Wasn't there also an article awhile back about Second Life, in which some people became so wrapped up with their alter-identities that their real-life marriages hit the skids? In that case, perhaps it's possible technology was simply the catalyst that exposed the true nature of a relationship that was doomed to begin with.
I'm also thinking it's paradoxical that the more "plugged in" I get, the more of a hermit I physically become. I hardly even answer the phone anymore, and often I'll call someone hoping to get their answering machine. How's that for "branching out into the world"? There's an interesting book called *Snow Crash*<http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Crash-Bantam-Spectra-Book/dp/0553380958/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201844506&sr=8-1>by Neal Stephenson, which describes a world where the inhabitants spend half their time in the physical world, and the other half "goggled in" to a virtual one. It was a mix of social networks, Second Life, and take-out pizza. In that story, however, the "goggle world" didn't fizzle out but instead became something far more scary. (Hey, did ya notice that? At first glance, it looks like I wrote "google world". Hmmm. I wonder what that means.) -G http://glpetron.typepad.com/plastic_fantastic/ ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
