Enabling

Although I do not think that digital communication is any substitute for face to face contact, it has helped many to create connections they never could otherwise. Because of my experience with games, digital communication was easy for me to embrace. You have time to collect your thoughts and there is no pressure, so it's typically easier to use for many people.

One of my best friends from a few years ago is VERY into online communication. she is part of multiple forums, and is a moderator for one or two as well because of her experience and expertise. She played a great deal of Final Fantasy for years, and digital communication is easier for her than the conventional conversation. Most of her friends now are from those forums or facebook, so the online community has been an important part of her life. She would never have made these connections without our digital culture.

Another friend of mine has had depression issues in the past and had extreme difficulty making friends when she was younger. She got through it because of video games and online friends. What does this tell me? Although a great deal of research has promoted face-to-face and degraded e-communication, such as this article, these experiences show that e-communication allow for connections and friendships that pure face-to-face contact cannot. this is also a big argument for my non-fiction book, Personal Connections in the Digital Age by Nancy Baym.