[Air-l] On-line behaviour

[Mary-Helen Ward]

I think that the computer safety angle is an important one for a lot  
of otherwise sensible people, and there is also a fear of  
cyberstalking. This may look silly to us, but fear is a potent driver  
for people when they are dealing with the unknown, and The Internet  
ranks as Very Unknown..

I don't know about NZ (having left there in 1998), but my observation  
of life in Sydney is that many, if not most, people limit their  
engagement with new people (consciously or unconsciously). If this is  
true in f-t-f environments, why would they seek out the company of  
other new people online?

I was driven online by not finding people whom I wanted to connect  
with in my f-t-f environment in a provincial city. It changed my life  
in ways I don't want to go into here. But most of my family,  
workmates and people I knew socially thought I was crazy to make the  
changes I did as a result of online connections. I found this bizarre  
and frustrating, for reasons I'm sure you'll understand.

Do you think that will change in time? In other words, is it, at  
least partly, generational? (I am 55, so am very unusual in my age  
group - in this as well as many other things!)

M-H

On 28/11/2006, at 7:14 AM, John Veitch wrote:

>
> If people are going to be on-line they need to understand the value of
> and the importance of three simple things.
> 1. Know how to keep your computer safe.
> 2. Find and join groups of people who share your interests (Both on- 
> line
> and off-line).
> 3. Join and participate in a social network on-line.
>
> About 50% of people can't do number one, about 80% of people are not
> doing number two, and about 95% of people don't do number three.
>
> These three things are basic to on-line engagement. If you are  
> going to
> learn to think more deeply, more widely, and to more purpose, you need
> to be connected to other people. The promise of the digital age is a
> fraud if you as an individual can't become part of it. That means you
> MUST be able to participate, not merely be a consumer. You have to
> develop your own brain. You can't buy one at the supermarket.
>
> Regards
> John
>
> -- 
>
> John Stephen Veitch
> http://www.ate.co.nz
> Should we be talking? Can I help?
> Google me
>
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