Encouraging more conversation--real conversation, thoughtful and hopefully insightful, rather than the blatherers that just blather--is something I will always champion. Talking to one another is the only way we can continue to grow and evolve and increase compassion, which we desperately need on this planet.
We have evolved from the fears about online communities detracting from the ways in which people truly connect. Sure, emails might be less poignant than, say, a long and chatty letter to a friend. Twitter might have taken over quick communication and be contributing to the dumbing-down of language.
But I argue that the Internet has provided an outlet for so many who may not communicate as deeply otherwise. Those who are shy, paranoid, quiet, awkward in person but eloquent on the page, might all benefit from being able to "talk" in the virtual world. We all want a voice, to be heard, to be listened to, to be acknowledged as existing and as being of value. Sometimes, expressing one's soul can happen through a medium as everyday and as mundane and as astonishing as the Internet.
Quote from Mary Oliver (love her work):
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
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