The Internet is Just One Medium — NOT?

Today, I was taken aback by something a friend said.

I was doing what I generally do best — ranting. My latest rant craze is about people who do not voice their own opinions (see e.g. the previous post)… — and I was going on about how people who express their own ideas should not be viewed as egomaniacs but rather as people who are honest, straightforward and respectable for being true to themselves, their own feelings, etc. Well, then I get this comeback (because the person is very much aware of my interest in the Internet and the World-Wide Web):

Maybe they do express themselves — just not online!

The basic idea is that the Internet is just one medium, and that some people just prefer to express themselves via other media.

Ah, yes — hmmm… OK. But why do I feel like this is saying English is just one language, that the Earth is just one planet or that water is just one liquid? All of these are true statements, of course… — and they are all also (in my opinion) ridiculous things to say.

If you compare the effectiveness of publishing something online with these so-called other media, then… — well, yes: why don’t we simply publish using clay tablets?