THE COMPUTER CRAZE HAS OUR young in a vise-grip. We must assess its influence if we have to correct the errors.

For instance, using computers for communication has taken over the need for personal and humane relationship, which is what all human relationships are supposed to be. This is obvious in that our young are becoming more aggressively mechanical and error-prone in their humanity. Consider that Yahoo! has introduced Tagged as a means for socializing?and gossiping?without need of the age-old, personal, eye-to-eye contact. Making friends these days is just a matter of exchanging prepared bio-data sheets through the computer without the need for an actual face-to-face meeting.

By the time a personal meeting is arranged between ?friends,? their minds have accumulated information on what to expect from each other, thus eliminating the need for spontaneity in friendship?the lack of which in turn pushes them to put up ?fronts,? otherwise known as ?hypocrisy.? Which is sad because what is supposed to be a process of discovering each other?s real selves through honesty is replaced by pre-formed opinions. The result is that the natural budding of friendship is distorted.

We must realize that this problem?developing sincere and honest friendships in this manner?is further aggravated by the service provider?s imposed system of constantly checking on the exchange: their system of ?maeler daemons? presumes to be the sole judge of what is proper or improper, thus leading to the violation of privacy even to the point of stopping the exchange. This situation is not only a violation of human rights, it is also a Gestapo-like imposition of authority. Are governments reneging on their duty to deliver justice?

?ERNESTO KELLY MAGTOTO,

erneestomagtoto@gmail.com