I read a really cool post by PSFK’s Christine Huang earlier on the possible displacement of real-life social experiences with simulated ones.
This topic is so fascinating to me. On the one hand, I embrace all of the new, mostly digital, methods we have to connect. On the other hand, I’ve often feared that these new methods of connection have come to serve as imperfect proxies for real deep relationship, particularly in urban centres. As someone who believes that being known deeply is essential to a healthy lifestyle, this concerns me.
I guess I’m not alone. Christine’s post ends with the rather sobering question, “As we continue acculturating ourselves to new means of virtual connectivity, are we losing our understanding of how to do it the old fashioned way in the process?” Interestingly enough, I posed a similar question in my Facebook status a few months ago, and all respondents said no. Still, it can’t hurt to consider who, if anyone, knows us intimately and how we continue to invest in those relationships beyond a DM on Twitter…
(If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend watching Kevin Slavin’s presentation at the PSFK conference in April. It’s excellent)
August 11, 2009 at 1:49 am
When AOL instant messaging came out more than a decade ago, social “purists” (or is it “prudes”) decried it as the destruction of real social interactions. And before that, when the Internet and email spilled into the public, those same people decried it as taking away from person to person communications.
But in the years since these lamentations, none of their predicted social isolationism has come to pass. In fact, most people maintain more relationships than they could before, using paper-based snail mail or phones. And furthermore, because of the global nature of social networks like Facebook, it is not uncommon for young people growing up with it to have friends from around the world. These are friends that they would not have or could not have before simply due to geographical limitations.
So the question is not about real life social experiences “displaced” by simulated ones. It is more like real life experience enhanced by virtual ones — in multiple ways. The simple, short interactions that can be done virtually will be done virtually, thus freeing up time for more meaningful in person relationships. New friends found through common interests (not just common geography) lead to richer interactions about those interests. When one person can “tweet” his interests and thoughts to dozens, hundreds, or thousands of “followers” his thoughts and ideas have far greater influence and reach than if a person could only talk with a handful of people at a local in-person meeting.
So in all respects, while there is the possibility that online experiences may replace real life social experiences, the evidence points towards significant enhancements of in person experiences, instead of the opposite.