Comments on the reading

While reading Lister et all (p168) I thought the two contradictory views were very interesting about living online.

1) That it is a retreat form, an alternative to social reality (p168)
2) That online is not an alternative but its part of an already existing society.

I think that both points can be accepted because yes online is a society, it has many conventions of an existing society. People interact and as mentioned in a previous blog people even ‘live’ online. I can also agree that online is a retreat from social reality because personally I use the net for pleasure and to either procrastinate from work or to have a break from it! (Dam Myspace and Facebook!)

Andrea Baker (98) studied couples who met online and found that there relationships are exactly like ones where people have met in real life. I think this just proves there is a blurring of lines between the real and the virtual!