Internet and social media Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Internet and social media - Article Example I know a friend of mine, since childhood who used to remain very quiet in the classroom until few years ago. His name is John. He used to speak very rarely, and did not participate in group discussions. He remained silent and kept observing others. I seldom saw him speak in gatherings. I always found him more defensive than expressive in his speech. He could not bear someone contradicting his points of view or pass an indecent comment as friends normally do. This is perhaps the reason John did not participate in group discussions. But this John is completely different from the one I have in my friends list on facebook. John is too expressive in the virtual world. One day, I asked John the reason behind the disparity between his real world social interaction and that in the virtual world. He told me that he felt more protected while interacting in the virtual world. One reason why he thinks so is that he does not have to come up with prompt answers to the nasty comments made by his fr iends. When someone sends him a message on facebook and criticizes him in anyway, he has more time to select the most rational answer from a variety of choices. I have personally noticed that his responses to others’ comments on facebook are much more objective, well synthesized and well reasoned than what he normally makes in the real world conversation.