In the article “The Real Social Life of Wireless Public Spaces”, Anthony Townsend discusses how he and his colleagues at NYCwireless had been doing experiments to see how wireless connectivity in public spaces affects the people within the space, and the space itself. He briefly mentions how wireless connectivity and Facebook, in particular, have greatly expanded our weak social ties. By “weak social ties” Townsend means that the ability to keep in contact or even meet new people is at a reduced level. He suggests that by incorporating wireless networks into area allows for greater levels of social ties. However, I would argue the opposite. Social media like Facebook does not encourage the idea of creating strong social ties. How many of your “friends” on Facebook do you actually keep in contact with? Maybe 10% or less… Townsend states that 79% of people visiting Bryant Park come alone and stay alone. How does the introduction of wireless connectivity then create strong social ties? To me, the best thing about social media besides being able to quickly communicate with others is its ability to organize events with large numbers of people quickly. Perhaps this is the best aspect of creating socially interactive wireless connections.