Social media amplifies the sense of alienation for me because it is so easy to broadcast to a wider audience. Unlike writing a blog, when you post something on Twitter, Facebook, or Friendfeed, people have opted-in to receive your updates. Because they've opted in, I'm left with the idea that people “like” me, or at the very least they think I'm interesting. It makes me think that people are more invested in the exchange than they actually are.

Isn't difficulty in understanding intent and the lack of access to communication modes beyond the words themselves a common complaint with any form of electronic communication (which probably started even before email became ubiquitous)? Does social media just magnify that?