Should I be working at a soup kitchen instead of Twittering? Or should I be volunteering at a food pantry instead of posting videos on Seesmic? I had an interesting conversation with my parents during a recent visit with them. When trying to explain how my father, who is a pastor of a church, could expand his reach of his sermons by posting them on the internet, I started explaining to them the possibilities of social networking.

I explained Twitter, and Facebook, and Linkedin, and my new love Seesmic. I explained how I made contacts with people all over the world with like minded interests and ideas. How I reconnected with friends and classmates and how I got recruited for my new job through LinkedIn.

It was met with a simple, “I don’t have the time” from my father and a “I don’t want people to know more things about me” from my mother. That I could handle. After all, social networking is not for everyone. In fact, some of the most web savvy, socially advanced, and cool people I know haven’t found the desire to network online despite my constant campaigning.

But what really hurt was what my mom told me next. “why don’t you use all that extra time to volunteer at a soup kitchen instead of doing all of those things.”

Wow.

Now I have heard some real doozys from my parents before but this one hit hard. In one swift sentence I was criticized not only for what I do with my time but the value it has to society.

This brings me to my question. What the hell are we doing all of this for? I mean, sure there are some great ideas and use of technology. Sure, I have met some amazing people through my networks (some who I may one day meet in person and some that I may never) But for what? What are your thoughts on this question?

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