The Atlantic: Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? [On the Web]

An excerpt of an article by Stephen Marche in The Atlantic :

To [John] Cacioppo, Internet communication allows only ersatz intimacy. Forming connections with pets or online friends or even God is a noble attempt by an obligatorily gregarious creature to satisfy a compelling need,” he writes. “But surrogates can never make up completely for the absence of the real thing.” The “real thing” being actual people, in the flesh.

This insight, if true, has interesting implications. It sheds light on the importance God has placed on accomplishing his work through Christ’s followers — in-the-flesh “Body.”

It also raises questions about the possibilities and limitations of trying to do God’s work over the web. How can Christ’s followers in general, and ReKnew.org in particular, do God’s work on the web in such a way that meets people’s needs without enabling this kind of destructive isolation?

Got any ideas? Share.

 > Is Facebook Making us Lonely?