Patric Lane, health and science editor at UNC Chapel Hill drew on Mark Twain to frame social media in his presentation at the WorldViews Conference on media and higher education in Toronto on Thursday.

Lane skilfully drew from Twain’s comments on the benefits of travel to highlight the appeal of social media.

In the original quote, Twain said (emphasis added):

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.

Lane substituted a couple of the words in the quote:

Social media is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Internet all one’s lifetime.

It was an effective way to point out how social media can widen our social circle and expose us to new experiences and points of view.

The latest Pew study on social networking suggests that social media can have a similar effect to travel. The report says there is “little validity to concerns  that people who use SNS experience smaller social networks, less closeness, or are exposed to less diversity.”

The study suggests quite the opposite. Social media, much like travel, can enrich our personal interactions, expose us to new ideas and foster engagement with our communities.

We can all learn from Mark Twain’s wisdom.

(Photo courtesy of Happy Via)

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