Is internet making us socially dumber?

Here’s a nice article about this fact, with which I very much agree. Internet is an easy way not to feel lonely and, at the same time, self-preserving. But it all comes with a cost, and in my opinion, this cost is too high. Having online relationships instead of real ones sounds a lot easier. You can answer that message whenever you feel like it (if you ever do), it’s easier to be polite when you really don’t want to, and you don’t have to deal with your friend’s problems unless he states it explicitly in written terms. But nothing substitutes a personal contact. Looking at the persons eyes and hearing the tone one uses to say something is all part of the communication, and it gives you much more information than any set of words can in a written message. I am afraid that, since people are transferring more and more their relationships to virtual ones, we’ll all loose the ability to read the signs when we speak with each other personally.

For the sake of the future, please watch your kids and how much time they spend on this virtual lives. It should never *ever* replace the real one.