Patti Anklam went to see Copenhagen at Boston's American Repertory Theatre (technically, it's in Cambridge, Mass.) the other night and, as a result, extends the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle to the social domain. In her post, "Heisenberg and Social Networks," she wonders whether the very observance of a social interaction, what she calls its "visibility," influences the interaction itself.
Given last night's immersion in thinking about what we can see and not see and the impact of observation on interactions, it was impossible to not beg the question of uncertainty. Certainly, people expect to meet and connect with others when they go to conferences or symposia, but to what extent and in what ways does the visibility of the connecting process impact the experience? Are ties made during the excitement of the moment any less or more durable than the ties that are not observed?
It's making me think about writing. If I send you an email, I say one kind of thing. If I send it to you and copy a bunch of other people, I say something different. Others are watching. Not certain that this is precisely what Patti is talking about...but what do you think about what she's saying?
