Social Media has made it easier than ever to connect to anyone, anywhere in the world. Whether it is through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or email, chances are you have some sort of relationship with someone through these online portals. These may be old friends from college or business associates in different regions of the country. The majority of these interactions are done with a keyboard and a screen, often in the blink of an eye while juggling several other engagements.

Is it easy? Yes.

Is it convenient? Absolutely.

Is it relationship nurturing? This is where it becomes a bit more complicated.

When you connect with someone online, are you connecting with a person or their online persona? People construct their own profiles in their own choice words to describe who they are, what they do, and how they do it. Some people will embellish traits and boast accomplishments. Some will be more confrontational in an online exchange compared to an exchange in person or via telephone. Can you truly establish a meaningful and beneficial relationship with someone when exchanging digital messages?

While we have access to a multitude of ways to connect to each other and expand our personal and professional networks, true relationship building is hindered in the Digital Age. Rarely do you get to experience if someone you “know” is soft spoken, assertive, funny, or easy going. Communication can easily be misconstrued. We do not have a sarcasm font, some people see “ok” and “okay” as two different responses, and smiley faces in a business email are generally seen as unprofessional.  You see the person in the way you react to words on a screen based on a digital story someone has told you about themselves. Are we starting to call that human interaction? A deeper connection is needed to establish a true relationship. We need connection beyond the hardware and Wi-Fi.

In Part Two we are going to dig into the reasons it is necessary to reach beyond Social Media to establish meaningful relationships.