Logging Off: The Internet Generation Prefers the Real World

Does this surprise anybody here? I don't understand the mainstream ignorance about the content provided online. There is a massive divide between internet lurkers and the minority that create content. Most people never reach that level.

And surprise, surprise. Most people that use the internet use it merely to entertain themselves and supersede other one-to-one devices such as the phone at communicating with people.

The fact that the internet functions as an extension of offline social space (see here: danah boyd's work on the subject) doesn't mean that the internet isn't hugely important in shaping a lot of how young people are growing up. There can be overlap in things mediated online and offline, but the fact that the web offers new avenues for interaction is still important.