News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again... by jsm386 on Friday December 18, 2009 @12:21PM (#1003483)
You should give http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_Alone a read. Might offer some new perspective:

He has described the reduction in all the forms of in-person social intercourse upon which Americans used to found, educate, and enrich the fabric of their social lives. He believes this undermines the active civil engagement a strong democracy required from its citizens.

Re:Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again... by dschobel on Friday December 18, 2009 @12:55PM (#1003552)
There was a story on NPR a few years ago about this exact phenomenon in retirement communities in Florida. Places where there was no one under the age of 55 and no kids around.

The societies quickly degenerate because no one has any incentive to invest in infrastructure beyond what they can use in the next 10-15 years. They care about the functioning of the society to the extent that it affects them directly.

Re:Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again... by bbg on Friday December 18, 2009 @02:02PM (#1003703)
That's the same idea as in this David Brooks' editorial, in case anyone's interested:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/opinion/28brooks.html