2008 Woodie Awards
Social networking sparks antisocial behavior
Cat DiStasio
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
It's a typical Monday morning at the office. Jacob just returned from a week-long business trip, where he met the new company CEO in China. Everyone is eager to hear the thrilling tale of his overseas adventure, and get the scoop on the new boss.
A crowd gathers around the water cooler, and Rachel is the first to catch Jacob's attention. "Jacob, tell us all about your trip!" she exclaims.
"It's already on my blog," Jacob replies. "Just go read about it there."
The crowd disperses, crestfallen.
Jacob, Rachel and their coworkers are fictional characters, but this scenario is all too common in the age of blogging and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Are our new fangled technological approaches to socializing causing us to be, at best, antisocial?
Humans are naturally social creatures. From birth, infants crave physical touch and affection. It's no mystery that interpersonal relationships are an essential and integral part of everyday life.
People develop social skills through practice, in the playgroups of our youth to college classroom debates. Socialization is a large part of what makes life fulfilling.
Enter the rise of social networking Web sites.
Friendster began in March 2002. MySpace was founded in August 2003. Facebook emerged six months later. Dozens of similar sites have sprouted up across the Internet, and social networking sites now have millions of daily users.
Our fictional blogger Jacob is just one of these users. Jacob is likely to record his personal thoughts and the events of his life on his blog. He'll use social networking sites to connect to people with similar interests, and they'll trade music, videos, and one-liner comments in cyberspace. However, all of Jacob's socializing takes place from the comfort of his office chair. In reality, he has very little contact with other people.
Sociologists are perplexed by the impacts of social networking Web sites. A Stanford University study shows a correlation between the number of hours one uses a social networking site and the level of one's social isolation. The study revealed that people who spend proportionately more time on these types of sites experience a reduction in contact with their friends and family, attending social events, and talking on the phone.
A crowd gathers around the water cooler, and Rachel is the first to catch Jacob's attention. "Jacob, tell us all about your trip!" she exclaims.
"It's already on my blog," Jacob replies. "Just go read about it there."
The crowd disperses, crestfallen.
Jacob, Rachel and their coworkers are fictional characters, but this scenario is all too common in the age of blogging and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Are our new fangled technological approaches to socializing causing us to be, at best, antisocial?
Humans are naturally social creatures. From birth, infants crave physical touch and affection. It's no mystery that interpersonal relationships are an essential and integral part of everyday life.
People develop social skills through practice, in the playgroups of our youth to college classroom debates. Socialization is a large part of what makes life fulfilling.
Enter the rise of social networking Web sites.
Friendster began in March 2002. MySpace was founded in August 2003. Facebook emerged six months later. Dozens of similar sites have sprouted up across the Internet, and social networking sites now have millions of daily users.
Our fictional blogger Jacob is just one of these users. Jacob is likely to record his personal thoughts and the events of his life on his blog. He'll use social networking sites to connect to people with similar interests, and they'll trade music, videos, and one-liner comments in cyberspace. However, all of Jacob's socializing takes place from the comfort of his office chair. In reality, he has very little contact with other people.
Sociologists are perplexed by the impacts of social networking Web sites. A Stanford University study shows a correlation between the number of hours one uses a social networking site and the level of one's social isolation. The study revealed that people who spend proportionately more time on these types of sites experience a reduction in contact with their friends and family, attending social events, and talking on the phone.
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