Internet Anchorites
On the full scale that encompasses “hikkikomori”, “hermit”, “introvert”, “normal” and social butterfly, let me introduce one more complication:
Internet Anchorite.
Can one seal oneself off from the world, and only interact through a small window?
That window these days is a browser. The whole world, in a sense.
Does that make the desperate need to withdraw any less?
Why would someone seal themselves off from normal human contact and only treat with the world at arms-length (or the much greater length of an internet connection)?
Do the walls, actual or figurative, make the anchorite feel more secure? Does the separation make the contacts that are permitted or ‘allowed’ somehow more precious, even as they are necessarily limited by what the anchorite allows?
Reaching out to people around the world with just the tap of a keyboard and a click of a mouse is really wonderful. Though we must always be responsible with our actions while surfing over the internet because just like any other things, this has also negative effects if used improperly.
Comment by Sarah Park — 3 February 2013, 10:43 #