One area that has been hit very hard is the gay community. Before the internet, I remember having to actually go out to gay bars and clubs, or get involved with gay groups or activities to actually meet people. The bar scene was much more fun because of it, and people actually knew how to chat, I mean really chat. And because people couldn’t just sit at home if they wanted to meet someone, well…there was the phone chat lines and personal ads in the paper or magazines, even people that really didn’t like to drink would go out. The bars and clubs were busier, and there was a more diverse crowd there. Today many of these clubs that I remember being the hot place to go, are barely hanging on, and many of the low key or lesser popular venues are closed. Many people these days will sit on-line and “meet” people. Having done the on-line thing, I can attest to it not being nearly as satisfying. People post fake or photo-shopped pics, lie about who they really are, and are mainly interested in just getting someone to come over for a quickie. There is a lost art in actually going out and meeting people, and if you wanted a on-nighter, the art of seduction. And even if you were talking to someone that was telling you total lies about themselves, you could still see the real person, read their body language, dissect what they were telling you, and afterwards, ask your friends if they know him, or anything about him. People couldn’t be as fake.

In other areas of life, I will say I miss actually calling an airline and speaking to a real life reservation agent and not being charged a fee for doing it, I miss having the JCPenny and Sears catalog delivered 4 times a year, I miss having to actually go out in the real world and do business with real people, and forging personal relationships with the sales people and business owners. The internet (and txt messaging too), for all it has to offer, is slowly killing the necessity for humans to be really human.

People fighting on Facebook but can’t converse or settle their differences in person.

Wow.

If you were really into something like sports, or movies you could wow your friends with your knowledge when the subject comes up during conversation….. now when you are by the internet, any hack can do a quick google search and find the same info.

If you enjoyed music, and spent time and money collecting a large music library, and then impress your friends by making them mixed tapes…. now anyone can download whatever MP3s they want off the net cheap (or for free).

If you enjoyed photography, and spent the time and effort to learn to take a great photo, you could wow your friends with your photo albums…. now with digital cameras, any hack can take 1,000 photos and one of them will liekly end up being impressive

The list goes on and on…