This article first appeared on my old blog at http://www.bloglines.com/blog/wsodeman?id=39
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060805/ap_on_re_us/lonely_nation
“People are increasingly busy,” said Margaret Gibbs, a psychologist at Fairleigh Dickinson University. “We’ve become a society where we expect things instantly, and don’t spend the time it takes to have real intimacy with another person.”
This lengthy news article examines a growing trend in the United States - the shrinking social circle of friends and family. Information technology, and its integration into products, services, and daily life, is seen as a contributing factor to this trend.
More Americans choose to live by themselves as a one-person household. Over 27 million households, or 25 percent of the country’s housing total, fall into this category. In 1950, only 10 percent of households were occupied by a single person.
Dante Hicks: “You hate people!”
Randal Graves: “But I love gatherings! Isn’t it ironic?”
Clerks, 1994
Young people rely on text messaging, cell phones, instant messaging, e-mail and Web sites as an alternative means of forging a broad network like-minded acquaintances. Facebook and MySpace are two popular examples, but both services have come under scrutiny.
The article also points out that users of these two services can link to other users as “friends”. This linkage does not mean that the user knows their online “friends well - or at all.
The textbook does not cover these online social networks well. At the time it was printed, such networks were an emerging business. Instant messaging (IM) was and remains a popular service, but social networks offer users an opportunity to post content and attract new acquaintances.
Chapter 13 offers some interesting points about ethics, society and information systems. Older people who are less familiar or comfortable with information technology find their isolation disturbing. A Boston area organization called Social Capital Inc. is building a volunteer network on the Internet, to “connect neighbors” and create communities.
The effective integration of online social networks into local communities may reduce crime, improve education, and strengthen the local economy, according to Harvard professor Robert Putnam. If these effects are replicable, Honolulu may be a good venue for building community-based online social networks. Honolulu is generally regarded as a “wired’ city, as a large percentage of residents use broadband Internet access. Social Capital’s business model may be appropriate and valuable in our state.
Tags: API, Apple, broadband, content, crime, economy, education, ethics, example, facebook, Hawaii, Honolulu, housing, Internet, mac, myspace, network, social, technology, university, USA, Yahoo
