Action, action, ...we want INTERaction!

Why can't we be friends? I guess it's because so many people don't know what the word means. I think I can say I was on the right track, or better yet, my kids put me on the right track. The idea that social networking sites (SNS) are mostly tools for existing social networks made up of individuals in preexisting proximate social relations was something I was able to discover through my own “research”. It appears that the global aspect of SNSs isn't as far-reaching as some would like it to be. I’ll grant you that 3 teenagers is hardly a large enough study group, and drawing conclusions from a FtF interview about how they use Facebook isn't exact science. Yet, I find it interesting that Boyd concluded that "Large Social networks will always be mediated by and constructed through smaller communities and individual relationships." Underneath all these social networks lies the basic human desire to "belong". Being a "user" of one of these networks may make you feel part of whatever group you choose to interact with, but it doesn't make you these people's friend. You see, I would much rather have three very close friends than I would 3000 "Friendsters". Boyd sends the point home with this statement: "Individual Sociability will never operate on a global scale." I think my kids would be better off spending their time with the few close friends they interact with both online and offline, rather than waste time trying to "acquire" more so-called "friends" on Facebook. It comes down to a "quality of life" choice once again. So...why can't we be friends? Well, we can, but not by "meeting" on an SNS. Let's grab a cup of coffee instead. [Boyd, Danah (in press) "None of this is real" Structures of Participation ed. Joe Karaganis]