Tuesday, March 8, 2016

A Case Study In Quidditch: Why social media and other digital tools are actually creating stronger interpersonal relationships

My name is Jackson Berg and I'm a beater for the Provo Nightfuries Quidditch team. No you are not dreaming I actually said Quidditch. Yeah like from Harry Potter.  I believe social media and other digital tools aren't ruining interpersonal relationships, they're actually facilitating the creation of new interpersonal relationships and strengthening existing ones. 


                            
Many people focus on the negative of social media and other forms of digital communication. They say that interpersonal relationships are being destroyed by the flood of digital communication all around us. They lament the "good old days" when everyone had savant like social skills. Above you can see a picture of the Provo Nightfuries at the West Regional Quidditch tournament at UCLA. The existence of this team and the friendships formed through it are only made possible through the use of the digital communication we are so quick to attack. 


Small niche organizations such as Quidditch teams rely on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to create a community not only within each team but among-st all of the 200+ teams spread all across the United States. (yeah you probably thought it was just typical BYU students doing weird things)  They even integrate these social media platforms with crowdfunding sites such as Generosity.com or Indiegogo.com to raise money and further connect those interested. 
Now you may be thinking: "Okay so I can see how your digital tools helped your little Quidditch community but that dosen't mean it helped build friendships!" You may relate easily to Allison Grahm's Ted Talk about how social media is cutting people off from one another. Although this can be a danger of social media and not all results are positive, let's remember that it is call "social" media for a reason. People started using it in the first place because they wanted to be more social! The digital tools that allowed for the creation a a Quidditch team allowed for me and the others pictured above to become long lasting friends. (That's us at a farewell party for our friend Karrissa that was also advertised on social media)
The idea of bringing people together to accomplish something worthwhile isn't new. You may have heard of William Wilberforce and the Clapham Sect who worked were able to communicate and come together though the communication medium of the day, letters, to fight slavery and other social injustices. They were a group of people from different parts of England that communicated and came together to not only change the world but also formed long lasting friendships in the process. 
I'm not saying that Quidditch ,or most anything we do on social media for that matter, will have the world changing impact of William Wilberforce and his friends. I am saying, however,  that the social medial and digital tools are creating an impact on our interpersonal relationships. An impact that I argue is for for better. It connects people in an individual way to other people with similar interests and yes it may even help you be more social. 


7 comments:

  1. My mother and I had a conversation tonight that goes along nicely with your argument... she said that social media is the best way she can connect with all of her friends back in New Zealand and to share with them all that is happening in her life. It made me wonder truly if I was fighting for the right side, and that I just need to be more adequate in monitoring how much I use social media.

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  2. I find myself siding with your argument than the opposing view of social media distancing people. I recognize that overindulgence and misuse of social media can definitely be detrimental to "real" social interaction, but used well, social media can enhance relationships.

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  3. I agree with your argument! I think this one is a difficult one to take up because there are obvious pros and cons on each side of the socail media fence. I think social media is great for connecting large groups. I moved around a lot because my dad was in the Air Force and without facebook contact with old friends would be much harder. Basically, social media is great on a macro level. I think most of the arguments against it occur on a micro, or individual level. People waste time on it, lose self-esteem, etc...

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  4. I agree with your argument! I think this one is a difficult one to take up because there are obvious pros and cons on each side of the socail media fence. I think social media is great for connecting large groups. I moved around a lot because my dad was in the Air Force and without facebook contact with old friends would be much harder. Basically, social media is great on a macro level. I think most of the arguments against it occur on a micro, or individual level. People waste time on it, lose self-esteem, etc...

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  5. This is such a nice, refreshing change from the norm. Yes, there are some bad parts of social media, but if it were all bad, people wouldn't be so eager to use it! Well done on the personal angle, and tying that into your argument. Overall, a very well-done blog post.

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  6. As with most everything, there needs to be a balance in our lives between online & offline interactions. I love being able to connect with friends and family that live far away and even those nearby, getting insights, pictures & just knowing what's going on in their lives in a way that wouldn't be possible otherwise. A negative with not being face-to-face with someone is that sometimes people use it as a tool to give negative voices to things that are best discussed privately and personally. Though I get tired, for example, of the constant barrage of political posts lately, but I don't think it's a coincidence that reports are showing that more people are getting out and voting.

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  7. Good stuff. I would focus more on how social media positively impacts small communities of people (ie quidditch) spread out over a large geographical area and expound on those positive impacts.

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