, as we managed before, but in reality I think that many of our social customs and interactions have become so heavily reliant on it that if it were turned off tomorrow then I think the cultural and social shockwave would be devastating. (And this isn't such a far-fetched notion - several well placed bombs at power stations could take down a country's power grid, and then let's see how long it would take us to revert to savages with no television, internet, deliveries to stores, light, heat and water......)
_____________________________
RC&dc love isnt gazing into each others eyes - it's looking forward in the same direction
|