AFFIRMATIVE - CRITIQUE OF TECHNOLOGY — ANSWERS 172

INTERNET BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER AND ENHANCES COMMUNITY

INTERNET ALLOWS PEOPLE TO SPEND MORE TIME COMMUNICATING TO EACH OTHER

Amitai Etzioni, professor, George Washington University and founder of the Communitarian Network, May, 2000; Debating the societal effects of the Internet: Connecting With the World

Along the same lines, the study found--as is widely known--that people's most common use of the Internet is communicating via e-mail. This, too, is a time-saving device compared to letter writing and even phone calls. Ergo the Internet readily allows people to spend both more time on the Internet and more time socializing. In effect, the fact that people use the Internet largely for communication and not shopping or banking, and that most of this communication is with people they are familiar with rather than with strangers, strongly suggests that people relate to one another more rather than less because of the Internet.

INTERNET COMMUNICATION FORGES NEW SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THREE POWER WAYS

Amitai Etzioni, professor, George Washington University and founder of the Communitarian Network, May, 2000; Debating the societal effects of the Internet: Connecting With the World

Everyday experience shows that people use the Internet to connect in three different ways: to reinforce existing relations among family, friends, and coworkers; to forge new relationships which can be quite intense, as shown by numerous reports of people falling in love online; and to join or form communities, some of which closely bind people who share an illness or an alcoholic in the family or some other serious challenge life has thrown their way.

The study further disregards that for people who are not mobile, for single parents with children, and for people who fear the streets at night, the Internet is often a major way to form or maintain social bonds.

THE INTERNET PROMOTES COMMUNITY -- INTERNET WILL HAVE FULL HUMAN INTERFACE AND IT BRINGS THE ISOLATED INTO THE COMMUNITY

Amitai Etzioni, professor, George Washington University and founder of the Communitarian Network, May, 2000; Debating the societal effects of the Internet: Connecting With the World

As to the suggestion by Nie that on the Internet you do not hear the voice of others and hence miss nuances of communication, voice is rapidly being made transmittable over the Internet. Of course, phone calls are already made over the Internet (including conference calls) and--most relevant--Excite already offers grouops that meet on its site the capacity to hear how the group is responding. Moreover, while Nie is right that you will never "share a coffee or a bear with somebody on e-mail or give them a hug," on the Internet you aren't walking city streets in fear of falling victim to violent crime, either. I do not mean to resurrect the image of our cities as jungles. But for millions who are infirm, truly old, or otherwise handicapped or anxious, the Internet provides a reassuring access to the social realm, day or night, sleet or shine.

CLAIMS THAT THE INTERNET PROMOTES SOCIAL ISOLATION ARE UNSUPPORTED

Amitai Etzioni, professor, George Washington University and founder of the Communitarian Network, May, 2000; Debating the societal effects of the Internet: Connecting With the World

The Internet, like other new technologies, changes our lives, and not all for the better. However, claims that it increases our social isolation are wholly unsupported, especially by this study.

INTERNET SAVES TIME SO WE CAN SPEND IT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Amitai Etzioni, professor, George Washington University and founder of the Communitarian Network, May, 2000; Debating the societal effects of the Internet: Connecting With the World

Meanwhile, please do not log off the Internet. Shopping and banking and trading on it, and sending messages via cyberspace rather than using phone calls, saves time. You can spend it with your family and friends, if you so desire. You do not need a study to prove this point; just a place to log on.