IS THE USE OF INTERNET MAKING YOU EMOTIONLESS?

[Gronthaing]

Agreed with the others here op. Find other activities you like. Exercise. Team sports. Or maybe just jogging once a day. Try getting friends to join you. Helps keep the motivation.

So there is a feel that I am being socially awkward with less cheerful activities and loss of interest in real life. I used to watch lot of movies, romantic and tragedies, but now i don't get any feels for them. Also, my real life friends are starting to fade away. Do you feel the same? Or is the overuse of Internet proving beneficial?

Really good question.
I remember well also time before Internet.
We, children, played as lot games outside, and spend much more time together than children today.
It's not the same spend time with friends on Internet or in the real life.
Virtual communication and friendship is often without to deep emotions and sometimes can create emotionally empty people, who can not develop true feelings and communicate with others.
It's paradox that modern technologies don't bring us closer but we are moving away from each other. 

Don't know if it's that simple. And don't know of any studies that back that up. Modern communications have their problems. Maybe people end up with many shallow relationships. But potentially more relationships than previous generations had. Given the access to many more people.

[jillpampena75]

Once upon a time there was only a telephone. A telephone that had no hold button, no call waiting, no call forwarding. A telephone that had a busy signal if you were on it. A telephone that had no camera, wasn't portable and plugged into your wall. And a phone number that did not have to include an area code. Other than that telephone, which was the only form of communication outside of physically talking to someone there was nothing. That was it. And I think I liked it better.

I did because you actually had to TALK TO SOMEONE. You got to carry on a conversation and hear the person's voice. You could hear their emotions. If they were excited you heard it, it didn't come through in a text message with a few extra exclamation points to let you know how excited they were. It wasn't tweeted for someone to possibly catch on your news feed. And it wasn't posted on Facebook. It was all in a phone call. It was personal and it felt great.

I am certainly guilty of falling into the social networking trap. I have had a Facebook page for several years as well as a twitter account. Recently however, I have come to question the value of them and wondered how much time it has taken away from well....being truly social. I also wonder how lazy it has made us in relationships or in particular, our daily lives. We most certainly found other interests before these things took over.

Out of habit I find myself constantly checking Facebook. Then after I check it I ask myself why. Is there really anything pressing on it I couldn't live without knowing? If someone wanted me to know something, couldn't they call me?

In the past year I have attempted to utilize social networking to share my blog. I post them on FB and twitter. But what else do I need it for?

I did some research on a few form of social networking and the results are staggering to me. The amount of time spent on FB and twitter alone makes me wonder how people get anything done at all. Facebook users go on the site an average of 40 times per month. They spend an average of 23 minutes per visit. That's 15 1/2 hours a month that I imagine may be better used doing other things. There are 770 billion page views per month; 200 million smart phone users access the site every single day.

In January of 2010 it was reported that Twitter use had risen 82% in one year. That statistic is sure to have risen even more sharply since that time. There are a lot of people that don't understand twitter. I went so far as to have a session with a "twitter expert" to learn it. I did and lately, just as with Facebook, I am wondering what the point is.

A fellow blogger (A City Mom) today posted the following status on FB: "Let's add Pinterest right behind Twitter on my list of time-killing social media that I really just don't get." Amen City Mom. It made me realize that what I had been feeling lately was shared by others.

My first experience with social laziness was with the invention of the text message.  I used to always ask my daughters why they couldn't just pick up their phone and make a call. If they needed to ask someone a time pressing question I had to beg them to just CALL. Average text messages per month in the age group 13-17 is a whopping 3,339. Over 100 per day. Just wondering how much time that takes away from little things like studying. Or how many are done in class where phones most likely aren't allowed.

Now we have another site called Pinterest. It's the fastest growing site in history with 10 million monthly visitors in it's first year. I don't really get the site, as A City Mom has also stated and I have purposely avoided it. I have a job, a family and a life. I used to have hobbies that have fallen to the wayside as I have spent so much time on social networking.

