Technology's Weak Ties

One of my student's papers really got me thinking about the role of technology in our lives. I have spent the year interacting with a lot of techno evangelists who can never see any downside to technology - it's all about the democratizing nature of ICTs. The digital divide will be overcome, they say, like the telephone or television eventual ubiquity. I've written a few papers challenging this. But this student's paper was on the isolation/alienation aspect of technology.

She mentioned social networking analysis, which was the basis for one of my classes this semester. We talked quite a bit about the difference between strong and weak ties people have with each other. For example, one theory often used in business applications is the strength of weak ties. Job search successes, for instance, are often based on weak ties (acquaintances versus close friends). And ICTs allow for the diffusion of many weak ties - through e-mail, social networking sites, etc., but it tends, I think, to diminish or prevent the establishment of strong ties. People turn on their iPods rather than converse while walking, eating, etc. The student had a photo of people lining up at a starbucks counter all on their laptops rather than the nostalgic diner scene of people chatting. Certainly, it is not one extreme or another. And I think technology can really strengthen strong ties - or close friendships. Chris and I e-mailed for 6 months while I was travelling, which enabled us to rebuild our relationship that had been severed. He was able to process much better over e-mail than he was in person. But building relationships, I think, on-line or with the prevalence of technology is very limiting. I really benefitted from having the burningmoms listserv last year, but I still really needed close friends to connect with on a personal basis.

I guess I worry about myself, Chris and my kids. They crave the screen time just as much as we do. Many nights this semester we would sit here in the dining room/office and both be working away on-line. Yes, it was usually work, but sometimes it was fun surfing or blogging rather than us connecting. Will Liam's communciation challenges drive him to interact in an online world. The second life craze (and videogames) are popular for a reason - people can escape their real lives, but at what cost?