Before the commercialization of printed books, people were confined to a biased stance on
general issues. Being part of a society which takes pride in their conservative attitude towards
matters which challenge dogmatic values, people were inclined to stereotype other
communities and distance themselves from them without making the effort to understand their
culture. Every revolution in media has inclined people to discuss cultures other than their own
and has provided them incentives for interacting with them.
The argument which makes ‘old guards’ sound naïve is ‘Technology makes people anti-social’.
Parents who are upset over their children spending too much time on computer and TV often
hold technology accountable for their children’s introvert lifestyle. What they fail to understand
is that media, social networking sites in particular cater to tendencies which leaves one
susceptible to anti-social behavior. Autism is a mental disorder and it is often left undiagnosed.
Social media provides autistic individuals a comfort zone where they can feel normal by
interacting with people while experiencing zero social anxiety. It is understandable of parents
to feel frustrated over their child not behaving like other normal children, but they need to
understand that taking away computer and internet connection is not the ultimate solution to
anti-social behavior. Yes, cyber communication can never be the same as real life tangible
interaction and it is understandable why cyber-only communication is stigmatized in society.