Revisiting isolation and its link to the Internet
Technology & Sociology
'The Internet has grown from an alpha-geek subculture to a near-ubiquitous presence and as it has grown, so have the challenges in assessing its impact on society. Attempting to distill any broad conclusions about its ultimate impact is an exercise akin to asking ``What is the impact of automotive technology on our lives?'' That question might have been useful in 1920, but today the answer would be so diffuse as to be meaningless. It is tougher still to point to the Net as the cause of any particular behavior.'

'We know anecdotally that people who decide to make the migration to digital culture don't go back. Their behavior online may change over time, but they don't just walk away from the Net. Over time, people learn to use the Net to augment existing social structures rather than replace them.'