intimacy in cyberspace

• What's up doc ?! by Dale R. Smith, 2/18/99
  
  

Thanks for your post, Dale, and your honesty. Generally speaking, I think forums ("newsgroups") like this one tend to be a bit less intimate than, say, mailing lists. Forums feel like more public spaces, less cozy than mailing lists which have a specific (tho changing) membership. Small, closed email lists can be quite cozy and intimate, while forums usually are open to anyone who wants to drop by. Private email between two people can also be a very intimate encounter.

There are lots of good things about cyberspace... all sorts of opportunities for meeting people, expressing yourself, and developing bonds with others. But - as I've said before and I'm always happy to say it again - cyberspace is not a substitute for in-person living. Cyberspace interactions always involve some reduction of sensory experience... and I kinda like all 5 or 6 of my senses acting in harmony, which - at least for now - only the "real" world offers.

• intimacy in cyberspace - online support groups by Meaghan Flannery, 3/19/99