They are legitimate questions. Is Social Media more anti-social than social? Are our dates more focused on their smart phones than on us? Are our “friends” more cyber acquaintances than real live hangout homies. Is Social Media turning normal, healthy people into a bunch of robo-texting wallflowers? Bottom line, has rolling about on the floor and laughing with friends been exchanged for two arthritic thumbs pounding out ROFL and glib emoticons?
Well, a study recently released by ExactTarget indicates that, on the whole, Social Media may be more of more a social boon than a substitute for socialization. The study surveyed 1, 506 U.S. citizens and analyzed how their Facebook and Twitter habits were impacting their social lives. The respondents were chosen based on their increased use of Facebook and/or Twitter. Of the ones who said they were on Facebook more often these days, 27% said they were continuing to socialize with friends in person, while 13% said that their face-to-face interaction was decreasing. Of the respondents who are using Twitter more frequently, 46% say they are actually meeting up with friends more often thanks to this Social Media service. Only 7% saw Twitter as nothing more than a drain on their personal time.
Then there were those who felt like nothing had changed. 60% of Facebook fans said their social life was business as usual and 46% of the Twitter folks could see it had no measurable effect on their up-close time with buds.
The good news is Social Media is not interfering with most of our social lives. The bad news? Our date is spending more time with her iPhone because––let’s face it––we are just not that interesting.
