Today I’ll be attending Social Media Day in Philadelphia. One thing I love about this, other than the somewhat kitchy aspect of it, is that it’s a time when we all step away from the laptops, stop tweeting from behind a desk and instead tweet in the company of other human beings. I’ve heard many from the older generation, my mom being one, that these digital technologies are creating legions of anti-social individuals who are losing their people skills. Part of me can agree, part of me does not. I’ll explain…
I think social technologies have, believe it or not, made us MORE SOCIAL. We have more tools than ever to make connections with people who have similar interests. With GetGlue or Last.FM I can even tell if you or I have similar taste in music or movies or books. What a great talking point for when we meet in person. I think it all depends on how you looks at it. I find social technologies like Facebook and Twitter allow me to get to know someone before I ever meet them. I use the technologies as a jumping off point. Tweetups, Meetups, and Facebook Events are just a few examples of online tools for bringing people together in-person. Because without all that, it’s not very social.
Yes some people now hide behind the computer. They avoid human contact but didn’t those same kind of people exist prior to email and twitter? Didn’t they just stay indoors and watch TV, or read comics or whatever? This is what I think, at least these social technologies have given anti-social people some form of connection. Xbox Live allows gamers to play with others, Twitter allows people to organize around interest and Facebook allows even the biggest social outcasts to find a group of peers.
I don’t close business on Twitter, but I sometimes start it there. I don’t make too many real friends searching online, but it’s a good place to start.