SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
Six Degrees of Separation, The Film by John Guare
There is a well-known Broadway show and a movie by the same name called Six Degrees of Separation. The premise of the story is that if everyone were to go out six steps from a person they knew that eventually everyone would know everyone else. In other words, that we are all just six degrees from knowing everyone on the earth.
ZERO DEGREES OF SEPARATION
I disagree. I have come up with my own theory. It has zero degrees of separation. It is called the ‘Layer System’. This concept transcends time and space to the extent that geography and time do not limit the results. Accordingly, I believe that everyone who is supposed to meet will meet because we are ‘on the same layer’.
WHERE SOCIAL MEDIA FITS IN
What does this have to do with social media? Much more than you might think. Because the Internet speeds up the connection between people and eliminates geographic boundaries, it is like looking at my layers concept under a microscope.
Many people do what we used to call ‘surfing the web’? We randomly or serendipitously explore facebook, for example, seeking long, lost friends as well as discovering new connections that somehow feel familiar or meant to be.
I have experienced this as many times as I am certain others have. I want to de-emphasize the aspect of finding old friends. That has become easier and almost totally unsurprising. But it is the new ‘finds’ that I want to focus on.
ON MY LAYER
I have made some extraordinary connections. To me, there is no other explanation than they were meant to be. We have zero degrees of separation. I believe that we are simply on the same layer.
One example of this is a man in the UK who is extraordinarily talented with social media. He has taught me immeasurable amounts of information. Without the Internet, I would not likely have met him. But because of this mechanism that allows us to transcend time and space, I have been connected with him and am very grateful for it. Through him, I have met other extraordinary people.
MORE CONNECTIONS
I have interviewed people who I met online, on LinkedIn, which is a great source for connecting to others on the same level. In addition, I have had other Internet mentors and I even write for this blog due to such a zero degree separation connection.
IN CONCLUSION
3 degrees of separation from @blogspot.com
Call it what you will and I would be interested to hear what that is. I am convinced there are zero degrees of separation between us. We may never connect if we are not on the same layer. But thanks to social media, I am confident I will meet and engage with everyone I am supposed to know on this planet.
AUTHOR:
Alison Gilbert is a Digital Age Journalist. She is a regular contributing author to DBMEi, writes The Marketing Byte Blog and is The New York Graphic Design Examiner. Alison is the owner of MARKETING BYTES Solutions 4 Local Biz located on Long Island, New York.
This boutique style – very personal service – hybrid company specializes in helping local/small biz generate sales leads by combining the best of traditional advertising with the latest online marketing technology. Contact Alison Gilbert at info@marketingbytes.biz or call 516-665-9034 EDT/NY/US. MARKETING BYTES serves local/small businesses virtually everywhere.
SOURCES
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