In the course of conversation with a very good friend of mine, I had a head scratching moment which, while not rare in and of itself, gave me pause. I had made reference to playing a game of scrabble with another mutual friend in Facebook, of all places. The friend I was speaking to mentioned signing up for Facebook but admitted he would probably never update and it got us talking.
Flashback to 1970: You pick up the phone, carry on a two minute conversation and a plethora of information was conveyed between two parties. You exchange niceties and end the phone call.
Fast forward 37 years: Two people spend five minutes texting each other back and forth on their cell phones and the sum total of information passed is: LOL. In some cases, that is the sum total of the capabilities of both parties involved, which is pretty sad; really. Where does it leave us, when these new modern advances make things less efficient? When the advances in modern technology also do away with the banalities formerly known as respect, manners and being polite, or the ability to carry on a conversation? Are they really advances or all that advantageous at all?
Don't even get me started on bluetooth headsets, alright? NOTHING pisses me off more than those. Do people not realize how insane it is to walk around with that thing attached to your ear and looking like you are talking to yourself? Is what they have to say really all that important that it cannot wait, say, until they are done using the bathroom at their favorite restaurant?
I don't know, it just made me stop and think--in the fast pace of life today, what is really being lost? What are our future generations missing out on, when there is so very little human interaction necessary and people are all wrapped up in their own transfer of data instead of in conversing with an actual human being?
Now, having said all that, I really should admit that both the friend I was talking to last night and our mutual friend were people I met online. People I like and admire very much that I would not have ever met without the very advances I question, so I am not anti-technology by any means...it's just odd to me sometimes.
I could probably also mention that today I am having lunch with another person I met online, a fellow blogger that has recently moved to Central Florida...so stay tuned; I'll introduce you to her when I get home!
Things that make you go hmmmn...
Flashback to 1970: You pick up the phone, carry on a two minute conversation and a plethora of information was conveyed between two parties. You exchange niceties and end the phone call.
Fast forward 37 years: Two people spend five minutes texting each other back and forth on their cell phones and the sum total of information passed is: LOL. In some cases, that is the sum total of the capabilities of both parties involved, which is pretty sad; really. Where does it leave us, when these new modern advances make things less efficient? When the advances in modern technology also do away with the banalities formerly known as respect, manners and being polite, or the ability to carry on a conversation? Are they really advances or all that advantageous at all?
Don't even get me started on bluetooth headsets, alright? NOTHING pisses me off more than those. Do people not realize how insane it is to walk around with that thing attached to your ear and looking like you are talking to yourself? Is what they have to say really all that important that it cannot wait, say, until they are done using the bathroom at their favorite restaurant?
I don't know, it just made me stop and think--in the fast pace of life today, what is really being lost? What are our future generations missing out on, when there is so very little human interaction necessary and people are all wrapped up in their own transfer of data instead of in conversing with an actual human being?
Now, having said all that, I really should admit that both the friend I was talking to last night and our mutual friend were people I met online. People I like and admire very much that I would not have ever met without the very advances I question, so I am not anti-technology by any means...it's just odd to me sometimes.
I could probably also mention that today I am having lunch with another person I met online, a fellow blogger that has recently moved to Central Florida...so stay tuned; I'll introduce you to her when I get home!
Things that make you go hmmmn...
8 Comments:
I don't mind the headsets as long as people actually have their arms full. But I hate people that are just walking around, waving their hands around while they talk.
...and have you noticed that this technology has made it so our children can't spell? Who needs to be literate when our computers are for us?
But don't you see that the joy of the bluetooth is that when I actually AM walking around talking to myself - people just think I'm on the phone.
I think you have to have a balance, especially to have a deeper friendship of any kind.
I know a lot of people online that I only ever share emails or comments with. But then there are some who I talk to, etc. etc. and it is definitely different.
One of my very best friends I've known for almost 8 years. She lives in California and we've never met face to face, but we talk on the phone a lot. If it hadn't been for the Internet, etc. we would have never met - and I can't imagine how I would have gotten through some things without her.
But if we'd only had text or email... it surely wouldn't have been near the same.
Steen, you are right. When serving their intended purpose, they are great, I agree!
Molly, Whut do u meen, kidds cant spell? lololol!!!11!
Melizzard, you have the best reason, EVER, to use one. I love it and should adopt it as my own to explain my blathering to myself. Now to go and get an ear roach.
Britt, I totally hear you! I do--and I have met some mighty fine people online where the relationships have crossed over into 'real life' and have been a better person for them. As you said though, you wouldn't have that level of intimacy if it was limited to text or email alone.
I guess my point was just that I think something IS being lost in the transition and it is something to be aware of.
Don't get me wrong though, I love my computer--a lot of my friends live inside it!
I completely understand. Imagine the horror when I IM'd my mother (who lives less than 5 minutes away) and she said, "What are u up to?"
U?!?!? I'm more horrified at the thought of future generations not knowing how to spell except in some abbreviated form!
It's an interesting conundrum because on one hand my closest friend that I love like a sister is someone I have never met face to face. On the other hand, I notice that many people online tend to be far more aggressive since they feel they are talking to faceless monitors not real people.
I agree with you completely, there are definitely some things that are lost or are lacking in this tech-friendly existence.
OK unlike all of you I remember the day when there was no internet, when we only had one TV channel, when famillies played cards etc in the evening, and when you didn't know where your kids were cause they were OUTSIDE playind tag or hide and seek etc etc, but we never worried... It was good
I also know more than one person now who has met their "soulmate" on on line chats and have come together in perfect harmony, and still are perfect together years later....
My thought is... too bad we had to give up one for the other... the joys of your kids running happily and free outside, to the TV loving , video game/movie/computer/gadget bound fanatics of the present... Wish there was a way to have a blend of both.... Just like us humans, always stretching the limits, never satisfied,
If you asked any 100 year old now what the best thing in their life was, or in 50 years from now what the best thing in a 100 year old's life is, I bet it would be the same.... nothing but LOVE no matter where it comes from..
Something to always remember
P.S. Love ya!!!!
Auntie Lynne
....and that is the irony of technology!
One would think that common courtesy and human decency would come easier with the conveniences we now have.
Not so I guess.
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