Social driven by anti-social trends?

Seeing the Best Buy 'vending machine' at the airport reminded me of the ongoing trend towards self-service. It began back with the self-pump at gas stations (yes, I am old enough to remember when an attendant would fill the tank). Fast forward and it now includes ATM's that take deposits, airline kiosks for self check-in, automated customer service call centers, Zappos (buying shoes without trying them on first?), the return of the vendo-matic for fast food, McD's touch screen order stations, on and on. Self service does offer efficiencies and it certainly promises that old customer want called 'control', but it also further separates human from human.

Good or bad? (That's a different post.)

I find it interesting that as interactions become less person-to-person the web is seeing a continued surge in social connections and expressions. Could it be that humans still crave personal interactions but prefer the anonymity and feeling of control when the nuances of real life, and live, interactions are removed? For instance, is Twitter popular in part because one can express an opinion and feel secure that any opposition can simply be ignored? It's very one way at it's core. In real live conversations there's always the risk of differences heating up. Could it be that Facebook is hugely popular because one can 'control' one's persona? It certainly is an environment where one can manage what others know about you. That's a far cry from the reality of people knowing you and your business transparently.

Another track--I recently read that 'geeks' are the most social online. Because they can now present themselves as they'd like to be seen vs. as they really are. Personally, I doubt that geeks are the driving force behind social--as the majority of users seem to be highly social people bent on widening their circles of voice, influence, and knowledge. However it does ring true--the part about presenting one's self as they'd like to be seen vs. how one really is.

This drives my two main curiosities; 1) Are social mediums popular because they fill a void left by decreasing live human-to-human interactions? 2) Are social mediums popular because people cherish the feeling of control minus the dynamics of face-to-face contact?

I'm sure there are more reasons. Regardless, it does make for an interesting study--to understand how one dynamic effects another. And in this case, the possibility that as real life social interactions become more automated, virtual ones become more desirable.

That and the fact I have a feeling digital spaces are popular simply because one can be anything they want whenever they want. And that digital offers the advantage of a lot more control over the interactions.

Now, I need to do some banking online, text some friends, post some preferred pictures to Facebook, make a few intelligent tweets regarding smart thoughts I've picked up elsewhere, and then do some shopping (online so I don't have to deal with any mindless banter at the cash register).

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