Thursday, October 27, 2011

Avatar

The internet is truly a wondeful place for Aspies to be able to converse with other people. It allows for social interation and eliminates all of the difficulties with having to deal with people. It's almost as if they invented the internet for Aspies.

Think about it: you can spend all the time you want crafting what you want to say. You don't have to make eye contact. There is no way to create social inflection such as sarcasm. The internet creates a level playing field where Aspies and neurotypicals can communicate without barriers.

It's not surprising to me to find out that Aspies often find deep, meaningful relationships with people they "met" online. I find message boards to be extremely liberating. I've joined message boards on multiple subjects and I absolutely love the opportunity to be in a social exchange. And, in the most extreme example, I met my wife online. I doubt I could have convinced her to spend time with me if I had to talk to her in person.

These types of thoughts make me wonder: could an Aspergers social movement be responsible for the increase in traffic at social networking sites like Facebook, as well as online dating sites? Are Aspies in the middle of a cultural revolution? We shall rise as one!!!

Or maybe we'll just continue having fun posting dumb shit on Twitter.

2 comments:

  1. Much of what you say is true, but beware: due to the way Aspies (including myself) express ourselves, we can be misconstrued as blunt, rude or lacking empathy. I get this all the time onlIne, in fact I get into more trouble as a result of 'virtual' interactions than I do real one. Truth is, the wider you open your mouth, the more room you make for your feet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good point! The anonymity can be a double edged sword: it allows the freedom to communicate freely, but sometimes it may be a little TOO freely!

    ReplyDelete