Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Has Our Online Social Experience Improved Our Offline Lives?

There is little doubt that the social benefits of the internet far outweigh the negatives. Online tools like email and social networking sites offer "low friction" opportunities to create, enhance, and rediscover social ties that make a difference in people's lives. The internet lowers traditional communications constraints of cost, geography, and time; and it supports the type of open information sharing that brings people together. Electronic Social Networking is not a new concept at all. People have in one way or another been interacting with each other via some form of ‘social media’ since the 1950's. The modernization of the telephone system in the 50's and 60's allowed millions of people to communicate quickly and cost effectively, what we see today has simply grown out of this technology. If we cast our memories back just a few short years - we may shudder when we recall -  faxes as a speedy way to communicate, internet with a ring-tone, email that strolled along slightly faster than faxes, but still less efficient than telephone. Our digital worlds are now almost entirely linked, Facebook, Twitter, Email, Telephone all available on every digital device in our lives. Have Social Networking Sites improved our lives though? READ MORE
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