Social Media - The New Neighborhood?

Some time ago I started getting emails from people inviting me to join their favorite social networking site. Most of the time I just hit the delete button. Then one day, after some prodding from my kids, I decided to join one just to see what all the fuss was about.

You know those movies where the magician waves his hand, there's a pop and a puff of smoke, and something that wasn't there suddenly is? Well it wasn't quite like that... but close. Today I find myself "updating my status" and leaving comments on Face Book several times a day. I'm tweeting and following tweets, blogging, instant messaging, and having more interactions with a greater number of people than ever before.

This week I've instant messaged with a couple of friends across the country that I hadn't talked to for years, used Skype to talk with another friend working in eastern Europe (complete with video), and discovered a close family relative on Face Book who I didn't even know existed. That's just this week. So what's going on here? Is this just some crazy fade I've fallen into? Check out this YouTube presentation from the folks at Socialnomics.



It seems to me that the concept of "neighborhood" may be changing. In my grandparents day they would walk down the street to the corner market, pausing and talking with a half dozen neighbors along the way. They'd stop in to check on Mrs. Smith who'd been ill and they'd wave as they passed Mr. Jones mowing his yard. Just that quick drop-in or smile and wave said volumes about those relationships. They were friends - more than just acquaintances. They were neighbors!
In many ways that's what this new network of connections feels like to me. When someone pushes the "like" button on my status or leaves a comment on one of my postings it feels like a high five from a friend... like that wave to a neighbor that means 'I might be over later to borrow your lawn mower.'

If this social media is in fact a new 'neighborhood' culture I have to say that I like living here... a lot! The ability to open my smart phone and check to see what my friends are up to at any time is pretty cool. I can read their comments and respond with my own 24/7/365. It's a feeling of continual connectedness - of authentic and, maybe more importantly, ongoing community.

So what are the implications of this new type of connectedness? In my world I'm wondering what opportunities and what challenges this presents for organizational leaders and for the church? How does it impact the way we mentor and coach and teach? Does it change the way we think about groups, classes, community, or even our scope of influence? How might outreach and marketing be different and what impact does this new neighborhood have on ministry? Those are just a few of the many questions I'm processing.

Now I'm wondering what my new "neighbors" think about all this! Because my lawn mower really is broken again.