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February 04, 2010 St. Louis Globe-Democrat By Maria Rodgers O'Rourke |
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THE BIG PICTURE: Community interaction from a safe distance
Online social networking has changed forever how groups interact in our culture.
The concept of “community” has taken on new meanings. According to the Random House dictionary, community is: “a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
Online communities, however, gather around individual hobbies or interests, with membership open to people from a wide variety of cultural and geographic backgrounds. All that’s necessary to join is internet access. Thus, online interaction lacks a fundamental aspect of true community; that is, the physical contact that comes with proximity and interaction.
New forms of community bring new norms within those groups. In her article “Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism,” Christine Rosen, a senior editor of The New Atlantis, states: “in the offline world, communities typically are responsible for enforcing norms of privacy and general etiquette. In the online world, which is unfettered by the boundaries of real-world communities, new etiquette challenges abound.”
Online “friends” interact in lively and entertaining ways, but exchanges can also be caustic and punitive. Hiding behind the safe distance technology creates, individuals feel freer to spew opinions and insults at those with whom they disagree. Recently, I witnessed a heartbreaking and bitter family argument on Facebook. The exchange rapidly escalated, with statements so hurtful the participants may never be able to forgive one another. Might the conversation have gone differently if they had been in the same room? I suspect so.
For those of us who didn’t come of age with this technology, it’s tempting to condemn the younger generation for lacking an understanding of the importance of civility in public discourse. In this Facebook instance, however, family members of all ages participated. Boomers and older are expressing unrestrained anger and hate in public and online. From the vantage point of pre-technology community, I wonder: if this is how they behave in public, imagine what they’d do in private?
Fortunately, not all young adults are mimicking their elders’ behavior. Gitana Productions has launched a theatrical event called Living the Dream: MLK’s Dream Today. The production is touring throughout the St. Louis area in February. The diverse cast of high school and college age performers (and two scene-stealing grade schoolers) exemplifies the best in community participation. Their vibrant songs and skits engage the audience in thoughtful consideration of how family and social behaviors impact relationships and community.
This talented ensemble promotes nonviolent communication without a cell phone or computer screen in sight. While the cast fits the demographic of new technology users, they clearly understand the power of the personal touch to lift the human spirit.
Techies of all ages can learn from their example. As we take advantage of the miraculous speed of information sharing the online world provides, it’s important to remember the courtesies that uphold healthy families and communities. Likewise, let’s not let the etiquette breaches that sometimes characterize online social networking spill over into our familial or civic gatherings.
The Golden Rule has served us well, and it still applies today, no matter the forum for our conversations.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat ©February 2010
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