Comments on: Are Social Web Sites Spoiling In-Person Conversation?

By: Social Media Evangelist

Social Media Evangelist — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:36:54 +0000

Profound. I have been thinking about this the past few weeks- not just Social Networks, even emails, chats and the ubiquitous mobile phone. I don’t know of other people but I have started hearing my phone ring all of the time! Sometimes it becomes so bad I have to check my phone twice within a minute!!

I guess soon we will have a whole new earning potential for the psychiatrist community! The person who talks too little but everybody knows everything about him and at times he is see as repeating things…

Manish Pahuja

By: virtual online worlds for kids

virtual online worlds for kids — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:44:15 +0000

In a way perhaps? Social websites are for you to pool in your network with friends or aquaintances who you’re not close with and to establish a closer relationship. Its a good way to maintain social network but for really keeping in touch with friends takes effort. I guess if you meant that people take social sites for granted and stop hanging out together that might make sense but then again you can always use these social websites to ask friends who you haven’t contacted for a long time out no?

By: FutureGov » Useful links » links for 2009-05-07

FutureGov » Useful links » links for 2009-05-07 — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:01:05 +0000

[...] Are Social Web Sites Spoiling In-Person Conversation? "Who says social web sites improve friendships? For while they can undoubtedly help us meet new people and stay in touch, their effect on the way we converse with one another face-to-face can be decidedly negative." (tags: social media conversation psychology relationships) [...]

By: Eric Weaver

Eric Weaver — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:18:05 +0000

Are we really still having these “bad behavior must mean bad tools” conversations? Seriously?

If your use of Facebook means you have nothing to talk about, I’d say that’s not caused by social networks.

By: Staff

Staff — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:09:46 +0000

Valid arguments–to much “thoughtless & unattractive” information can turn your stomach.

Perhaps we need to place more emphasis on social media etiquette!

The downside of hyperconnected communities…

@businessethos

By: Chris Gray

Chris Gray — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:24:58 +0000

I think this post makes a great point: What’s the point of communicating in person anymore, when we’ve gotten everything out online?

I also find it incredibly rude when people decide to tweet on their phones when they’re right in front of you. It’s like, “Tweet on your own time, please.”

Nevertheless, social networks are still something to be enjoyed. People just need a little social media netiquette.

Chris Gray
Twitter ID: @goglobalwebs

By: Excuse me while I stick a Hold button on your forehead — Shooting at Bubbles

Excuse me while I stick a Hold button on your forehead — Shooting at Bubbles — Sun, 03 May 2009 00:01:15 +0000

[...] Blake Snow in a guest post at GigaOM asked if “… are social web sites ruining in-person conversations?”. [...]

By: mantruc

mantruc — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:33:59 +0000

Online Social Networks allow us to fill the space in between face-to-face meetings. IMO if you run into someone and have nothing to talk about because you’ve already run out of topic, well that was not a good friendship to start with!

By: Gadget Sleuth

Gadget Sleuth — Sat, 02 May 2009 18:24:21 +0000

Shadow: I agree, it isn’t the medium, it’s the person using it and their abilities to connect.

By: lljc00

lljc00 — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:54:38 +0000

There’s a parallel to this with email and working -
co-worker, passing in hallway – “Did you get my email on the TPS report”
me – “I havent read it”
co-worker – “Can you read it and get back to me?”
me – “Why dont you just ask me what it is you want to know? You have me right here in front of you!?!”

By: The Shadow

The Shadow — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:27:06 +0000

Bizarre post pointing to either abuse of social networking, reclusive detachment or addictive behavior.

I keep up and reconnect with friends via social networking.

The subjects that surface via FB, etc, if anything, serve as a jumping off point for real human conversation that goes so much deeper.

The problem is not the medium, it’s the person.

By: Zacqary Adam Green

Zacqary Adam Green — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:17:45 +0000

I don’t know why people keep writing articles about “is the Internet making us bad people?” If in-person conversation is awkward, it’s because you and that person have an awkward relationship, not because you tweet everything. If someone is being rude by texting and Facebooking in your presence, tell them to cut it out. If a person seriously starts blaming the Internet for their social problems, then they probably have some deep-rooted social issues already.

By: Justin Smith

Justin Smith — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:29:50 +0000

Perhaps we can re-frame the question: Are social websites *changing* in-person communication? How?

Using the word ‘Spoiling’ is making a relativistic judgment about how we communicate.
The telegraph was really a rudimentary version of twitter. Sending someone 140-characters was a god-send!
The telephone then stripped away 55% of our communicative ability by eliminating body language.

I would argue that if social web sites are indeed spoiling in-person communication, it could say much more about the quality of those personal relationships than the merits of the mode of communication.

By: mtz

mtz — Sat, 02 May 2009 13:09:33 +0000

Great comment, you absolutely nailed it. I too am often surprised that the people I’ve known so well turn out to be quite different when given a medium such as FB or Twitter to broadcast themselves.

Another problem with FB is the photo-tagging aspect. My friends and family now need to think twice about their photos since they know they will be on FB and everyone can see them. There just isn’t the spontaneity anymore while taking pictures.

By: Arjun

Arjun — Sat, 02 May 2009 12:38:33 +0000

I’ve observed the following trends:

1) The fact that you keep posting your life nuggets online brings out more topics of discussion which may not have come up otherwise when you meet the person face-face

2) The fact that posters post their nuggets online, makes them more open to conversation about ‘somewhat sensitive’ things which they would have never talked about before the facebook/twitter era

3) The fact that posters know many readers will read their life online makes readers bolder in asking questions when they meet the poster in real life.

It is almost as if these sites have suddenly made our society more open and talk about things that in pre SNS era were not discussed much. Suddenly, such things have become ‘acceptable’ because ‘oh, that’s just facebook’

By: pat

pat — Sat, 02 May 2009 12:14:26 +0000

I suggest a reading of “When A Toy Comes Alive: A study of computers in a material culture” (Fielding University, 1998 dissertation – sociology and information technology)

Those who design the social networking tools and the computers they run on are “not us”. Rather, they are socially impaired technicians and prefer an “emotionally controlled” environment. Like it or not, computer interfaces are silent, emotionless and unskilled at thoughtful human interaction. The social networking products of today are really designed to keep us safe from real world interactions.