My friend (in both the online and physical worlds), Kate Carruthers asks an interesting question in her post Are social networks breeding social isolation? Kate concludes that for her and her circle of friends who she associates with online and physically, this isn’t the case, but has other friends who are concerned. They need not be.
The notion of isolation as a consequence of social network use has been given the lie in the latest Pew Internet and American Life Project publication – Social Isolation and New Technology. While it’s US research, I imagine the findings very much extend to Australia and other Western countries.
The report is a really interesting read, providing some interesting insight into the level of reliance and importance we are all placing on our online lives in an increasingly busy world. We’re more connected, more engaged in participation in our networks and communities, more diverse in our discussion of views and extent to which we discus them.
Most importantly, the research gives the lie to the notion that being involved in social networks makes us more isolated and less inclined to engage in the physical world. Quite the reverse is true!
For me, there’s much that resonates in the report. Relationships that we initially broker online are very much extending into the physical world. For someone like me, online and physical world relationships are the same thing. I discern no difference. In fact, I feel that for people like me – who can struggle meeting and engaging with new people – the online world offers us a chance to overcome the introduction and small talk hurdles we might otherwise fall at.
More isolated by spending time online? Far from it!
