While the digital medium allows for easy sharing and networking, in the offline world it seems to put people in silos.
The mp3 player or the mobile phone allowed people to keep to themselves (which they often wanted) and yet be entertained (which hadn't happened since books).
Ever since we came up with the earphone (not the headphone), people discovered a way to share what is essentially an individual sport. I call this 'twinning'.
Twinning: The act of sharing an ear phone with another person so that you can share content.
For youngsters in crowded places, it's the perfect 'personal hangout'. Sharing music, videos and chit-chatting, it provides the ultimate in personal social networking in a crowded place.
Increasingly friends are seen giggling at a video, humming a tune in unison with an ear phone plugged in one ear.
So it's true, you can give people the digital 'individual' space, but at some point they're going to want to share that too; perhaps as a sign of their friendship, their boredom at being on their own, their courtesy towards a friend who isn't carrying her mp3 player, or just as the 'provider' or entertainment that makes one ever-popular. Who knows!
There's something to this twinning, which quite interests me. For the life of me, I just can't seem to put my finger on it.
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