As anything, there are some benefits to the various forms. Facebook has reconnected me with some old friends.  It has helped spread my blog. However, I don't need to spend nearly as much time on it as I have. I used to sew; I could make something quite lovely in the amount of time I spend on FB in any given month. Or, paint a picture, draw, design, read or tackle any of the numerous hobbies I used to enjoy.

Twitter has been useful in spreading and receiving news before it is even broadcast. Yet, is that what the average person uses it for?

I have felt for a long time that I'd better keep up on all things social media. Yet, lately I feel in order to do so I would have to quit my job and lock myself in the house to learn it all. I don't have time to discover the "infinite benefits" of Linkedin. I don't have the patience to learn Pinterest. I don't really care enough about learning Google Plus. And I most certainly don't have the brain power to absorb all the apps that my I Phone has to offer.

I say for a week everyone out there takes a hiatus from social media. Not if that's your job, but all forms of personal social networking. Stay off of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google Plus, Instagram, Pinterest and all the other things that take time away from your life. Pick up your phone and call an old friend instead of texting or "Facebooking" them.

Find a hobby you liked or may like and spend some time doing it. Go out for a walk. Go to the gym. See a show. Go to a concert. Just do something as though these things did not exist. During those hours perhaps you may find something that is truly useful to you.

And who knows, maybe you'll "stumble upon" something that you really enjoy.

[Gronthaing]

^ you should always post the source. Not just copy it. Was taken from here: http://www.chicagonow.com/when-you-put-it-that-way/2012/02/is-social-networking-making-us-all-lazy/

[Paultango]

Yeah sometimes im sad happy angry but now im dull all day in front of computer and my friends also left me because of internet

[jassii]

I think being emotionless is making people emotionless. Have some imagination to take control of your life and mental states. How can I blame something on someone. Sure there are things we cant change but nobody controls how I see or cope with my external reality. Make the easy, although hard for many, choice of being responsible for your feelings, thoughts, position in life, and every day choices of doing absolutely nothing or something if your an active person. Either way none of it matters but at least be cognizant of your choice in the world and how that choice is in fact a decision an not a factor determined by your environment. 

[Kartikay]

Internet has nothing to do with emotions but still if you feel so, try to spend less time on internet.
Talk to your friends and family more often. And I think it would be better if you will consult a doctor for betterment of your mental health.

[McDonalds5]

many liberals use a lot of internet and emotions still control them

[lienfaye]

no. its the opposite for me. i love watching different genre of movies and dramas online and it gives different kind of emotions that i apply in real life. though i have few friends it doesnt make me emotionless.

[Raja_MBZ]

no. its the opposite for me. i love watching different genre of movies and dramas online and it gives different kind of emotions that i apply in real life. though i have few friends it doesnt make me emotionless.

If you just watch them, you won't have time to use those emotions which you have in real life.

[choppork]

Is the use of internet making you emotionless?

Yes. I started to fake laughs whenever I'm out with friends. Whenever I'm in school, the only thing I want to do is go home and browse memes. They kind of make me happy in some way. I don't know why, I just can't control it. My social life is now gone. I don't have any loyal friends now. I'm just alone now.

[whizz94]

xavier77,

Go and have a cry about your romcom buddies not wanting to watch a weepie with you anymore.
Is it because of the internet, or is it because you've got fat and your tv room smells of pizza cheese?

[xuan87]

yes, internet can make you more emotionless and less interact with society,many researcher believe that internet can make people become less care with people and then it has proven that people that are addicted to internet have less friends

[xavier77]

Thank you all for your advise and support

[Xenophoto]

Let's face the fact that we had it in us. We are emotionless and at the same time we have emotions. Sometimes you just feel like you don't care enough about the world. Like you get this feeling of not talking to any single human even to your parents. I personally get stucked here in the internet world. I don't go outside. I just let my parents work for me. Simply because I know in myself that it only takes time to be a Pro here in the bitcoin world and as soon as that time happens, I'll be able to support myself financially.

