Clifford Stoll's Essay 'Isolated By The Internet'

In the essay “Isolated by the Internet,” Clifford Stoll believes that the Internet has affected people and their relationships in many different ways. First, he expresses his viewpoint about how Internet can cause depression and loneliness. People who spend too much time online usually have a long term of depression because they only have less real conversations with other people. Moreover, Stoll thinks that only face to face interaction can create strong social ties and can help people get out of depression and stress. Internet connection usually creates weak social ties that can only transfer information and exchange idea. People who contribute too much time on the Internet may cause a weak connection with families and friends. Second, the Internet has also caused negative effects on its users by letting people escape from the real world. He uses the experience of Steve to explain his idea; he states that, “When Steve’s not online, he’s held back by low self-esteem. Shy and …show more content…
In some cases, people can meet many new friends through the Internet but most of these online relationships are weak. Moreover, people have less time to spend with their families and friends. For example, when I go out to have dinner with my friends, we spend more time looking at our phones, chatting with others on Facebook, and blogging websites than talking with each other. My friends and I used to spend the whole day to hang out and chat with each other. However, as the Internet becomes widely adopted, our communications starts to decrease. Most of my friends say that the more time people spend on the internet, the more they feel depress and stress. People contribute most of their time on the Internet, which gives less time to their families and friends. My own personal experience shows that the internet separates individuals apart and causes the feeling of loneliness and