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Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, Blogs, E-mail, Cellphones and any technologically driven social platform that promotes connectedness appears to have permeated all areas of the world. Whether a social scientist, a concerned parent, or a citizen of the world we have begun to experience the impact of this virtual dimension on our lives and have questions we want answered.
Generally speaking there are those that are apprehensive and sceptical about digital technology and those who have whole-heartedly infused themselves with their favourite social networking site. Having heard a number of stories about how this digital technology has impacted on people’s lives (which by the way have been both favourable and unfavourable) we have become increasingly interested in exploring this concept on an intrapersonal and interpersonal level.
Based on this picture of our current reality and what appears to be the reality of the future the burning question for psychologists is (or at least should be): what does this mean for individuals and our interactions with others? As part of a broader project, we have decided to consider firstly the impact on emotional and social functioning. To assist us with exploring this question please share with us your views, opinions and thoughts by completing the following questionnaire. It should take you a few minutes. If you have any additional comments please email Gareth (gareth@jvrafrica.co.za) or Danielle (danielle@jvrafrica.co.za). The results will be published on the blog in due course.
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For those who may be wondering – the questions regarding the EI are based on the Emotional Blueprint (an ability model of emotional intelligence) developed by John Mayer and Peter Salovey.
Electronic social networking influences greatly how we feel about relationships and can be used to influence how others feel about us or others. It is powerful yet dangerous and can affect the mental well being of individuals due to its addictive nature. I’m interested to hear of any research done to show its significant impact, especially in deveoping countries in Africa.
The, ‘E-S networking’ buzz has so far largely been generated from the first world, but as the web2.0 mindset permeates into the wider global consciousness, and internet access becomes more accessible, I think Africa will have an awesome opportunity for some ‘bottoms-up’ e-business to say the least.
Who knows what the impact will be in terms of the ‘African’ psychology, but my guess is that it should serve to empower people, disregarding his/her geographic location or social status. Things are gonna get interesting from here on!