all alone in a crowd

one of the promises made by the internet and technological advancement is the ease and speed of communication between people. we could be miles apart but we know we are only a phone call, a webcam, an email away. this might sound great if we have friends abroad (think of savings). but how many of us have friends overseas whom we communicate with on a regular basis. often, we are stuck to the computer - playing some online game with a total stranger and what transpires in our conversation will be something like:

me> hi. good luck. asl?
new friend> gl 2 u 2. 35 m new york. u?
me> 27 m singapore.
nf> cool. where's that?
me> in south east asia. southern tip of malaysia.
nf> ic.

.....

how exactly does the internet bring about real interaction if what ppl talk about are superficial? what these people need to do is to talk to people near them i.e. family and friends, instead of spending their time wastefully on the internet.

it has been shown through studies that the denser the population in a particular area, the less face-to-face interaction among its people in this age of technology. also people in such places are less likely to be involved in group activities, hence this probably explains the declining birth-rates in developed countries (of cos, there are other reasons).

with the need to generate income/revenue, companies are thus forced to "personalise" their products. this will invariably decrease the amount of social interaction among people near us.

are you a victim as well?