Loneliness

In his online article "Being 'fully human' online", Ezra Klein touches on some of the positive attributes of online gaming, and of being online in general.  Jason Rowe, a disabled 35-year-old man Klein interviewed, described the internet as his "window to the world."  This phrase provides a distinct insight on what it is like to rely on the computer for all of your social needs.  While most have the option of going out to a bar or any other public place and socializing in person, there is a percentage of people without that privilege.  With today's technology though, they do not have to remain in complete isolation.  They can travel miles away, to other countries, other worlds, other dimensions, without having to leave their front door.  Personally, I believe online gaming is extremely beneficial for those who have no other option.  It helps to combat the loneliness they may feel.  When people overuse the internet, well, that is another topic entirely.
Roger Ebert puts his advanced writing skills to use in his two articles "All the lonely people" and "A meeting of solitudes" to talk about the topic of loneliness.  He speaks of the different ways many solitary people share their thoughts through blogs, of the reasons why we, as humans, find soul mates and get married, of what lonely people in past civilizations did to pass the time.  Losing his ability to speak introduced a new means of communication to him: the internet.  Through this, he began recording his thoughts in organized articles and sharing them with his many fans.  He read their feedback and developed a deeper connection with them.  He gained just as much from them as they from him, and they opened his eyes to new perspectives.  After reading this article, I can better sympathize for those who live in solitude.
Personally, I do not often feel very lonely.  There are people in the world who have nothing and no one, and I am extremely blessed to be in the current position I am in.  I can honestly say I love my life.  You need not date to get rid of any feelings of loneliness, which I have learned by keeping my self out of relationships.  Actually, being lonely should never be the reason you choose to find a companion.  I have friends who I know care about me, and a loving family, and I keep myself involved.  I do not have time to feel anything but happy.
The internet, Facebook mainly, are very convenient means of socialization.  I have Facebook on my cell phone, so I do not often use it on the computer.  That means I do not waste my time mindlessly scrolling through my Newsfeed, watching people I am barely acquainted with keep the world posted on their mundane existences.  I also do not text and IM about nothing.  Nothing bothers me more than seeing a conversation go in this manner:
Hey.
Hey.
What's up?
Nothing much. How about you?
Nothing much. 
Cool.
Yeah.
You would not do this in person?  Could you even imagine?  What makes cyber communication any different.  If you are going to start a conversation, start it with a point, but I'm afraid I have strayed from my point.
Is the internet isolating us or bringing us closer together?  What a difficult question to answer.  In a way, it brings people separated by distance closer together.  However, many young people misuse this new science.  Two girls in the same room with sit next to each other and text.  Why!  Have we become that incapable of functioning without our Iphones and Androids?  What is the purpose of texting someone 25 miles away while you are at a party?  While the internet has helped connect lonely people who have no other option stay connected to the outside world, many of us take its presence to an extreme.  I do not understand why some people complain about being lonely, yet they do nothing but go home and blog about it, in the quiet seclusion of their living rooms.  Get out there!  Meet new people!  Loneliness is a time-old epidemic that is today both solved and caused by the internet.  But hey, that is just my opinion.