A typical chat conversation between two friends living halfway across the world from each other goes like this:
Friend in NY (A): Hey, what’s up?
Friend in India (B): Hi, NYguy, I’m in Mumbai, just moved. Busy setting up home!
A: Oh yeah, read your status update on FB. Andheri,eh?
B: Yeah, and you just got a new car? Cool.
A: Yup J. And mutual friend C is in NY too
B : Read that on his last tweet
A: I guess you know I’m going on vacation next week
B: Hmm, Turkey… caught that update too
A: Cool, gtg now… bfn
B: Cheers, tc
Some people might read this transcript and marvel at how social networking has made it so easy to be in sync with our friends' lives.
Zoom in, take a second, closer look and compare it with your idea of a how a normal human conversation is apt to flow... and you may actually conclude that what's happened here is a preemption of a potentially warmer, more natural conversation between friends.
I have heard people rave about how social networking has changed the way we connect with our friends, making us more "connected" that we ever imagined we could be… I take that with a pinch, no, a huge ladleful of salt. You tell me you feel thrilled that you know so much about your friends' lives. You find it simply awesome that you can find a friend through Facebook who lives in the city you are going to for the first time. You may even say that reading updates is entertaining. But start claiming that you feel closer to your friends because of the overload of minutiae, and that's when I'll back off!
I'm not against social networking as a concept... it's a fantastic tool that you can summon at will to instantly connect with people whom you've been away from. What worries me is the way it's misconstrued as a tool that actually bridges all barriers and forges or enhances relationships. Often, people fall into the trap of thinking that they are strengthening their bonds with friends by means of a never-ending stream of updates. By letting yourself be lulled into a false sense of proximity, you might end up causing relationships to suffer! All of us need to use our better sense, and be careful not to let the Wall of posts wall us off from meaningful interactions!
May 21st, 2010
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