It seems that, for Alexis, her relationship with Craig really worked out. I have to admit, however, that the entire time I was reading the interview, I expected Craig to either turn out to be some sort of sociopathic criminal or a woman. I guess once they started talking on the phone, my theory that Craig was a woman sort of fizzled. We are trained by the media and our parents to be very skeptical of online “chatters”. While I am sure that what happened with Alexis happens quite often, we really only here about when these situations go horribly wrong. There is no headline in a newspaper entitled, “Girl Falls in Love with Lumberyard Worker She Met Online”; and there certainly is a headline in a newspaper entitled, “Girl Gets Axed by Lumberyard Worker She Met Online”.
Alexis’ story was refreshing in that it did work out. At one point, discussing when she met Craig in person, Alexis writes, “…the concept of who he was did not change at all... it just solidified because i had the actual person there with me”. It is important for us to realize that not everyone chatting on the internet is an axe murderer. On the other hand, this is not to say we shouldn’t be vigilant or skeptical of those we meet online, I just feel like the media really does sensationalize a microscopic aspect of the internet.
Alex, it's really useful to point out as you did that the media is attracted for many reasons to stories about violent outcomes from Internet interaction. It's sort of like the way in which local news on TV will always have as its lead story murder or other mayhem, as if that were the only important and representative thing about the city!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you're saying Dr. Bob, the media is always so quick to report on all of the negative side effects of interaction on the internet such as violent kilings, rape, and stalker incidents. I think that this causes so many people to be skeptical when talking with others online because the media fails to inform us when positive interactions occur such as the love stories we just read for class.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the above posts. Media always is the first to report the stories that have gone wrong and like Kait said it makes people doubtful that any good can come of talking to a person that you cannot see. However I feel the internet has done so much for the dating community. It connects people from many different places and backgrounds and allows them to establish relationships that are not always based upon looks or behavior. I think it has done so much good for society and it’s a shame that the successful stories are not shared to ease these negative connotations.
ReplyDeleteWell, don't be too hard on the media. Media outlets live and die by their ratings or circulation and it is perhaps sad but true that people are drawn to conflict and violence. So who's to blame?
ReplyDeleteDr. Bob
I agree with Dr. Bob. The media simply reports on what will get viewers which unfortunately usually involves conflict and violence. I think some of this may be because for the most part we all live fairly ordinary lives and want to hear about the extraordinary occurences. Yes, there is the occassional uplifting story on the news or in a magazine or wherever but for the most part these unusual events revolve around the negative aspects of our society and as sad as it is that is what we want to hear about. I seriously doubt anyone would watch the news or read a magazine or newspaper if they were reporting on someone's day at work or school. That's just not what sells.
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