The growth of social networks on the Internet, places interpersonal relationships at the center of the scene and calls us to reflect on the links and their relationship with current technology.
Social networks on the Internet are advancing by leaps and bounds.
Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 make the Internet a powerful means of communication and social interaction, technology also allows its portability
"Shared life is more", says an advertisement: in virtual space, today interpersonal relationships are created, broken or maintained. Links are shown as constituting part of personal capital.
A virtual meeting can be transformed into face-to-face, a debate on the networks quickly become mobilization and vice versa, any personal or social event quickly acquires visibility. In an ensemble in which, both virtual / face-to-face and public / private, appear closely related, personal ties acquire centrality.
The metaphor of the interconnected world is presented to us in a universe in constant motion.
Globalization through, work or study trips, job changes, place of residence and migration are frequent.
Personal relationships suffer the impact: physical distancing, need to adapt to the new situation, living in diverse cultures. The changes force us to recreate our link network, requiring their share of elaboration and effort. Fluency seems to signify interpersonal relationships.
The other side of this phenomenon is that technology allows us to study and work without moving from home, to remain connected with distant family or friends, to reconnect with family or former colleagues or study or work, to find a love or a friendship in the Web.
Within the framework of the fluidity of interpersonal relationships, the Internet would make possible a degree of permanence, continuity and extension, until now unthinkable.
Of course, "all together, all the time and everywhere" or the "unlimited world" as the advertising says, entails an additional effort when it comes to wanting to distance yourself or has the risk of meeting us in a social gathering and every which connected to his cell phone.
The problem lies there in the "all" and the "unlimited": the use of technology opens a world of new possibilities when, unlike imperatives, it is based on personal choice. Excluding the "all" we can think and choose with whom, when and how to relate.
In terms of social networks, it is also worth thinking about potential uses, highlighting that the concept of social network is broader than that of its virtual implementation
A social network is an open system of dynamic exchange between different social groups (family, work team, neighborhood, organization, etc.) that makes it possible to enhance the resources that these groups have for solving problems or satisfying needs (Dabas / Perrone, 1999)
In this case, the social network is thought of as a new paradigm of social interaction in which horizontal relationships, active participation, mutual collaboration, innovation and creativity could prevail.
From the health field, numerous studies highlight the importance of both encouraging networking in health teams as well as the importance of links in the health of each person: “There is proven evidence that a personal network stable, sensitive, active and reliable protects people from diseases, acts as a help and referral agent, affects the relevance and speed of the use of health services, accelerates healing processes and increases survival, that is,, it is salutogenic. " (Sluzki, 1996).
For quite some time now, it has been known about the importance of ties in the subjective constitution: the human being is unthinkable without the assistance of others, which not only enables their entry into the social and language world, but also sustains them in it, throughout life.
Today, the fluidity in interpersonal relationships and social networks make the bonding dimension acquire a greater centrality and diversity.
It is worth thinking about our links and finding the appropriate personal modalities of the singular / plural relationship in an interconnected and constantly moving world.
For those of us who work in the field of mental health, the problem of linking is the order of the day and requires multiple and innovative tools both to think about it and to address it.
Bibliography
- Dabas Elina and Nestor Perrone, Health Networks, Buenos Aires, 1999 SLUZKI, Carlos, The social network: Frontier of systemic practice, Gedisa, Barcelona, 1996.
