Internet Communication

Since the invention and popularization of the internet, computer mediated communication has become an increasingly common mode of socialization. Many people have voiced the concern that the move away from physical communication might have negative repercussions for society; however, socialization on the internet has a number of advantages over traditional socialization. The internet provides a larger pool of potential social contacts compared to physically seeking people, creates means for people to easily communicate when spatially or temporally disconnected and allows a comfortable atmosphere for communication.

At any given moment there are more people available for socialization on the internet then there are people with which one can physically meet and socialize. This makes finding social contacts on the internet easier and provides a wider selection of potential contacts. Further, if one is seeking a particular category of person to befriend (eg:individuals with a certain hobby) one is likely to be able to find such people on the internet. People who use the internet for socialization have more social contacts then those who do not socialize on the internet.1,2 Some say that one can find plenty of people to physically meet. The effort required to actively seek new contacts with which one can physically socialize is much higher then the effort required to find people on the internet. Moreover, physically meeting new people is much dangerous then meeting new people online. Meeting new contacts online is faster, easier, and safer then physically meeting new people.

The internet allows people who are both spatially and temporally disconnected to communicate easily. The obvious example is Email which provides means for peo...

... middle of paper ...

...ze outweigh the negatives. It allows individuals to quickly and easily communicate with a massive pool of people in a relaxed atmosphere. Internet socialization should be embraced as a valuable tool to supplement other forms of socialization.

Works Cited

Shanyang, Zhao . "Do Internet Users Have More Social Ties? A Call for Differentiated Analysis of Internet Use ". Department of Sociology, Temple University . February 2, 2009 .

Barbara, Ortutay. "Internet Not Linked To Social Isolation, Study Shows". Huffington Post. February 2, 2009 .

Sarah, Birnie and Peter, Horvath. "Psychological Predictors of Internet Social Communication". Acadia University, Canada . February 2, 2009 .