social media intimacyI was walked up to a group of friends at an event last week and saw several gathered on a group of chairs and sofa in the hotel lobby… each with their smart phone out texting.

Disconnected?

Not really. The group had been together for hours, out to dinner and very good friends.. but each of them were taking a moment to check in the friends and family at home.

An Internet connection doesn’t replace face to face time.. but it can enhance it. Rather than the knee jerk reaction that we are losing intimacy, watch this video from TED speaker Stefana Broadbent: How the Internet enables intimacy

Social Media strengthens relationships

Social Media Intimacy (from TED)

We worry that IM, texting, Facebook are spoiling human intimacy, but Stefana Broadbent’s research shows how communication tech is capable of cultivating deeper relationships, bringing love across barriers like distance and workplace rules.

Stefana Broadbent watches us while we talk (and IM, and text). She is one of a new class of ethnographers who study the way our social habits and relationships function and mutate in the digital age.

There are some limits to what is good for certain jobs and situations. A doctor performing surgery would know better than to chat with friends during the procedure… but might want to check on a patient or phone home before or after.

Can You Improve Your Relationships With Social Media?

Technology allows me to stay in touch in a few moments here and there while doing whatever I want to be doing. I certainly don’t want to take client calls during a family dinner, but I love that I get to make that choice.

Let’s not discuss all the ways we limit our use of social media.. I’d like to hear more stories like Stefana shared how you improve relationships with prospects, clients and friends.

Add a comment below, and be sure to include a link where we can let you know how we use this in our book.

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Warren Whitlock
Best Seller Book Expert