Written By Sherwood Kohn

Our 19-year-old grandson, who is a student in photography at Parsons New School for Design in New York, and no slouch when it comes to high-tech communication, recently confirmed a suspicion about social networking that I have held for some time.

In the process of writing a paper for one of his classes, our grandson came across an essay by Johannah Cornblatt in The Daily Beast that posited that such websites as Facebook and MySpace not only isolate people, but “may provide people with a false sense of connection that ultimately increases loneliness in people who feel alone.”

Instead of linking people, Cornblatt says, such sites act as replacements for face-to-face interaction.

“The encroachment of digital communication into our social lives can amplify feelings of isolation,” Cornblatt quotes Michael J. Bugeja, a professor of communications at Iowa State University. “He describes texting or Twittering in the presence of others,” says Cornblatt, “as Ôa prescription for loneliness.’”

But loneliness, it seems to me, is only part of the problem. The fact that much of texting or Twittering exists on the level of trivia (For example: “I went to the grocery store today,” or “Wow, I saw a cool BMW yesterday.”) argues that those using the technology communicate little creative, or even significant thought.

It might be argued that many, perhaps most, of the texters or Twitterers are just teenagers, i.e., that deep thoughts are largely foreign to that age group. You cannot expect to discuss Plato with a rock band groupie.

Furthermore, the communication of trivia almost always substitutes for genuine human interaction. “Small talk” is just that. It is “safe.” It keeps one at arm’s length. And in the long run, if that is what your conversation consists of, it isolates you; it insulates you from genuine human contact.

On the other hand, digital communications serve to connect people with similar goals or philosophies. Witness the Occupy Wall Street movement, the Arab Spring and various other politically motivated gatherings that we hear came together through cell phone or Internet contact. One cannot accuse people who participate in such events of being isolated.

Once again, we are observing the ambiguous effects of new technology. Digital communication can be used for either the isolation or advancement of mankind. It has been said before, but it is worth saying again: Man uses tools to advance civilization or retard it; for good or evil: motivation is what counts.

Man is a complex animal, and his tools are just that: technology to be applied as one sees fit, hopefully for good.