Escape

Jaman sekarang kalo ga online di internet rasanya ada yg kurang. Sambungan ke internet pun dipermudah oleh banyak pihak: harga laptop semakin murah, perusahaan telekomunikasi tawarkan koneksi internet broadband dg harga miring, berbagai tempat umum iming-iming wifi gratis, hape dilengkapi fasilitas utk nge-fesbuk, dll. Ngga tau mana cause, mana effect. Orang sering online krn fasilitas yg bejibun ato fasilitas itu jadi semakin banyak krn orang-orang online mulu, ga jelas. Yg jelas browsing internet itu emang asik.

Aku sendiri online hampir tiap hari, kecuali kalo pas kerja. Kalo libur gini ya tiap hari online bok. Habis gimana, banyak sekali file yg kuperlukan tersedia gratis di internet, tinggal download aja. Lagu 70-an dan 80-an, film-filmnya Chris Noth, games Spyro the Dragon, semua ada. Selain itu kontak dg mahasiswa ttg masalah akademis bisa dilakukan kapan pun dan di mana pun, dan ini bisa memperlancar perkuliahan dan bimbingan skripsi.

Banyak sekali kelebihan internet, tapi juga ada kekurangannya, yaitu bikin kecanduan. Heleh, di Daily Mail ada aja berita ttg orang-orang yg begitu asik internetan sampe mengabaikan keluarganya. Ada seorang ibu yg asik main game online sampe 3 anaknya terlantar dan hanya maem makanan kaleng yg tak dipanaskan, juga anjing piaraannya mati membusuk di ruang makan dibiarkan berhari-hari. Ada juga seorang lelaki yg kecanduan game online sampe istrinya dan bayinya dicuekin sama sekali, lhah jadinya istrinya sendirian ngurus bayinya. Padahal capek banget kan udah bawa bayi ke mana-mana selama 9 bulan, eh begitu bayi lahir masih juga harus merawatnya sendirian.

Internet emang tempat paling cocok utk melarikan diri dari masalah dan kenyataan. Kalo ada masalah, lebih mudah lari ke internet dan main game daripada menyelesaikannya di dunia nyata. Tapi itu hanya berlaku buat bbrp orang, seperti orang-orang di atas. Kata-kata Bel Mooney di Daily Mail mungkin penting utk dipahami.

One of the country's most distinguished brain scientists has her own answer. Professor Susan Greenfield believes an obsession with online gaming and social networking sites 'can rewire your brain' - and that this may be a threat to the kind of human beings we will be in future. She talks of shortened attention spans, a hunger for instant gratification and - perhaps most important - a loss of empathy. After all, how can you reach out emotionally to others if you cannot tear yourself away from the computer?

For many, including the highly intelligent, the online world provides a seductive substitute for reality.

This week, a study reported that those surrounded by family and friends are 50 per cent less likely to die early than those with no social life. We need emotional support like plants need water. Yet an academic at the University of California admitted the research did not ask what Professor Greenfield believes is one of the key questions. What is the effect of all this time online - and can social networking ever be as good as face-to-face interaction? Instinct tells me that's unlikely. Facebook can be a lifeline for lonely and housebound people and can provide much pleasure - as well as danger. But the questions remain. If you find it impossible not to switch on your computer and find secret satisfaction within your online world, be careful. The computer could be a barrier between you and real life.