I know it's been said many times, especially by folks in the meetings and conventions business, but Jonah Lehrer says it really well, if yet again, in this Wall Street Journal editorial. He says the limitations of the various different social networks "...suggest that the winner of the social network wars won't be the network that feels the most realistic. Instead of being a substitute for old-fashioned socializing, this network will focus on becoming a better supplement, amplifying the advantages of talking in person."
Has anyone who has been involved in any sort of technology-based social network, from listservs to Facebook to Google+, not used it as an adjunct to, not replacement for, being with people in real life? As one commenter noted, with exasperation that we even have these conversations about social media's potential to eliminate face-to-face contact, "If anything, it just facilitates staying in touch until you see other people. Good grief. Why is social networking so difficult to understand? It's very basic." Exactly.
(Thanks to the MeCo listserv for the pointer.)