Birds of A Feather

Published by Bill Roper on January 12, 2010 | 1 comment

This might be a funny subject to take up in a blog, but in my recent reading of Margaret J. Wheatley’s excellent book, Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time, I was struck by the following comment:

“At first glance, the World Wide Web seems to be a source of new communities. But these groups do not embrace the paradox of community. The great potential of a world connected electronically is being used to create stronger boundaries that keep us isolated from one another. Through the Web, we can seek relationships with others who are exactly like us. We are responding to our instinct of community, but we form highly specialized groups in the image of ourselves, groups that reinforce our separateness from the rest of society.”

This echoes Bill Bishop’s similar concerns about the growing homogeneity of our society in his important book, The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart.

I certainly understand the concern about internet-based groups bonding but not bridging (to use Robert Putnam’s terminology), but I am loathe to dispense with email and internet contact. Oftentimes small groups need room for a little bonding to develop comfort within an otherwise uncomfortable situation. Once this initial contact and confidence in the safety of a meeting or project is established, then Margaret and Bill are absolutely right about our need to foment greater diversity of relationships and share differing perspectives amongst participants.

Community dynamics are often broken—often displayed by acrimony and inappropriate behavior, or simply lack of turn-out. When the status quo is shaken up through new questions, new participants and new voices, solutions can emerge. I’d hate to relinquish the use of new technologies to engage and share, but we constantly need to challenge ourselves by asking who is not in the conversation, how can they be reached and included, and what are the multiple ways to hear from people.

Now how can we get a more diverse audience to read and respond to this blog? That is another challenge presented through the Internet. You can help in that regard.

Submitted by Michael Wood-Lewis (not verified) on Wed, 01/13/2010 - 12:46.

Glad to read your points, Bill. I share the authors' concerns about a great self-stratification seemingly underway, ushered along by online social networking. A related thesis is put forward by two Harvard professors in their recent book The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the 21st Century. Also, a recent Pew study found...

Users of social networking services are 30% less likely to know their neighbors.

Users of social networking services are 26% less likely to have used neighbors as a source of companionship.

With the exception of those who use instant messaging, internet users are 26% less likely to have received small services (e.g., household chores, shopping, repairs, house-sat, lent tools or supplies) from neighbors.

Internet users are 40% less likely to have been cared for, or had a member of their family cared for, by a neighbor. And, users of social networking services are 39% less likely than other internet users, or 64% less likely than those who do not use the internet, to have received family care from a neighbor.

Internet users who are frequent users at work are 57% less likely to borrow money from neighbors.

As you know, with Front Porch Forum we aim to help nearby neighbors connect and build community by hosting networks of online neighborhood forums. We know we're successful when a couple minutes per day on our virtual front porch leads to substantial face-to-face time with neighbors on real front porches. More than 17,000 households in our pilot region subscribe, including almost half of Vermont's largest city. Congratulations on the blog...good stuff!