R txting and Computers A Threat to Society?

Many people pride over our technological advancements that have made communicating easier and faster. However, just as fast food has brought us to be a society of gluttons, social networks have made Americans become socially obese. Meaning, our society is so reliant on social networking, it has made us too lazy to physically socialize. This has caused detrimental effects on students and adults in today's changing generation.
Facebook and Twitter have made socializing so easy that it is almost an invasion of privacy to users. People in our society easily friend people without knowing them personally, yet they communicate with one another as if they were friends. However, if one was to put those two "friends" together in the same room,they would be shaking like scared little dogs. These people do not really know one another personally. Instead, they use the computer to do the talking for them. Then there are the stalkers who spend grotesque amounts of time staring at people's pictures. God only knows what they are doing while looking at them... but that is to prove a point: Why does America so freely post their pictures for everyone to see including strangers? The world may never know.
Social networking is a virus that has after effects worse than the swine flu. It is plaguing people's writing skills. Now students choose to write "lol" and "u" in their papers as though it is the proper way to write in English. Sentence structures become vile when it reads, " IDK why the author chose a simile. lol" These do show up in papers because people have been taught it is acceptable to speak and write in shortened ways. It is once again a slap on the cheek because many Americans are showing the signs of laziness.
Social networking hurts people's social skills because it inhibits the use of voice and interaction between people. Instead there is a comfort barrier of a computer between conversations. People who write on the computer find short cuts to save time and communicate ideas with greater ease. Where do we draw the line? It is time to stop hiding in the shadow of a computer and come into the light of a true vocal conversation where real friends are made.