Human Complexity and Orkut

The Orkut community is a great example of what you are talking about regarding human complexity, Melissa. I was going to write something about my observations in my own blog today but wasn't really in the mood to get analytical about it until now (it is 3:00 am if that explains anything).

Orkut was started in California a few months ago and has grown to nearly 1.2 million members. 50% of those members are from Brazil while the remaining 50% is made up of much smaller percentages with the United States being the largest at 18%.

Orkut demographics as of today:



There's a big power play and argument going on in some of the Orkut communities. Complaints range from "rude weirdos posting in a foreign language I don't understand, make them speak English!" to "we're the majority and we'll speak in our native tongue if and when we want to."
In all the multi-lingual Orkut communities I participate in, I seem to be the only one making an effort to both understand and respond to anything written in Portuguese. I've been campaigning for both sides to knock it off and just enjoy the interactions with each other. I've rolemodeled my own efforts to do so by posting in both English and Portuguese and posting links to on-line translators that both the English and Portuguese speaking folks could use to talk with each other.

Some of the Brazilians say they choose to post in Portuguese because they are embarrassed by their poor English skills. I've suggested that the Brazilians write their posts in Portuguese and in English and verify their English by using one of the on-line translators to reassure themselves. I've also made the same suggestion of using on-line translators to the English-speaking posters. You don't need to speak the language to be able to use an on-line translator. It's not perfect, but it's better then what's going on now.

So far, neither side is making the attempt. They'd rather not speak at all to each other then make the tiny extra effort of copy and pasting something into/from a translator to ease the communication problem. They're all more interested in the fight about who was here first and whose rules will be followed and if you don't like it, start your own Orkut.

I don't get it. It deeply saddens me that our societies are becoming so closed off from each other in the midst of the global communication revolution. It is happening on both a national and individual basis, even between those that speak the same language. I'd much rather extend a handshake then a cold shoulder. Is it just me and the flower-child era I grew up in?

What is going on with humanity that makes us seek out only the company of our own like-thinking kind? It can't be brushed off as just human nature. According to historians, Early man went to great extents to seek out peoples outside their own familial communities to exchange ideas and DNA. Why are we now turning our backs on each other both as neighborhoods and nations? Is this the beginning of the end the scientists warned about in the 60's due to overpopulation and dwindling natural resources?