Internal Mono(b)log

We live in an increasingly connected world, or so it seems anyhow. Internet acceptance is growing as more and more people who have grown up with the ‘net move out on their own.

Arriving with the increased acceptance are tools and utilities that make the ‘net more friendly, useful, and efficient. Internet messengers, VoIP, better browsers, search engines, etc. have all increased the popularity of the information sharing tool that has existed since the late 60’s (yes, that is the Internet I’m talking about).

But how much of a good thing is too much? How far should the ‘net be allowed to invade our lives.

For example, I chat via email or instant messenger with my wife all day long, pretty much everyday. At the end of the day, I know how her day has gone, usually in a fair bit of detail. When we both get home at the end of the day, one of the typical things people talk about doesn’t exist for us.

The same is true for friends. It is unusual to go more than a day without a friend touching base and us updating each other with our life’s events. Again to the point that when we get together conversations in the past sense almost don’t exist.

Blogs, of course, just make this worse. Now I have a view into the writer’s life that once could have been a topic of discussion over coffee and desert. Hours of entertainment and interaction reduced to a quick read during a break at work and possibly a quick comment response.

So I’m torn… I love the ‘net. It pays my paycheque, simplifies my life, and makes vast amounts of information instantly available. But I miss the *human* element, the dynamics of a good debate, the fun of interpersonal silliness.

Have *you* found the balance?