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Uriah Av-Ron works for Oasis PR and is based in Tel Aviv, Israel. You can contact him at uriahav@gmail.com.

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What It Means To Be “Social”

Written on
December 4th 2007
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by Uriah Av-Ron  |
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movingforward23.jpgWhen was the last time you were really, truly social?

In elementary school, I used to wonder why social studies was called “social studies”. What was particularly social about social studies that was more social than any other of the social sciences.

Two nights ago, when thinking about this column, the reason behind this 30 year conundrum came to me.

Coining the term “Social studies” was simply the way to make history sound cooler. Forward thinking marketing, I’ll say.

Fast forward to today. Now everything is social. Social search, social networking.

But what is all of this social really all about.

It’s great to be able to meet new people who share common interests who happen to live halfway across the world or even across town. But do we really need to send a heart shaped candle to someone three cubicles or even half the world away?

In my last Adotas column, Facebook: Internet Success Story Or Virtual Tchatchkes? , I suggested that maybe Facebook’s widgets are so popular because people are just craving the contact and interaction made possible by all of these cool applications?

According to Seth Goldstein from SocialMedia Networks, “The magical applications on Facebook are the ones that enable you to do things you can’t do in everyday life.” (By way of Michelle Slatalla’s great article from The New York Times / International Herald Tribune from early November entitled “Fast-changing Facebook making it hard for parents to keep up”)

So my question is: Why not?

Why do we feel the need to send virtual presents when we can instead ask the same friend to go and have a cup of coffee?

And that’s what I want you to do. Right now.

1. Log-off Facebook
2. Call up a friend you haven’t seen in a while to arrange to meet for lunch, coffee or drinks
3. Go out and meet with that friend with as few electronic gadgets as possible

Trust me; this is what being social is really all about. And when you come back, that heart shaped candle will still be there. I promise.



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Reader Comments.

I love the curmudgeonly thoughts, the beauty of virtual society is that it allows you establish (actually re-establish) casual contact with people you want to stay remotely in touch with but not sleep with (so to speak). There are lots of special people I’ve worked with in the past with whom I’d love to occasionally reconnect or just float a head-hunter’s opportunity past. Frankly, it makes me feel good to know that there are great people for whom I don’t have to force a close relationship, but can always be at my fingertips (and me for them). It’s just good to know that there’s a digital synapse that holds us together.

Posted by Jon Schneider | 4:14 pm on December 4, 2007.

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