'We Are United in Our Digital Isolation'

I came across an interesting article entitled 'We Are United in Our Digital Isolation'.

www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/95100-united-in-isolation

What's the relevance? It includes the following:

"And it is important to appreciate how positive the online social world can be. No longer does the aspiring teenage punk rocker, confined to a dreary and un-hip rural or suburban existence, have to feel isolated and alone. Sure, his classmates may think the Gaslight Anthem is a Frank Sinatra song, but he can easily find the band’s music, clothing and, more importantly, the peers he craves with the help of the Internet."

They must be talking about us then.

I'm not a punk rocker... one of the great things about this band is how diverse their fanbase is, and being able to interact with people who may not be similar to myself but share a passion for the band on the forum is great.

in a way, music fandom combines both face to face interaction and online networking, because people ultimately talk to other fans at gigs (provided you live in potential gig land), even if they may not meet the fans they actually talk to online

similarly, comic book fans have comic conventions, and so on