Dinner parties are one of my guilty pleasures.  I enoy them for all sorts of reasons.  For starters, they engage my creativity in planning a menu, figuring out who to invite and making a meal. 

They also stimulate great conversation. I recall one dinner during which one of the guests at the table made an interesting remark during a lively discussion on social trends which went something like this..." I wonder what this all means?  Are we changing in ways that we don't really understand?  is there more to what's happening than what we physically see?"

None of us could coherently answer the question. The truth was we didn't know.  I still don't know, but I'm clearer on one thing...there is a fundamental shift occuring in our system of values on a multiplicity of levels. 

Favorite as Opposed to New...

While browsing online today, I come across the "Conversation Group" and this post entitled "Favorite as Opposed to New"about the changing nature of what has Value today.  The author, a prominent social media strategist reflects about his journey in defining personal values. 

It's interesting that the blog post begins with the statement about the re-evaluation of the VALUE of homeownership.  I wonder if we recognize how much this current housing crisis is changing the dynamics of how individuals view the essential benefits or liabilities of owning a home.  We're in the process of a paradigm shift which has the power to transform our society and profession in some startling ways.  And it all starts with WHAT WE CHOOSE TO VALUE.

A couple of items mentioned in the blog post catch my attention:

• The search for authentic simplicity...the author's joy in the simple pleasure of gardening where one can see and touch the results of a simple labor

• Clothes which actually get better with age and the dissonance that emerges when things which don't wear out are at odds with a society which values constantly updating to acquire the next new thing.

• Relationships which are renewed after decades on social media sites when life has separated us by our personal successes and failures...but why do we persist in describing our 'friends' as 'contacts'?

This got my thinking about what I value personally and professionally. Looking over my list, it seems pretty traditional. But, Social Media is changing what we all value by virtue of increasing our exposure to ideas and shaping the context and manner in which we discuss them. 

This online world is where I work and spend a lot of my time. That choice is a statement of Value too. While, I don't sense that the online world will have the same sort of substance that my more traditional values in a physical world will, I know my engagment in this new frontier will not be inconsequential.

Questions remain about the values which will define this new age. "Will these connections continue to age like good friendships which easily reignite  with the full flavor of a well aged wine even after many years of separation? 

The online world is changing our relationships with the world of substance.  The challenge is to discover exactly what this means. 

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