Online Worlds

Online social spaces seem to be replacing physical meeting spaces for teenagers and 20-somethings. Most people don't go to coffee shops or bars to meet people anymore, they go online. Some MySpace groups are an online extension of an originally physical group that existed in reality-for many online groups, it goes the other way (group first, maybe meeting in the real world later).

I've done a couple term papers now on online dating and social networking-I'll eventually have them on my portfolio page (www.joshlamar.com/portfolio.htm), but until then, if you're interested, I can send them out to you :-)

I've been fascinated in looking at the role of technology in our lives and in our futures... we can't seem to get away from the internet and online communication is all but replacing "snail mail" (though not for some of you, I realize). This does produce a bit of backlash - I am very anti-media only because of the political economy of some big-wig at the top of Time-Warner telling the country what to think by his selection of what shows/commercials get put on TV... That really scares me. There's also the resurgence of letter-writing and coming back to nature.

I live in Downtown Seattle (Belltown, if you're familiar with the area-just south of the Space Needle). I couldn't get more urban in the northwest. I live amidst concrete and honking cars. I think that we have to be careful about how much we let technology and the media take over our lives and shape our thinking.