Internet: unites or divides?

Well, another topic for me to start.

I didn't know whether to start this here or in the serious discussion section so if it's in the wrong place move it

So what do you think about internet? Has internet united us and made us more powerful? Or has it divided us?

Myself I am confused and I'd answer it's done both. lol IMO it does unite us in a way for it made the world a lot smaller. You can know what's happening in the other side of the world by a click after all There's so much online and you can learn anything from lanaguages to art to even music etc etc...

Not to mention the social networking sites that's connected so many people in so many ways

But still it's divided us in a way especially families and such, you know, when you find that a family is gathered to eat together or something but every kid is holding his phone or tablet and chatting away with others lol Or even at home when everyone of us is holding his laptop or phone...

What do you think about this?

~ Moved to Debates and Serious Discussions Forums #MissNile

I do believe that internet unites more than it divides. The point you mentioned about how everyone at a family meeting or even generally at home is always using some electronic device is valid, but then it can be easily controlled with some directions from the parents (unless they do it themselves, of course.)

It's also unfair to blame internet for that; if you look at the old times, people could have done that anyways using the newspapers or the radio. It's not as addictive as internet, true, but my point stands.

Overall, the internet has had a lot more benefits than disadvantages so we can't overlook all the other good things because of small 'side-effects.'

these are not really side effects. The people who are occupied with their handy while eating, are mostly using the handy to socialize with other people.
The internet is uniting people to the extreme. It is the movement from individualism to a tribe like system. People are finnaly capable again, to  live in a village where they can see everything of everyone else in the village. They are finnaly capable to lose their individuality, by creating, or merging with people of the same ideals on a global size.

So no the internet doesnt divide, it unites. The only thing im really waiting for is the war of the internet area, but believe me it must come.

For everyone interested, read Marshall McLuhan. He was really ahead of his time. The medium is the message.

Wonderful discussion everybody Keep it up!

Now let me be the opposite side (I really am not but to keep this up )

What if someone argues laglag that despite these socializing methods are used to chat and contact with other people, its made family ties weaken? like in the example I mentioned above even in family meetings everyone is busy talking with friends or facebooking etc etc

sure it made you connect with others around the world but it made you have superficial relationships with your family members who should be closer to you than anyone

What do you say about that, folks

Why should family be closer than strangers? If we take equalness as primal premise, than it should be selfexplaining that each human has the same right on having ties with you. So it is your decision whom you tie yourself to. This actually even results in a lot of tighter ties, i even spoke of merge earlier, because the people you search as your friends on your own on a global basis, are of course more fitting to you than those you are born to.

That's a good point, laglag! But lets keep this running: what if someone argues that of course family should be closer to you than anyone else because its family after all? No one will care about you more than your parents or siblings so you should maintain a healthy relationship with them, and those global friends you can make might leave you at anytime if they get busy with their lives or even lose internet access or something

Why should parents, who arent your coice, care more about you than relationships made on your choice? exspecially on a global basis, the concept of familiar life is no longer fitting. You only need a parental character for the early education. afterwards it should be your choice, who will be your influence (of course this is influenced by your education, but you shouldnt reach the conclusion of the necesserity of parents throughout your whole life from this). I think libertyi is one of the greatest goods of humanity (maybe third after individuality and ratio), and if you take liberty as premise, and it is being taken as premise in todays world, people will gather. And they will gather to groups they feel them self comfortable with. Thas the idea of people merging into tribes. So now if you are beyond parental educational time and ready to be released into a free world, you will search for tribes to merge with, resulting in loss of individuality, but also resulting in absolute trustability (does this word exist?). So you will not lose the tribe, or if you do than only by merging with others, or regaining individuality something near to impossible. 
The loss of internet access shouldnt be the problem in todays world. If you would life in a region without internet access to begin with you will never merge with said tribes, and if you life in a region with internet you will not lose it. In case of a movement of the more radical kind, you would probably end up in a deprivation. In this case the people around you would be your only social contact resulting in a very normal character trait, you search your social contact within them and keep them within them, creating not a society of interests, but a society of necessarity. Societies of the second kind are always inferior in their concept to those of the first kind. the second kind can only become a society of the first kind by very harsh situations.

While I think laglag has gone pretty deep into the topic, I'll just say that it wouldn't be a very valid point still because as I mentioned before, you can't blame the internet for the problems you've pointed out. Simply because kids or even adults give too much attention to their computing devices and don't give enough of that to their family members doesn't mean we should blame the internet. Such a problem can be really easily solved if the parents make an hour a day, for example, when no one is allowed to use their phones/computers and just spend it in each other's company; that easy.

do you actually think that works? i have so many internet or video game restrictions beyond me, none of them worked. And i know many people who share my fate in this aspect. I think parental control always has its borders, and kids are damn good in finding these borders.
And hell we are 21st century, ideas like the one you stated above are pretty much outdated, the future will be online.

