A recent survey carried out on ask500people.com suggested that social networking sites are causing a decline in face-to-face communication.
It appears that the Internet is creating a lazy world where it is easier for us to switch on a computer or mobile phone to converse with friends as opposed to visiting them in person.
The Telegraph reported in September this year that a book called 'Debrett's definitive guide to etiquette since 1996' warns that sites like Facebook can ruin people's social lives:
Social networking is meant to complement and enhance your existing life, not completely obliterate it.
Dr Will Reader, a lecturer in psychology at Sheffield Hallam University, specialises in relationships and social networks. He and a team of researchers carried out a survey in 2007 using over 200 people to study how social networking sites are changing the nature of friendship networks. They found that:
- Weak ties among people around the planet are rising exponentially
- Social Networking Sites allow people to broaden their list of nodding acquaintances because staying in touch online is easy
- SNS's decrease the cost of maintaining and forming friendships because we can post information to multiple people
- Face-to-face contact is invaluable for the longevity of friendship - "it is very easy to be deceptive on the Internet"
I asked Dr Reader if the rise in online interaction is something to be concerned about:
I don’t see it as negative, I think these technologies are fulfilling a basic human need to make contact with others. Many of the people being contacted are face-to-face friends too, so I don’t think it is leading (yet, anyway) to a decrease in high-intimacy friendships. I don’t think that what slips is face-to-face contact. If it means that people watch less television it could be a good thing! Where social networking sites in particular might have a negative effect is in narrowing down the kinds of people we interact with.
Strengthening existing ties
'Dosh dosh today' wrote that social networking may be less personal but it is by no means less legitimate. Social networks are great for strengthening social ties when it comes to friendships that have already been established offline. We can communicate with our pals here, there and everywhere.
However, online interaction is not the key to a long and lasting friendship. As Dr Reader said, it's important that we invest time and effort into our relationships which, if the results of the survey are anything to go by, we don't appear to be doing at the moment...
No comments:
Post a Comment