Poor old internet. It certainly does take a lot of stick. The latest is from Professor Tim Luckhurst. He's concerned that online networking may be a symptom of alienation, anomie, festering hatreds, the decline of morality, a collapse of civilization and the imminent end of the world. OK, that's only me joking. But it's bad enough. In a hand-wringing post, Luckhurst writes:
Granted, there are happy online-networkers and audiophiles. But what if they are the minority? What if increasing attachment to screen and radio is a consequence of stress, loneliness and fear?Argghhh... what if, what if? Even from the terrifying Madeleine you could not imagine a more splendid Buntingism than this. And there's more:
Atomised, inverted, synthetic lives are poor substitutes for human warmth.So I was saying not two days ago to a group of shivering e-companions, all hunched over our grim, solitary computers. Here's a thought: if we're all so stressed and lonely and fearful - oh, and atomised and inverted (hey, speak for yourself) - isn't it just wonderful how the internet puts us in touch again in a soft and cuddly way?