The Anti-Social Nature of Social Networking

We live in a world DOMINATED by "social networking." I use the term loosely as I believe that the name is actually the antithesis on the implementation. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Tumblr, LinkedIn, etc. have completely deconstructed our social beings while making us feel good about ourselves and all of our connections. Even texting as a means of communication as dehumanized communication. Let me explain:

I work in a retail environment where I see many people buying smartphones. I once had an old man say that people are buying smarter phones because they are getting dumber. I totally disagree with his wording, but I understand his premise. We are getting all these new techno-gadgets but not understanding what really happens. 

I am not as big a product of the Facebook generation as my peers. I avoided it in high school (and didn't care to know what I was missing). I feel this helped me to gain a view point as an intermediate between what could've been and what is. I often find myself a better interpersonal communicator than some of my peers and those younger than me. In my retail job, I see kids as young as 12 getting smartphones and checking their Facebook and all of that jazz. What I also see is a lot of 12 year olds that have no idea how to communicate beyond a screen and keyboard.

I will admit, I have 846 Facebook "friends", over 300 combined followers/following on Twitter, 150 on Instagram, and a handful on Google+. However, of these 1,000 connections, I barely know the vast majority of them. It's unlike when you had to have physical conversations with people. Now you can skim your News Feed for 15 minutes and feel you have caught up with all of your "friends" and post your status so that they can catch up too. 

So what this has done is built a communication barrier. Because of this, inter-generational communication has suffered. Interpersonal communication has suffered. However, large group communication has shockingly seemed to increase. People can now speak in front of large crowds easier (maybe they have gotten over embarrassment with their 1000 person digital audiences).

Here's what this boils down to. Your Facebook friends and Twitter followers are more of an audience to the story of your life, than "friends" that you communicate with. If you aren't regularly communicating with people, it's something that you should definitely do. Those bonds are the ones that will last and the ones that will create lasting friendships and not temporary shows for the world to see.

So do it. Call up an old friend, go have lunch with someone, grab coffee with an acquaintance. Let's not let social networking be the death of social communication. While you're at it, it may not be bad to check up on some of those "friends" you have on Facebook and truly network within that web of friends you have created.

BGann

P.S. What some will see as irony - my sharing of this on social media - actually proves the point more. Blogs are less conversation and more dictation and enjoyment reading. It's showing off the audience-like nature of your "friends."