Robin Hamman of Cybersoc posted his talk that he gave a year ago at a conference in Warsaw. He talks about how although the Internet is perceived as a global tool, most people use it for local connections. I agree with this. I enjoying using postcards and letters to connect with my friends abroad and like to use email and IM to interact with friends here at my university. The mailing lists used by my research lab and student residence are being used to maintain and build on our sense of community, to enhance our physical relationships.
When I look at my IM list, I don’t just see coloured balls with names beside them. Each ball represents a friend or acquaintance and we have both made a conscious effort to maintain an awareness of one another and build on an existing real world relationship. I have also received IM addresses of strangers that I would like to get to know better but I have found that my online connections just are used to supplement my physical relationships.
As Robin states:
Forget the wires, it’s the nodes that are important, each one a real live person connected not just to the network but, more intimately, to a geographical place.