Andrew L. Shapiro

In the following viewpoint, Andrew L. Shapiro claims that the rising popularity of the Internet has been accompanied by the fraying of communal relationships. He maintains that use of the Internet can cause individuals to disengage from public life and give users a narrow view of the world. Shapiro contends that users often forget the importance of face-to-face contact with the people in their community and often report feeling more isolated and depressed as Internet use increases. Shapiro also asserts that relationships formed online tend to be weak and can be severed too easily. Shapiro is a journalist, lawyer, and the author of The Control Revolution: How the Internet Is Putting Individuals in Charge and Changing the World We Know, the source of the following viewpoint.

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