5-4 Becoming Social in a Gesellschaft Back in 2014, journalist Federico Bastiani and his wife Laurel decided to find a way to elimi- nate the emptiness they were feeling in their lives. The couple had been living on Bologna, Italy’s, heavily residential Via Fondazza for three years but Federico’s work schedule had pre- vented them from making friends. Because of their social isolation, the couple could not set up play dates for their 20-month-old son, Matteo. “We could hear other children around us,” says Federico, “but we couldn’t just knock on doors to ask kids to come out and play with Matteo.” The couple regularly saw the same people but they never really interacted with them, nor did they see other people seeking out neigh- bors. Clearly they were living in the kind of impersonal social environment that character- izes Gesellschaft. Federico decided to create a Facebook page for the neighborhood. He publicized the electronic meeting place the old-fashioned way by printing out 50 flyers and putting them up in communal spaces and along the street. “Basi- cally, I explained my problem, and how eager we as a family were to socialize with others.” Within a couple of weeks the Facebook page had 93 followers who lived in the area. The expanding Via Fondazza group finally decided to give the project a name, “Social Street,” the first of its kind in Italy, with its own website. Word spread online and in the media about this Social Street, and within a few months there were 160 social street projects in Italy. Today Social Street has spread worldwide to Australia, Chile, Croatia, India, and Portugal. Online connecting is usually associated with people remaining inside and by themselves. Social Street, in contrast, promotes face-to-faceinteraction. It will be interesting to follow the spread of Social Street as it continues to pro- mote interpersonal interaction, even if the means it uses is more often viewed as making people isolated in today’s world. LET’S DISCUSS 1. Which aspects of a Gesellschaft community make it hard to form social contacts? 2. Why do you think the Facebook page was so successful?
5-4 Becoming Social in a Gesellschaft Back in 2014, journalist Federico Bastiani and his wife Laurel decided to find a way to elimi- nate the emptiness they were feeling in their lives. The couple had been living on Bologna, Italy’s, heavily residential Via Fondazza for three years but Federico’s work schedule had pre- vented them from making friends. Because of their social isolation, the couple could not set up play dates for their 20-month-old son, Matteo. “We could hear other children around us,” says Federico, “but we couldn’t just knock on doors to ask kids to come out and play with Matteo.” The couple regularly saw the same people but they never really interacted with them, nor did they see other people seeking out neigh- bors. Clearly they were living in the kind of impersonal social environment that character- izes Gesellschaft. Federico decided to create a Facebook page for the neighborhood. He publicized the electronic meeting place the old-fashioned way by printing out 50 flyers and putting them up in communal spaces and along the street. “Basi- cally, I explained my problem, and how eager we as a family were to socialize with others.” Within a couple of weeks the Facebook page had 93 followers who lived in the area. The expanding Via Fondazza group finally decided to give the project a name, “Social Street,” the first of its kind in Italy, with its own website. Word spread online and in the media about this Social Street, and within a few months there were 160 social street projects in Italy. Today Social Street has spread worldwide to Australia, Chile, Croatia, India, and Portugal. Online connecting is usually associated with people remaining inside and by themselves. Social Street, in contrast, promotes face-to-faceinteraction. It will be interesting to follow the spread of Social Street as it continues to pro- mote interpersonal interaction, even if the means it uses is more often viewed as making people isolated in today’s world. LET’S DISCUSS 1. Which aspects of a Gesellschaft community make it hard to form social contacts? 2. Why do you think the Facebook page was so successful?
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