Survey: "German twenty-somethings prefer Internet to partner"

I love Gmail because it gives me such entertaining headlines like the one above as check my inboxx.

When asked whether they would give-up internet access and cell phones for their current partner, industry surveyers in Hanover, Germany found that 84% of young adults said hell to the naw to that proposition.

Is it sad that I would choose the same thing too? As revealing as this survey is about the times we live in, I don't necessarily think that this is a shocking piece of news.

Can you imagine your life without internet? Now can you imagine your life without your current partner? Odds are that you snatched that special someone with the help of Facebook/Friendster/MySpace/Shaadi.com (o it's okay to admit this). Real human connections are an important part of our lives but now the computer plays such an integral role forming that connection.

Like the industry president said, "the Web creates real relationships and does not result in autism and dehumanization."

Relationships forged online do not make them less genuine than ones formed the "old-fashioned" way. Technology changes how we interact with our surroundings. It's not that younger people are willing to live without companionship, but we've been brought up in a time where without the Net, we can just become plain ignorant and disconnected from the goings-on in the world.

But can the internet replace an actual partner? Not in terms of physically, but can a computer provide emotional comfort, companionship and acceptance in the place of an actual human being? I think it can to a certain degree. Of course one is connecting with other entities online so it's not all robotic/impersonal. Hmm something to ponder over, I suppose.

The study also noted that those surveyed would still rather make-out with an actual human than their computer anyday. Okay, I may have added that tidbit.

-Cris