I am a child of the internet. Well, maybe not a child, but definitely a young adult....OK...ADULT.
I got my first computer, an Atari 2400XL, at the age of 13. Upgraded to a Macintosh LC in college, and then grew to love the Internet by the time I was 28. And one of the first things I got hooked on was IRC (Internet Relay Chat). The first chat rooms before AOL created theirs.
In IRC, like all chat rooms, you can talk (type) with people from all over the world. Which I did, and met many people I never would have just living here in the U.S. I became friends with a young man from Israel (who later joined the Israeli Military), a woman from Australia, a electrician from Iowa, and even a young aspiring politician from Canada.
I chatted with them on a daily basis, getting to know who they were, what they liked, and how their days were going. I would consider this 'Being Social'. Instead of talking on the phone or over a cup of coffee; it was over a keyboard (and a cup of coffee.)
However, I was surprised a few weeks ago that one of my classes did not consider instant messaging and using the Social Networking sites, like Myspace and Facebook, as 'being social'. In fact about half of the class said it was less social. "If I want to be social, I'll call a friend on my cell phone." one student replied.
So, I am very interested....do you think using instant messaging and leaving comments on Social Networking sites, is 'being social'? I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts.
