How the internet enables intimacy

Thanks to new technologies and social medias, professional and school environments in which individuals were previously isolated from their private sphere are now open to personal communications. Working days are now punctuated by interactions with family, friends, through, e-mails, phone calls, social networks, etc… But these personal conversations run counter to deeply rooted principles in the world of work that the individual must be isolated from his or her private sphere in order to maintain productivity and efficiency. Before, when people went to work they were only focused on the work they had to do. Some companies or administrations prevent access to social networks or prohibit the use of personal telephones during working hours, applying sanctions such as firing employees. A new digital divide is emerging between those who can and cannot use personal means of communication.  If a manager can tap on his smartphone in a meeting, a simple employee will not have the same freedom. We are not all equal in the freedom of our customs. However, in other companies, employers have introduced « Facebook time » to regulate the practice during working hours.

Stefana Broadbent explains why and how the nature of family ties and exchanges has changed. She analyzes all the consequences that personal communications can have on individuals' relationships with their employers. She demonstrates that private communications within a company, institution or school do not affect work or learning and are even beneficial. Differences in trust exist within organizations: while personal communications are severely restricted or even prohibited for low-skilled jobs, they are freely available to executives who are considered capable of self-discipline. Uses differ depending on whether we are talking about Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram or Whatsapp. However, the common point of these tools is that they are used to talk with our family, friends, a small group of four or five people. Contrary to the media flow which advocates the volume of personal networks accessible to all by modern tools, the number of our real contacts represents a handful of people. This result should makes us think about the definition of the word "friends" used by Facebook. These tools are changing our practices. Nowadays, we communicate all day long whereas in the past we we had to have to wait until the end of the day to chat with our friends. Our relationship with the public space is also disrupted, since we still bring a part of the private sphere into it. Our human relationships are partially modified by these new uses. But we are adapting ourselves. Depending on the network, the communication channel, the recipient, and language will be different. Messages published on twitter will not be the same as those published on snapchat and instagram's photos are not the same as those published on facebook. By Emma Lunte