Photo by Predo Ignacio Guridi

RelationshipsIn a digital world

By evan hungate

Photo by Pedro Ribeiro Simões source: Pew’s Research Center

Social media is used by

73%

of adultsThat’s more than average voter turnout in canada

Photo by epSos .de

Between feb 05 and aug 06

Social network use jumped from 9% to 49%

Photo by Tetra Pak

What changed to makeSocial networking a crucial

Part of modern life?

Photo by Roy Cheung

“When you decide to meet—in person—someone that you met online, would you then be taking your relationship to the 'previous' level’?”

- Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Photo by Luigi Orru

Online has become the first pointOf contact for new connections

Photo by Eleni Papaioannou

But are these new connections moreValuable than face-to-face?

Photo by Lou Bueno

Social networking is a garbage pile waiting for rats to feed. Pointless nothings of your everyday lives. Still the fumes rise.

-Jerica Barsht

Photo by Jason Parks

Shouldn’t social networksSupplement, not replace?

Photo by Tiago Nicastro

Or is social media merelyA form of escape?

Photo by [cipher]

Escape from responsibility, from the outside

World, from other people

Photo by Romain Toornier

Distracted from distraction by distraction-ts eliot

Photo by bm.iphone

Social networks are, by design,A distraction

Photo by PoYang_博仰 source: Pew Reseach Internet Project

Instant messaging users are59% less likely to rely onSpouses for important matters

Photo by Nate Bolt

The digital age has made itNormal to have non-personal

interaction

Photo by Tommy Wong

Internet users (non social networks)Are 30% less likely to know theirneighbours

Photo by hojusaram

But not all Effects of the Digital age arenegative

Photo by Tom Raftery

Social networks are bringingNeighbourhoods together

Photo by cypherone

Source: Pew Research Internet Project

63% of those on social networksWith neighbors received help from

Them in six months

Photos by Len Mathews

Like anything,Social networks

Have the capabilityTo ruin relationships

Photo by Daniel Petzold

but used well, they haveThe potential to make evenA lonely world feel whole

Sources:

http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Networking-Reaches-Nearly-One-Four-Around-World/1009976

http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/

http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/11/15/why-americans-use-social-media/

http://www.pewinternet.org/2009/11/04/social-isolation-and-new-technology/

All photos are used under the creative commons non-commercial license