The spread of personal computers has led some to think that face-to-face communication is becoming a thing of the past. The media often portrays people, especially young urban dwellers, as spending most of their time sitting at home in front of their screens playing games, emailing friends and sharing their opinions online. If they ever see their neighbours, it is only to nod as they pass them. But is this right? There is some evidence that most still need personal interaction and are looking for ways to meet.

Inspired by TV
Combine the popularity of TV programmes like the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and people’s need for interaction and you have dance clubs. Dance clubs that teach people how to dance have become more popular recently as people have been inspired to salsa off the sofa to meet new people. Clare ,29, from Cheshire, comments, ‘My husband and I go dancing every Monday for an hour I like watching the dancing programmes on TV and decided to give it a go. We meet new people and it’s something we do together’.

Watching out locally
Neighbourhood groups of one kind or another are becoming more common in cities.  Whether it is a group aiming to regenerate the local area, organise a street party or watch out for burglars, this sort of group can play an important part in fostering a sense of shared public space. Heather Brooke set up an initiative called Meet Your Neighbours. As she says, 'These days, there are few opportunities to meet our neighbours. We’re hardly going to knock on everyone’s door and introduce ourselves!'  A charitable group called Streets Alive assists residents to organise parties to help get to know each other. One area of Bristol has held around 25 street parties.

Learning a skill
There has also been a boom in evening classes for adults. You can study anything from politics and winemaking to flower arranging and baking. One student admits that doing such a class gets her out of the house and helps her to meet other like-minded people. Anne from Somerset says, ‘It gave me the chance to meet intelligent people with similar interests, and exercised the brain a lot more than a night in front of the TV.’

Magnus and Lucy
February 2007

Trend UK -> UK Lifestyle -> Current Page