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“By lechacal on January 25, 2011 4:59 PM
What’s going on socially as a result of electronic social networks is parallel to what slopefarm observed with respect to television programming. More channels, more specialization. Socially speaking it’s more stratification and narrower grouping by age, by social interests, etc, and much less by geography and family. It used to be you had to figure out how to hang out with the three or four kids on your block, and of course your own family, so you had to learn lots of coping skills for dealing with people of various age, interest, intelligence, etc. brackets. That’s still true to some extent, obviously, but less so.”
Bingo!
Legion – I think that phenomenon would occur under certain circs but the one you cite is temporary. All those animal studies were done on isolated, usually enisled, populations.
“I think people are generally much more in touch with each other, through all of the relatively new electronic means of communication”
Biff, on this one point, I strongly disagree with you.
🙂
CGar, which season did you get accepted for?
What’s going on socially as a result of electronic social networks is parallel to what slopefarm observed with respect to television programming. More channels, more specialization. Socially speaking it’s more stratification and narrower grouping by age, by social interests, etc, and much less by geography and family. It used to be you had to figure out how to hang out with the three or four kids on your block, and of course your own family, so you had to learn lots of coping skills for dealing with people of various age, interest, intelligence, etc. brackets. That’s still true to some extent, obviously, but less so.
it would sink in more to join in on this debate if I have a nice cold beer in either hand right now vs. deciphering weather.com to see if my ass should work out of NYC office tomorrow
Survivor I accepted me as a contestant, but I backed out when they told me I’d have to eat rat. The only reason I auditioned was that I figured it would be a great way for me to lose weight. But I thought I’d get to eat tropical fruit on the island, not rat tartare.
benson, arkady and etson,
Do you think that perhaps, like other creatures in nature which exhibit various degrees of dsyfunction and disunity under population strain,
that humans might begin to exhibit anti-social characteristics or behaviors which would be considered in direct opposition to long term survival?
In places where humans are forced together unnaturally,like a crowded train for instance,
isn’t the usual instinct to shut oneself off from others?
I think people are generally much more in touch with each other, through all of the relatively new electronic means of communication, but I also think we’re in many ways less in touch (how many times do we now use email in lieu of actually talking to and meeting friends?).
And, overall, it seems to me there’s less a feeling of community than in the past. Maybe it’s my own urban New York vs. suburban Toronto personal experience. I think people don’t know their neighbours like they used to and feel that sense of communal responsibility. Just my opinion.