Given that we’re strong advocates of social media you might find it a suprise that as of late Shannon and I have been talking quite a bit about the limits of social networking. In these conversations we’re tackling the subject of the true impact of social media on deep friendships.
I caught an article on The Guardian Unlimited that’s on this very topic titled "Social networking sites don’t deepen friendships"
My 5 minute vlog on this topic discusses these points and I hope also to draw you out to discuss some of your own experiences. Who know, it may even inspire you to call me. 
Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)
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Listening to this again I think I failed to make some very important points here. That’s the risk of on-the-fly content creation with no editing process! I think I’m still happy with my message a day later – it’s just not as inclusive of ALL the facts as I’d like it to be. Said another way, I need to publish more iterations on this theme so I can capture the WHOLE point.
So what does this piece fail to capture. A lot!
Here’s the main one. Online social networking *CAN* deepen relationships. What I was saying is that social networking doesn’t change you as a person. It gives you *new* tools to network with just as the phone did back with Alexander Graham Bell unleashed it on the world. It’s what you do with it that counts. If I follow my old friending patters with these new tools I won’t substantially change my network of friends or deepen my relationships with them. But I could if I change my behavior. This isn’t unique to online social networking. Staying with the phone theme a moment the tool of a phone is only a good friending tool if you regularly reach out to people with it and answer calls when they come in.
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