If you were invited to a dinner party full of strangers... Would you go?
Essentially, all individuals attend a dinner party completely blindsided, with little to no knowledge as to who else will be in attendance. The article calls it a "modern-day murder mystery dinner" (Moss, 2014). Although, this pessimistic perspective is a natural human response, as individuals tend to be careful and suspicious - it is suggested to view the dinner party as an opportunity to network with others. In other words, this dinner party is viewed as a 'network sociality.'
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| The image above is a dinner party invitation sent out by a user of 'Secret.' |
This same concept was discussed in the article called, "Network Sociality" by Wittel. 'Network Sociality' is described as looking at the social aspect of networked work.
- Essentially, it is how people interact with each other and how this
affects outputs of the organization. Wittel uses the example of a "Email Dinner Invitation." He shares with readers how he received an e-mail while doing fieldwork in London. The e-mail subject line stated, "you are all doing interesting and interlinking consciousness industry shenanigans but you may discover as we go along" (Wittel, 2001, 58). This insinuates that the readers of this e-mail do not know each other, and conversation will revolve around work life rather than personal life. In other words, this dinner party is an opportunity to meet new people within their industry or other industries, which in turn may provide value to their current work and future careers.
How do you view dinner parties? Do you think they provide individuals with valuable opportunities to further network and expand their horizons? Why or Why Not?
Lastly, do you believe the smartphone application called 'Secret' is considered a network sociality?
Appendix A:
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| Smartphone Application 'Secret' Guidelines |
References
Moss, Caroline.
2014. "A Bunch Of Strangers That Met On An App Have Formed A 'Secret
Society' To Throw Invite-Only Dinner Parties." Business Insider .
08 21. Accessed 03 19, 2017.
http://www.businessinsider.com/secret-dinner-parties-2014-8.
Wittel, Andreas.
2001. "Network Sociality ." SAGE 51-76.
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This quite creative; virtual reality becomes reality. It's a good way to meet new people and take online networking to where you can perhaps foster some professional relationships. However, the group may end up being too diverse to be relevant to your 'work world' is all cases. Still it seems like a good idea and some positive outcomes possible. It's -- in a way -- using the power of the app, to cast a social net to help with building an old style community of people with common interests.
ReplyDeleteDinner parties were something I was introduced to at a young age due to my fathers membership at the University Club of Toronto. The dinner parties at the club were different, because everyone that had joined this club new someone or had some relation to the club. This meant people were not complete strangers. These kinds of opportunities I think allow people to work with one another and help each other.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alyssa, this is pretty creative and reminds me somewhat of the board game "Clue" - especially considering the way in which the article describes the app.
ReplyDeleteI think that this app can also somewhat be related to the article by Nigel Thrift that we discussed in class titled "The Insubstantial Pageant." In it, he mentions that one of the principles of enhanced productivity of expression deals with the fostering of social knowledge. This can be achieved from open office environments in which individuals share ideas and learn more than they could through working solo. Although they are not necessarily the same thing, I believe that this app could be a play on the open office environment that he discusses, which promotes collaboration and encourages the networking of individuals within the same company. The only difference here is that strangers can connect, which could potentially give them the opportunity to network outside of their circle - if they are lucky enough to be paired with individuals whose skills or connections could benefit them in some way.
I'd be interested to see where this goes.
I definitely agree with Alyssa also, this is a very creative innovation. When I first read the post, I automatically thought of Tinder. I think this app could have potential as it allows for networking without having to do much work as the app does the work for you. However, I would be concerned with the fact if the connections would actually be useful or not?
ReplyDelete