I had lunch with a physician colleague recently. In the course of our discussion Twitter came up and I tried to explain its potential benefits. But despite my spot-on analogies he just didn’t understand why this would be of value to him.

Then I realized it may very well have no value for him.

As a middle-aged divorcee with college-aged children and a stable practice he freely admits that he doesn’t yearn for much. Investment into his career isn’t a priority. He has few aspirations beyond digital photography which he prefers to do alone. He’s actually very happy just as he is.

So what’s value proposition for Facebook with someone like this? What’s the return on involvement with Twitter? I’m not sure there is one.

There are those who recognize the value of relationships and there are those who don’t. There are those who recognize the value of relationships but find them less important. While the benefits of social media are obvious to those who reap the benefits, there are those who have no aspirations beyond what’s in their immediate environment.

And technology will never change that.