Social Media and Connection

social-media

I’m curious if you think that social media – as well as all our mobile, digital communication in general – is making us more or less connected to other people.

When you see three people sitting at the same table in a restaurant, each with his or her head down and thumbs furiously tapping, it’s easy to say that we’re becoming less connected.

Maybe we’re just differently connected.

When you can put names and faces togehter, and learn what’s important to a group of people – whether they’re family, customers, or voters – I’d say we’re getting more connected.

Or is it neither? Personally, when I need a break from working, or I’m bored, I fire up Facebook and interact. Or send off a message to a friend hoping for distraction. In the past, I would have spent much of this time watching TV. We can probably agree that passively watching the tube isn’t contributing to any kind of connection at all. (Except back in the Golden Age of Television – before Tivo, when we used to discuss Seinfeld at work on Friday mornings.)

So maybe it’s a wash?

Do you feel more or less connected to people since you’ve started using social media?

Image Credit: earcos, Flickr

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