Ask Amy Slams Blogs

Posted on January 31, 2006

In a response to MySpaced Out, a woman whose boyfriend was spending too much time on MySpace flirting with other woman, Newsday's Ask Amy gives a response that is overly critical of blogs in general -- especially personal blogs.

As your letter points out, the virtues of life on the Web are also its deficits. People can easily meet and develop relationships, but the problem with developing relationships with strangers is that strangers have no reason to respect your privacy - especially if you don't. Your story is yet another reason why life online has become not only messy but also boring. People who live a virtual life don't have actual experiences. Their blogs tend to reflect that.
I can't understand why people are so hungry to share their every waking thought with the rest of the world - and I certainly don't understand why people are interested in reading these musings, personal details and outright lies.

Why not just blame the lame lying boyfriend instead of attacking blogs? Ask Amy might also be interested in a recent study that shows some social benefits from web use. Not everyone with a virtual presence is a boring loser with no "actual experiences."