One of the features Microsoft has incorporated in its new “Zune” personal digital media player to try to set it apart from Apple’s iconic iPod is the ability to wirelessly network two Zunes, for the purpose of sharing music, photos, and eventually video. Microsoft (or at least their ad agency) came up with the phrase “Welcome to the Social” to try to spark interest in Zune’s music sharing capabilities amongst the 18 to 24 year old age group.

A couple of Zune TV commercials depict perfectly diverse groups of happy-go-lucky “Gen Y-ers” hanging out in the park or at the town gazebo, break dancing, frolicking with their designer dogs, making out, all the while brandishing their white, black, and brown (yes, brown) Zunes. Occasionally Zuners somewhere within 30 feet of each other stand still long enough to check out what’s on someone else’s Zune, and wirelessly transfer some music. I guess this is “the social” the slogan is talking about – a connected-by-electrons song-swap between two anonymous digital players passing in the park. Ironically, their relationship lasts only three days or three plays, whichever comes first.

I’m sure the ad agency who concocted the “Welcome to the Social” slogan had the latest in-vogue catchphrase “social networking” in mind when they pitched the campaign to the stuffed shirts at Microsoft. Actually, social networking is not a new concept at all. Dating back to the 1960s, social network theory analyzes the relationships between individuals within groups, and how their interactions with people outside of their groups can hinder or strengthen their ties to their group, and hence the group itself.

However, today’s references to “social networking”, at least concerning technology and culture, seem to be missing a vital ingredient. Real people. Living, breathing organisms.

Two people who never actually meet wirelessly swapping digital music files is not a social event. Now, a real social event (and perhaps even more effective way to meet other people, especially of the opposite sex) might be to offer, say, one bud of your earbuds to another while you stand with earbud’s reach, listening to a song together. Then, when the song is over, you might actually communicate, real person to real person, about what you liked and disliked about the song, the artist, the weather, you name it. Imagine the possibilities.

But no, we’ve managed to create our very own “Matrix” world where people become, in a sense, represented by ones and zeros. And the scary thing is, many times people can and do misrepresent themselves as they create their virtual personae. It’s like a digital mask, a costume we don when we sit down with the internet chat client, email program, or web browser.

I guess its human nature. When we communicate in anything but a face-to-face environment, we can more easily not be ourselves. Whether we’re writing a letter, talking on a cell phone, composing an email or text message, entering a chat room, or building our very own MySpace or Facebook website, we can be taller, more slender, better looking, smarter, funnier, bolder, and sexier than we would be across the table or coffee shop sofa.

Makes you wonder why video chat hasn’t caught on big among the anonymous throngs of web chatters. I know why. In a video chat, people can see and hear you. They can tell in the first few seconds that you don’t look like Mr. or Mrs. Brad Pitt, that your prepubescent face is erupting, that your braces are reflecting the computer screen’s glow, or that you’re actually 40-plus years old, “chunky”, and don’t wash your hair (what little you have) often enough.

© 2006 Peter F. Zimowski