social media & sociometry

[Adam Blatner]

Dear All, Speaking of our dialogue about facebook  and other social media, I've heard that institutions are using these to connect with younger people. They have found that fewer and fewer of them are using email. In fact, I understand that there are even some colleges that no longer giving their undergrads email accounts but are communicating with them through social networking sites!  It relates to the nature of sociometric connections, the types, etc. Social media indeed introduces a type of "reach out and touch someone" in ways that are different. I'm not interested in making a value judgment of better or worse, only different, and for me I find it interesting to contemplate and identify the role components of such relationships. 

Indeed, what would Moreno make of our listserve, as an international network, and of the quality of the relationships thereby constructed?    As imperfect as this may be compared to a full face-to-face encounter, it's better than nothing (i.e. relative alienation, lack of networking). And even at conferences, the schedule is often tight enough and the settings diffuse enough with conflicting agendas that true encounter often doesn't happen, even though people meet superficially face-to-face. There isn't enough sustained time for warming up, much less the degree of time it takes to work out misleading impressions, misunderstandings, etc. 

Warmly, Adam Blatner
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