Ambient Awareness is a term social scientists use to describe the inordinate amount of information we know about others because we are now so digitally connected thanks to social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Our digital connections are now as common and familiar as our own environments (like the ambient noise of your laptop humming or the constant sound of your AC hard at work) and as encompassing as the air that surrounds us. You can read more about the subject in this Wired post by Clive Thompson or this post Breaking up is hard to do – on Facebook.

All that said, amazing business opportunities can result from ambient awareness. This greater connectedness can be used to enhance community, collaboration, entrepreneurship, creativity and more. Here’s what I mean.

Yesterday I had lunch with Josh and Jonathan and we brainstormed ways social media can be used to enhance effectiveness for the Region 2000 Technology Council. As it turns out, Jonathan connected with Josh to a greater degree only once he realized (through reading Josh’s twitter feed) that they had a shared interest that likely would not have been uncovered in a typical business relationship. This new-found connectedness prompted the lunch invitation where the three of us shared resources, gained greater insights and discussed potential opportunities.

I can’t think about “ambient awareness” without being reminded of a conversation I had last summer with Michael Hyatt. He shared how his marriage had been positively impacted by his and his wife Gail‘s mutual use of Twitter. He commented that like many couples, their routine was to talk on the phone once or twice during the day but they never really had time to connect. One or both would be busy or distracted. Twitter, they found, allowed them to stay connected throughout the day. He then made a powerful observation,

“It’s like our relationship has moved from dial up to broadband.”

I’m still pondering what all this means for me. For you, for marriages, for businesses and churches and chambers. But I know we’re on to something big, with tremendous opportunities ahead.

How might you see Ambient Awareness impacting your business? Your church or chamber? Your relationships? What positives can you see resulting from deeper connections with the people in your life?