A new study from O2, a Pan-European telecommunications company, claims the usual six degrees of separation has now fallen to three, due in large part to social media.

O2 asked adults to make contact with random strangers across the globe using only personal connections in these shared-interest categories. By linking their shared-interests, the participants were able to connect to that person in as little as three person-to-person links.

O2 says this smaller degree of separation is a direct result of social networking.

According to the press release, the research included more than 50 hours of in-depth interviews with adults across three different age groups, (18-25, 35-45, 55+) and found that:

• We are usually part of three main networks based on Family, Friendship and Work/Professional.

• Outside of these, we are part of five shared-interest networks based on a range of personal interests from Hobbies; Location; Religion; Sexuality; and Politics.

Now, I definitely agree with these results in that every day I am connecting and re-connecting with people through shared-interest networks. Just a few hours ago, I received an email from someone I knew ten years ago. He found me through the professional network Linked In. Although we only knew each other briefly, I've often wondered what became of him and thanks to social media, we are instantly back in each other's lives - albeit virtually.

Which brings me to one portion of the study I find a bit harder to believe. 97 percent of the participants said they felt “more connected” to people today than they ever have in the past.

Perhaps it depends on your definition of “more connected” and maybe I'm just coming off a long holiday weekend with friends and no Internet access, but this rings false to me.

As someone who spends the majority of her time in social media, I can say I am certainly more updated on what is happening in people's lives. For example, I now know through Facebook that the super hot Jabari is single again and my long-time crush Jeff's relationship is now “complicated.” Linked In tells me that John is hiring and Jeremy is buying keywords. I know from Twitter that BJ is researching hospitality data and Becky is hungry. But, does any of this mean I am “more connected” to any of them? And, it's not just within social networks. Earlier today I was curious to see if a certain group of friends will be attending my birthday party in a couple of weeks. Did I call them to check? No, I pulled up the Evite.

And, listen, I know this flies in the face of most of my posts about the power of social media in bringing people together and creating a personal brand engagement. But, as much as I support pulling consumers into your brand's story online, nothing takes the place of having that customer touch and feel your product. No amount of email exchanges with target media can deliver the connection of a phone call or a shared cup of coffee. As much as I love my tweets and pokes and nudges and shouts and network updates, we still need that face-to-face interaction with each other to feel truly connected and to truly build relationships - personal and professional.

So, yes, the degrees from which we are connected online are shrinking, but perhaps so is the depth of that connection. With that in mind, we should all remember the value of traditional media and communications tactics as we dive further into new and social media. And, I, for one, am looking forward to attending a live in-person PRSA luncheon tomorrow as opposed to yet another webinar.

Jennifer A. Jones

Speak Media Blog