Remember the book Bowling Alone? Remember how everyone was convinced that air conditioning killed the Southern novel and that as we retreated more into our private worlds that we would lose track of our humanity? These prophecies of doom seemed to only be strengthened by the development of video games and the Internet. You don’t even need to leave your house to work, shop or get entertainment. Soon we should all just turn into perfect machines for converting stuff into waste, food into crap, shipping containers into trash, entertainment into a dull buzz.
Admit it, you’ve been out for the evening (perhaps not drinking PBR) and you see the young couple sitting across/next to each other texting and you think or say, "wow, how pathetic, they don’t even know how to connect anymore". My wife and I have had that conversation a number of times about people around us. As I have immersed myself more and more into the world of social networks and mobile data, I’ve realized that my perception is wrong, by about 180 degrees. These people are more connected to their network then you could possibly imagine. Not only are they sitting in a bar enjoying their surroundings, their also interacting with friends or family from who knows where. Having now gotten into facebook, dopplr and a number of other apps, I have reconnected with friends and know more about their day to day lives then I would have ever thought possible. While that may sound mundane to those who don’t have experience with these tools, it is incredibly rewarding and I’ve gotten closer to more of my network (read: wonky word for friends, family and colleagues) than ever. It will change your life when you’re having a crap day and suddenly you’ve got your own personal fan club cheering you on to get over it.
So, jump in, don’t become one of these
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