As I got on the train today I found myself in a rather unusual position of actually having a seat instead of the usual standing.
I was sat next to a group of four elderly people (I would say in their 60’s) who were on their way to some convention in central London. Just as the train pulled away one of the gentleman’s phone sounded a message alert and much to his friends interest said it was a Facebook alert.
Over the next twenty minutes I listened intently as one man informed the other about the benefits of the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter concluding in the other man saying he would sign up for both. It got me thinking about the benefits of social network sites for various age groups and how we tend to use them. Certainly there are various sites that cater for the younger age bracket and it is good to see that recently the security of these sites have improved.
Now I don’t now about you but when I first joined Facebook it became very addictive, it was an avenue to meeting new people, finding old friends and sharing views on any topics that interested me. It comes as no surprise that there will be an expected 400 million members by the end of 2010. I don’t tend to use any of the novel applications as to me it is a pure method of communication.
Also since the Iphone I have become something of a Twitter addict though I have no celebrity friends on my profile (I don’t care what Kerry Katona is shoving up her nose or had for tea). Now there is Google Wave. This is Google’s attempts to bite into the instant messaging/Social networking environment. At first it appears clunky and cumbersome but I am sure once people begin it will become a vital communications tool. With all these methods of communicating with people it has never been easier to stay in touch or keep people informed about what we are up to.
E-mail somehow seems a bit too old fashioned these days, yet is it killing the art of communication? How many of us are guilty of sending a text or an email when we could so easily have made a phone call? My conclusion is that social networking is an exciting and vibrant way of re-connecting with people we have lost along the way; it is also a wonderful opportunity to meet new people. I doubt were going to see another site like Twitter or Facebook, the numbers are far too large to change.
Yet it is sad that the art of communication is dying but above all what worries me most is that these gargantuan websites, no matter how great they are monitoring our every move.
They are watching you……