Well, I like to believe that if parents are truly persistent enough in making a strong family relationship, nothing can stop them and definitely not a few video games.

It sounds to me that you're very confident about the internet, laglag. You're right that the future is online but I believe that real-life relationships are quite necessary too. One can't simply live their life online, I think.

sure real life relationships are necessary, but they will most likely be started on the internet. The haptic world will weave more and more with the virtual reality. And i think that about the aspects of sociality the virtuality will probably easily beat reality. its just a matter of efficiency in this case.

hmm I think I should share a piece of my mind too *just so this topic will have some balance*

well, laglag had a point. I do believe that a LOT of people have been united through internet. Weather it's a little forum like this, social media, or even online games--people even get married with the people they met online nowdays.

On the other side, not dismissing the point entirely, I think the fact that internet divide families are also true.
Laglag might have a point on why strangers can also be your new family, but if you look in from other prespective it can also be very bad for you. Afterall stranger who might live a thousand miles from you can't reach you in the time of dangers, or even come to your aids for such a small thing like fixing your tires.
I live in a house full of people (my parents, brother, and cousins all live in one house). We're all have 24 hours internet access, and everytime I came home from works *I worked in a hospital* I find nobody in the living room, or other room. We're all in our room, doing what we think we should do in the internet. Everywhere I go all I can find is a close door and an empty hallway.
Working in a hospital is pretty rough, and once in a while, the presence of parents or family is something you really need, for even if you have friends online, most of them doesnt really know the real you--they know you from your facade of Internet avatars or username, or even facebook name and pic, but they don't know your real personality. Weather you like a warm bowl of soup when you're having a bad day, or kick back and lift your feet a bit, to such a simple warm hug to cheer you up a bit. They're in the internet, they can't provide you with food or hugs, they can comment on your post or give you a warm smile via video chat, but they can't give you a shoulder to cry on.

Working in the hospital also teach you the importance of blood related family. You really can't dismissed them entirely, just because they're not as cool or chill as your internet friend. Their love for you is entirely different.
I already saw a man crying over a dying boy who mostly spent his time on his android phone. Or mother and son who fight over a phone charger one minute, and crying like hell when the son suddenly have a lost of breathe.
Those experience are the experiences you got from your family in real world. And spending most of your time in the internet without seeking a bit of time with your family will someday kill you.
I'm not that young anymore--heck you could say that I'm almost a full fledge adult, but I also have my rebel time. I understand how real family can be infuriating, but believe me there'll be time where you understand all the intention of your family, and learn to admit that in their own way--they could be more caring towards you than a thousand of people you met online.

IreneFaye, kudos to you for this post. I wish there was a "Like" button somewhere to like your post. It sums up everything, I believe.

I am not agreeing with the most of your statements, as stated below:


can't reach you in the time of dangers, or even come to your aids for such a small thing like fixing your tires.
 luckily we live in an age were things like that are most likely not concerns of your family or even your closer surroundings, but rather concerns of people payed by you for doing so.

Weather you like a warm bowl of soup when you're having a bad day, or kick back and lift your feet a bit, to such a simple warm hug to cheer you up a bit. They're in the internet, they can't provide you with food or hugs, they can comment on your post or give you a warm smile via video chat, but they can't give you a shoulder to cry on.
well this is really only a matter of personal preferences, and depends from person to person. And i think that if society shifts towards social virtuality, the people and their needs will as well. If you grew up with virtual smiles, they will please you as much as real smiles, or a shoulder to cry on. Its just a matter of education and time.

I already saw a man crying over a dying boy who mostly spent his time on his android phone. Or mother and son who fight over a phone charger one minute, and crying like hell when the son suddenly have a lost of breathe.
Those experience are the experiences you got from your family in real world.
Yea, you GOT them from your family in real world, doesnt really help you afterwards, does it? (excuse me for the bad joke)
Oh, and yes crying about the death of people istn something only happening in reality, i saw a lot of people cry about dead virtual riends on the internet. Empathy is something that can be very easily transferred from reality into virtuality. It will also work on long distance (keyword: global basis).

And spending most of your time in the internet without seeking a bit of time with your family will someday kill you.
"Death by internet" - hell this would look nice in a death certification.
Only problem is that it is quite possible (even for the majority) to live and survive without parental affection. And like i said, you get the affection from elsewhere.

I'm not that young anymore--heck you could say that I'm almost a full fledge adult, but I also have my rebel time. I understand how real family can be infuriating, but believe me there'll be time where you understand all the intention of your family, and learn to admit that in their own way--they could be more caring towards you than a thousand of people you met online.
reducing theory, to the foolishness of missing age, isnt really the way to go. Also prophecies arent really capable of being a valuable argument. 