Going back to the topic, yep. I'm emotionless. I do have a girlfriend kind of. But sometimes I just want to go back to our house when I'm with her. I feel like internet will make me feel better. I don't know if this should be a negative factor, but I think being emotionless is really good for me as it gets me shift my moods and emotions in no time since they are not real at all. I can easily cope with situations.

To summarize this post, internet makes me emotionless and being emotionless makes me live my life better.

[Swordsoffreedom]

So there is a feel that I am being socially awkward with less cheerful activities and loss of interest in real life. I used to watch lot of movies, romantic and tragedies, but now i don't get any feels for them. Also, my real life friends are starting to fade away. Do you feel the same? Or is the overuse of Internet proving beneficial?

The internet in general disconnects us from society and replaces it with a digital model.
Seeing real people and building real connections tend to occur less as you get older because your at work all day and not able to get out as much.

[Xenophoto]

So there is a feel that I am being socially awkward with less cheerful activities and loss of interest in real life. I used to watch lot of movies, romantic and tragedies, but now i don't get any feels for them. Also, my real life friends are starting to fade away. Do you feel the same? Or is the overuse of Internet proving beneficial?

The internet in general disconnects us from society and replaces it with a digital model.
Seeing real people and building real connections tend to occur less as you get older because your at work all day and not able to get out as much.

Well internet was made to connect us all but unfornately, it's making us away from each other. Maybe not physically, but mentally and emotionally. Some people get together but don't even talk with each other. They prefer to use their phone throughout the whole get together day.

[acroman08]

So there is a feel that I am being socially awkward with less cheerful activities and loss of interest in real life. I used to watch lot of movies, romantic and tragedies, but now i don't get any feels for them. Also, my real life friends are starting to fade away. Do you feel the same? Or is the overuse of Internet proving beneficial?

it can and it cant! it depends on the individual person on how he feels about things. i myself spend most of my time in the internet
yet i still find emotional things emotional. its just that if you think too much about the movies you watch and compare it to real life then
thats when your self in real life.

[Xenophoto]

So there is a feel that I am being socially awkward with less cheerful activities and loss of interest in real life. I used to watch lot of movies, romantic and tragedies, but now i don't get any feels for them. Also, my real life friends are starting to fade away. Do you feel the same? Or is the overuse of Internet proving beneficial?

it can and it cant! it depends on the individual person on how he feels about things. i myself spend most of my time in the internet
yet i still find emotional things emotional. its just that if you think too much about the movies you watch and compare it to real life then
thats when your self in real life.

I can not believe that I am starting to be emotional again. I used to be like OP but now, I think I'm falling in love once more to the girl I once took for granted. I used to not feel anything because of the internet that is why I left her. Now that I got focused in this forum, I don't watch Youtube and don't browse meme sites (9Gag, & Memecenter) anymore. I get the feel that I'm slowly becoming more human and start to be normal again. I hope OP will soon be able to relate to my situation right now -- The feeling of being human.

[jonatuzc]

Yeah sometimes im sad happy angry but now im dull all day in front of computer and my friends also left me because of internet

Yes  you stick to computer and lose ur friends

[Daniel91]

So there is a feel that I am being socially awkward with less cheerful activities and loss of interest in real life. I used to watch lot of movies, romantic and tragedies, but now i don't get any feels for them. Also, my real life friends are starting to fade away. Do you feel the same? Or is the overuse of Internet proving beneficial?

In one period of my life I had the same experience as you.
In fact, I was depress and was trying just to find some funny things on Internet, play around in order to get rid of negative feelings and to have some fun.
Of course I realized that Internet is not solution.
If you want real life than you need real friends, not virtual friends and virtual life over Internet.
Internet can be good in some aspect of our life like payments, Internet banking, buying things, communication etc.
But, believe me, you have to go out and do something practical, meet real people, do real things or you will become more isolated and depressed.