Is the internet better than the real world, for meeting people whose values and interests are similar to our own?

Is our use of the internet for social interaction a sad indictment on society’s reliance on technology, or a wonderful opportunity to break down the barriers of geography and distance? If you walk around town carrying a billboard listing your topics of interest, will anyone stop to talk to you? Should we be concerned that we live more and more in a virtual world, or should we celebrate the freedom and opportunity for interaction that it provides for us?