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Unit3AlienationandtheInternetWillBaker1.TheInternetprovidesanamazingforumforthefreeexchangeofideas.Giventherelativelyfewrestrictionsgoverningaccessandusage，itisthecommunicationsmodalequivalentofinternationalwaters.1Itismypersonalbeliefthatthehumanpotentialcanonlyberealizedbytheglobalizationofideas.Idevelopedthisposition2yearsbeforetheInternetcameintowidespreaduse.AndIamexcitedatthepotentialfortheInternettodramaticallyalterourglobalsocietyforthebetter.HoweverIamalsotroubledbythepossibleunintendednegativeconsequences.2.Therehasbeenmuchtalkaboutthe“newinformationage.”ButmuchlesswidelyreportedhasbeenthenotionthattheInternetmayberesponsibleforfurtheringthefragmentationofsocietybyalienatingitsindividualusers.3Atfirstthismightsoundlikeanapparentcontradiction：howcansomething，thatisontheonehandresponsibleforglobalunificationbyenablingthefreeexchangeofideas，alienatetheparticipants？3.Ihadarecentdiscussionwithafriendofminewhohaswhathedescribedasa“problem”withtheInternet.WhenIquestionedhimfurtherhesaidthathewas“addicted，”4andhas“forced”himselftogooff-line.Hesaidthathefeltlikeanalcoholic，inthatmoderateuseoftheInternetwasjustnotpossibleforhim.5Ihavenotknownthisfellowtobegiventoexaggeration，thereforewhenhedescribedhisinternetbinges，6whenhewouldspendovertwenty-fourhoursonlinenon-stop，itgavemepausetothink.Hesaid，“theInternetisn‘treal，butIwasspendingallmytimeonline，soIjusthadtostop.”Hewentontosaythatallofthetimethathespentonlinemighthaveskewed7hissenseofreality，andthatitmadehimfeellonelyanddepressed.4.Thefragmentationofsocietyhasbeenlamentedforsometimenow.ItseemstomethatitprobablybeganinearnestafterWorldWarIIwhenagenerationreturnedfromdoinggreatdeedsoverseas.Theywonthewar，andbyGodtheyweregoingtowinthepeace.Automobileownershipbecamecommonplaceandsuburbswerecreated.“Progress”wastheirmantra.8SoevenpriortotheInternet‘swidespreadpopularity，folkswerealreadybecomingdistancedfromtheirextendedfamiliesandneighbors.Andwhenwefast-forwardtotodayweseeanalmostcruelironyinthatpeoplecanandoftendodevelopon-linerelationshipswithfolksontheothersideoftheglobe，withoutleavingtheirhomes.Butattheexpenseofthetimethatwouldhaveotherwisebeenavailableforinvolvementinotheractivitieswhichmightfosterasenseofcommunityintheirvillages，townsandcities.5.LastweekendmywifeandIinvitedourextendedfamilytoourhometocelebrateourdaughter‘sbirthday.Duringthecelebrationmyyoungnephewspenttheentiretimeonmycomputerplayingasimulatedwargame.Mybrother-in-lawandIwerechattingnearbyanditstruckusthatingenerationspast，hisson，mynephew，wouldhavebeenoutsideplayingwithhisfriends.Butnowthelittlefellowgoesonlinetoplayhisgamesagainsthisfriendsincyberspace.6.ItseemstomethattheInternetisapowerfultoolthatpresentsanopportunityfortheadvancementoftheacquisitionandapplicationofknowledge.However，basedonmypersonalexperienceIcanunderstandhow，astheysurfthewebsomefolksmightbeconfrontedwithcognitiveoverload.9AndIcanalsounderstandhowonemighthavehisorhersenseofrealitydistortedintheprocess.IstheInternetarealplace？Dependinguponhowa“realplace”isdefineditmightverywellbe.Attheveryleast，IbelievethatwhenweusetheInternet，weareforcedtoaskfundamentalquestionsabouthowweperceivetheworldaboutus—perhapsanotherunintendedconsequence.Somewouldarguethatthevirtualexistencescreatedbysomeuserswhodebate，shop，travelandhaveromanceonlineareinfactnotreal.Whileotherswouldarguethat，sinceinpracticalterms，folksaredebating，shopping，travellingandhavingromance，theconverseistrue.7.Allofthisbeingsaid，IbelievethatthekeytorealizingthepotentialoftheInternetisinachievingbalanceinourlives.Thiswouldallowustomaximizeitspotentialwithoutlosingoursenseofplace.10Howeverlikemostthingsthatiseasiersaidthandone.Itseemstomethatweareasocietythatvaluesimmediategratificationaboveallelse，andwhatbetterplacetoachieveitthanincyberspace，wherethecyber-worldisyourcyber-oyster.11Thewidespreaduseoftheautomobileforeverchangedoursocietyandculture，andperhapsasimilarsortofthingisoccurringnow.Iamnotatallcertainwherethe“informationsuperhighway”willleadus：somesaytoUtopia，12whileothersfeelit‘stheroadtohell.ButIdoknowthatweallhavetheabilitytomaintainoursenseofplaceintheworld.Whetherwechoosetotakeadvantageofthisabilityisanothermatter.因特网与人际之疏远威尔·贝克1因特网为思想的自由交流提供了一个非凡的平台。由于登录和使用互联网的限制相对较少，它的作用就等同于通讯传播中的公海。我个人认为人类潜能只有通过思想的全球化才能实现。在因特网广为应用之前许多年我就有了这样的立场。我为因特网给全球社会的更好发展带来的巨大变化振奋不已。然而，我也为预料之外的负面后果感到困扰。2关于“新的信息时代”人们谈论得很多。但是，互联网使网民之间彼此疏远，从而导致社会的进一步土崩瓦解，对这方面的报道却少得多。乍听起来这似乎相互矛盾：一种东西怎么会既能让人们自由地交流思想，从而使全球融为一体，同时又让参与者彼此疏远呢？3我一位朋友自称使用因特网出了“问题”，最近我和他讨论了这个问题。我进一步追问时他说他有“网瘾”，经常得“强制”自己离线下网。他觉得自己像个酒鬼，因为他就是无法有节制地上网。据我所知，此人不喜欢夸大其词，因此当他描述自己的网瘾，说常常连续泡网一天一夜时，这引起了我的思考。他说：“网络世界不是真实的，但我还偏偏把自己所有时间花在网络上，所以我不得不悬崖勒马。”他接着说他在网上花的那么多时间使他扭曲了现实感，让他觉得孤单压抑，郁郁寡欢。4大家哀叹社会的四分五裂由来已久。在我看来，这种分裂真正始于第二次世界大战结束后，当时一代人在海外完成宏伟事业之后荣归故里。他们打赢了战争，面对上帝，他们还要赢得和平。小汽车变得普及，人们建起了郊区。“进步”是时常挂在他们嘴边的口号。于是甚至早于因特网大行其道之时，人们早就疏远了大家庭的其他成员和左邻右舍。我们把场景快进到今天，见到的情景几乎可以说是残酷的讽刺：人们足不出户就经常能和远在地球另一端的人建立网络关系，但这样做的代价是：他们花掉了很多时间，而这些时间本来可以在他们自己的村子和城镇里投身于各项活动，从而培养社区观念。5上周末我们夫妻邀请大家庭的其他成员来家里庆祝我女儿的生日。整个庆祝过程中，小外甥把全部时间都花在我电脑上玩一个模拟战争的游戏。我和妹夫就坐在边上聊天。我们都认识到，要是像几代前的先辈那