New media have always been met by a fair bit of scepticism. When the first newspapers started finding a fond readership in the fine salons of the big European cities, some 250 years ago, talk emerged of newspaper addiction. Robinson’s generation had to constantly reassure parents that they weren’t at all watching TV for an excessive amount of time. But now, in 2007, TV is no longer seen as the main reason for social decay. It’s the Internet.
A few days ago, the story of two 16yo Victorian girls, Jodie and Steph, who were using MySpace extensively and who were following the Emo subculture shocked Australia. Both showed clear signs of depression in their posts and they even left farewell messages on their sites. Seven days later they were found in a national park hanging from a tree.
So was it because they were living their lives online, that they became depressed and killed themselves? Was it, because they were Emos, a subculture where being depressed is part of the right attitude? Or was it just because they were teens with problems, people who would have taken their lives irrespective of the Internet or what subculture they happened to belong to?
Robinson doesn’t know. He considers himself a media enthusiast. He likes papers, radio, TV and the Internet, all in their own right. The Internet brings some exciting new opportunities to how people use media. Information, opinion and entertainment is no longer the exclusive playground for professional journalists. Anyone can be in touch with anyone all over the globe through blogs, chats, emails, VoIP, and what not. Robinson doesn’t think parents, governments, companies or anyone else should be able to censor and filter what is going through the wires. However, some Internet users do appear to get into emotional trouble by detaching themselves from their real-world environment and escaping into virtual forms of communication. The Internet feels safer, because you don’t have to look in the other’s eyes, and you can exit any conversation immediately.
So, if you’re a blogger you should ask yourself, how much of you is in your own little Matrix, and how much is still in the real world. Are you a blogger, because you’re better with technology or a better writer than most people in the outside world, or are you in the Blogosphere because you don’t dare living in the real world any more, because you’re not very self-confident and not very good with people? Ask yourself and be honest. You may hear yourself sigh in relief. Or else, you may consider getting help.
