Turn on ye ole Javascript to add ratings in this low-budg app.

Link to this page
← All panel ideas
Title:

Friendship is Dead

Your vote:
Yes No
Organizer:
Russ Unger, UserGlue
Description:
So what is a friend anymore? Is it a checkbox or something to collect? Have social networking tools diluted the meaning of "friend" to be someone to add to your collection? Or do these tools allow you to connect with people you've never met before? How does friendship differ offline and online?
Questions
Answered:
  1. What is Friendship?
  2. What is Friendship online?
  3. How are online connections changing the definition of "traditional" friends?
  4. How are online connections improving friendship?
  5. What happens when "online" friends die?
  6. What happens when corporations & brands begin to make "friends" with people?
  7. What happens when online "friends" meet offline? Cool? or Awkward?
  8. How has the barrier to calling someone a "friend" changed?
  9. How has this shifted version of "friend" modified our etiquette? (We now "thank" people in multiple places, even if we did so in person)
  10. How do your online friends offer YOU credibility?
Level:
Beginner
Category:
Community / Social Networks
Type:
Panel
Event:
SXSW Interactive 2009
Russ Unger
on 8/8/08
additional panel members:

Bill DeRouchey
David Armano
Matt Milan
Peter Meyers
on 8/8/08
Great topic. I've been really interested lately in the online/offline crossover. As much as people complain about the shallowness of online relationships, my professional contacts on social networks are often becoming in-person friends as I meet people at events and conferences. I think the interplay is fascinating and is going to change a lot over the next decade.
Russ Unger
on 9/8/08
Good point, Pete. Bill DeRouchey and I met via common followers on Twitter, and have since truly become friends (we've got a little dirt on each other), and that is cool.

But it's how do you separate? Where do you draw the line? What happens when your boss wants to "friend" you in an online forum you're not comfortable with? How has social etiquette changed now that we've got online to contend with? (ie had a party, got thanked in-person, on twitter, facebook, evite, etc. Talk about etiquette overload!)
Michael Leis
on 12/8/08
Looking forward to this one because it's changing a basic premise that touches society deeply. What does friendship mean in a world of ubiquitous computing? Curious to see what you guys come up with.
David Armano
on 14/8/08
Hey, I think I'm on this! :)
Ross Kimbarovsky
on 14/8/08
A really important topic and something left out of many discussions about the social web. Increasingly important as the social web is embraced by businesses and the line between personal and business life fades. Looking forward to this panel.
Livia Labate
on 18/8/08
All panelists are my friends. Some I met online first, others I met offline first. Where are the boundaries? Are these my 'borderline friends'? Great topic...
Eric Prentice
on 18/8/08
Another interesting angle on this subject is how these social networking tools can span many kinds of relationships. Kinda strange when I send a twitter that one message is seen by friends, vendors, customers employees, business contracts, my wife, mother, daughter, etc.

I do like the authenticity of it all, while much of the online world is anonymous, the diverse set of recipients requires me to be the same person regardless of the venue.
chris miller
on 18/8/08
Agree with the comments, the idea of what makes a friend has totally changed. If I see one panel I'd like it to be this one, well and maybe Armano's or just this one with Armano.
Babette Pepaj
on 29/8/08
Interesting topic.. online friends can be very useful if they offer something of value - say a recipe swap or good tips for travel, cooking, how tos... if the format is something you're passionate about it's a "club" so you're bound to have a more genuine experience.
estepona property
on 8/6/09
Interesting topic, friendship has altered in definition from our perception of the term 10 years ago.

Will be interested to hear the panels interpretation of the subject.
estepona property
on 12/6/09
Just a thought that spanning over the next 10 years how online/offline friendships will evolve? Where will social media take us and in what form will it take. Maybe there will be a total throw back and online friends may no longer exist, because of stringent censorship.

Games Online
on 3/11/09
Yes, very useful panel
blu ray ripper
on 13/11/09
So looking forward to this..
Rip Blu Ray
on 29/11/09
really?
Link to this page
← All panel ideas
Developed for SXSW by Lindsey Simon