iWrite

People talk a lot of smack about how technology is, among other things, "promoting anti-social behavior." I beg to differ.

If I pull out my phone in a group setting to avoid talking to people, chances are it's because there is no one present with whom I would like to converse. Technology doesn't just offer new ways of shutting obnoxious people out, it offers new ways of letting tolerable people in. If I have to choose between talking to the people I have the misfortune of being physically located near and my best friend who lives seven counties away, the choice is a no-brainer.

But it's more than just that. Thanks to technology, I have more access to my interests. Being a theater fan who's never been to New York is bad enough as it is - I shudder to think of the days before bootlegs were widely available online! Technology also offers more ways to meet people with similar interests and make even more friends. I'm really failing to see how a medium for socializing on a global level is at all anti-social.