Jonah Lehrer of Wired Magazine was published online at the Wall Street Journal on the tail end of last week asking, Can Online Social Networks Replace Real Socialzing? The question is not new. But with the advent of Google+, a network whose values Lehrer extolls, the question is worth revisiting. Carefully noting how Google+ differs from Facebook and other social media services, Lehrer invites his readers to consider our expectations for social technologies and how they factor in assessing relationships, whether they be for work or play. Lehrer makes the following conclusions:
For too long, we’ve imagined technology as a potential substitute for our analog life, as if the phone or Google+ might let us avoid the hassle of getting together in person.
But that won’t happen anytime soon: There is simply too much value in face-to-face contact, in all the body language and implicit information that doesn’t translate to the Internet. . . . Perhaps that’s why Google+ traffic is already declining and the number of American Facebook users has contracted in recent months.
These limitations suggest that the winner of the social network wars won’t be the network that feels the most realistic. Instead of being a substitute for old-fashioned socializing, this network will focus on becoming a better supplement, amplifying the advantages of talking in person.
For years now, we’ve been searching for a technological cure for the inefficiencies of offline interaction. It would be so convenient, after all, if we didn’t have to travel to conferences or commute to the office or meet up with friends. But those inefficiencies are necessary. We can’t fix them because they aren’t broken.
The final two sentences struck me as a profound admission. Face to face interaction and the intricacies of language "aren't broken" and are "necessary". The physical spaces we create for community, for work, for common venture, for conversation, and for mutual care should be valued for what they are, invaluable occasions wherein life can be shared and common bonds are established.
While churches and other ministries continue to explore how social technologies can be leveraged, I hope that the very gift of face to face interaction and physical presence are not forgotten.
Ben Simpson 
