Social Networking

It never ceased to amaze me how many social networking programs have developed in the last few years.

Everything from Facebook to Youtube, Wikipedia, and many other networking programs to many to mention have developed to keep people in touch with one another on a daily and hourly basis. I used to think it was cute when a friend IMed me in the middle or doing a report on Word. Now I consider it an intrusion and breaks the cycle of getting things done on time.

The day will soon arrive I predict when the US Government will have it's own IRS social networking software where the IRS will contact you to remind you to get your taxes in on time or to ask you where you spent the entertainment money in your recent tax return? When will the Senate and Assembly start their own social network software keeping you informed on a daily basis what the Senate or Assembly is doing? When will it all end? When we run out of memory on our computers.

The other day I saw the first tera-byte backup portable storage device for only $80.00.  A tera-byte is a lot of memory, a real lot. It is the kind of extra memory you would find in a server. Memory storage makes it possible to store movies, social network e-mails and on and on until our computers are completely junked up with the massive triva of society.

Is it possible for us to over communicate? Perhaps it is time to go to an island with no WAN or wireless access? 

Dr. Pelham Mead, Director of NYCOM Faculty Development, Old Westbury, NY