Hugh. I spoke.

Lol i dont know ur family or how close u r with them or why u thought that way  but i thought this debate are about personal opinion,  ill not throw something out of my psychologiy text book to you but u sound so sure about urpersonal opinion could be used as an application to the daily life without sounding proof. 
I know this is a debate but u should really conceal ur bashing  dude...  Chill its just a forum debate.  U can choose to be pro and be contra without any proof.

In the profesional debate though u have to present ur proof,  and not from an unknown site with anonim author either.  U should based ur reasoning on a clinicaly scientific proven journal...  And believe me i can show u the proof,  but its not neede here. 
We're here for fun debate
So hold ur bashing  kay.. 



Oh well,  in MY "opinion" coz i choose to stand on the 'internet divide people" id say, 
Internet with the power of anonimity also can be and had been used as the thing that seperate a group

People can be trolls,  flaming and bashing ppl all over internet.  The once peaceful group could be turned into a riot that demand seperation in the cause of one trolling user. 
I dont know if uve experience it urself.  But cyber  bullying is one of the nastiest bullying ive ever seen. 
Ppl can be driven to insanity from it--if u dont believe it than u really ought to visit the asylum once in a while--its actually a calming and refreshing experience--u might say that it just based on personal view,  but believe me ppl in Internet are not all kind.
They can be nasty and unbearable.  And if u still say that u can easily trust and rely in them than ill say u havent have ur share of meeting a cracker or hacker experience.

ok, my first question is: Whom did I bash? And if yes, How? 




and not from an unknown site with anonim author either.  U should based ur reasoning on a clinicaly scientific proven journal...  And believe me i can show u the proof,  but its not neede here. 

I have a few questions/problems about this statement:
- What would be the reason for the sentence about unknown site and author? did i miss something or is it supposed to have a lack of context?
- normally i base my reasoning on logical coherency, i hope natures follows the same path....
- Hey if you have proof for your hypothesis, why not presenting it? It would definitely help the discussion and create some solid ground to argue on... (the sand of personal emotions doesnt count as solid)
- oh and yes proof does help, even on non-empiric subjects. (although logic has more weight here)


People can be trolls,  flaming and bashing ppl all over INTERNET.  The once peaceful group could be turned into a riot that demand seperation in the cause of one trolling user.

I dont doubt, that this is a possibility, but only within the time where the group didnt found an adequate amount of solidness yet. Oh and its something quite often happening to "real" groups as well (wether they are peaceful or not)


 But cyber  bullying is one of the nastiest bullying ive ever seen. 
Ppl can be driven to insanity from it--if u dont believe it than u really ought to visit the asylum once in a while--its actually a calming and refreshing experience--u might say that it just based on personal view,  but believe me ppl in INTERNET are not all kind.

cyber bullying has one disadvantage towards non-virtual bullying --dont know if you ever experienced it yourself-- it cannot be physical, meaning that the pain is only mental. I think this is an obvious disadvantage, i mean the dualism of physical and psychical pain should be by far more effective.
And that not everyone is kind is more a problem of humankind than of virtuality. Whom to trust and whom not, is as well a real problem. Its like if you argue that a lot of people in the internet lack of intellectual capabilities, its not something you require virtuality for. 

Oh and no i didnt had my share of hacker/cracker experience yet. But hey, im all-ear!


Finally i want to excuse myself for always arguing against specific quotations, but it seems to be the only way for me to keep everything clear and understandable.

The internet neither unites nor divides. It is simply a medium of interaction; a tool.

P.S. - The amount of misinterpretation and miscommunication in this thread is displeasing.

well thats a point of view....
heres one simple question sinnyvic:
If the internet is a medium, especially a medium of interaction, than it is delivering a message. And it should be common sense, that every message has a content, and a inner urge for communication. Now if you communicate through a content, you leave an impression. And every impression has a social effect. Now the internet has to be seen as something global, so the communication is a matter of whole humankind; humankind itself acts as a "Group". So if you cause a social effect on a group, it will either unite or divide. There is no third option. So now the question is; why is the internet neither uniting nor dividing?

wow that's quite the heated discussion everyone But really let's do our best to calm down ^___^ It's only a matter of opinions after all right? No need to be tense about it

hey the more tension a discussion has the better it is!

I haven't posted here yet O_O

My opinion of this is that internet unites but it should be under control from parents or teachers etc I mean even water which is the most important element to life can kill if its too much So while internet unites people on far distances, it can divide people who are close to each other which isn't ncessaery and with right time management, can be avoided