Personally, I have seen how social media can not only connect individuals within their current social spheres but can also extend back into our pasts to reconnect us to people we haven't heard from in years. This process is currently happening with my husband. He very recently discovered Facebook and everyday he hears from a childhood buddy or finds out that a good friend from high school has now passed away. On one hand his circle of friends has grown exponentially. On the other, our face-to-face communication time has been dramatically reduced.
The social networks seem to encourage more breadth and less depth in our relationships.
Donna-
ReplyDeleteI too thought about Tiannenman Square and wondered if it would have gone down the way it did, and then realized that human history is replete with these instances, all going down badly for those involved. Maybe we remember it because it is the one that sticks out in most recent history.
However, this is about a social revolution (just merely brought about within the context of a technological one). Not that I can remember who said that, but I guess its true enough.
To get back to your observation, my heart feels (finally) somewhat optimistic about true change. I hope we'll hear about other such near disasters being averted.