THE INTERNET IS KILLING MY CHILDREN

Not really, but according to Matthew Moore's article in Telegraph there are fifty things (and counting) that are being killed by the internet. While reading this article, a few things came to mind that weren't mentioned in the article.

The internet is killing print periodicals. Moore mentioned something of the sort when he pointed out "hard-core pornography on the web has put an end to one of the most dreaded rites of passage for teenage boys..." He has a good point here. Not to mention, the convenience, and plethora of information available on the internet has decreased our need for news periodicals and has ultimately caused a decline in the popularity of print media.

YouTube and other video media (and probably illegal) websites conveniently allow internet junkies to watch movies and television shows. This has ultimately cause a downfall in television viewership (I don't even have a TV). Moore presses on a branch of this issue when he makes the argument that nobody watches television together anymore; "on-demand television allows relatives and colleagues to watch the same programs at different times... undermining ... the shared experience."

Moore doesn't press on this much in his article, but I realize that the internet has taken away the need to meet face-to-face. Social networking sites and tools such as Facebook and AIM allow users to communicate with one another without the physical presences of each party. Even in work places, Email, Webinars and even the occasional use of Twitter and Second Life have increased the amount of communication while decreasing the amount of human interaction. What psychologists need to look into is the toll this could be taking on our emotional psyche. Just a thought.

Lastly, the internet, as well as advancements in hard-drive space and graphics rendering shot down the first and ultimate RPG games ... Snake and Oregon Trail. Where did these classics go? and Why aren't we still playing them?

Okay, that last paragraph was a bit of a vent-ful rant. But really, the internet isn't quite killing our children. It is however changing the way things work with communication, socializing, information sharing, etc.