It has been a little while since last writing, but it has been a busy few weeks. Actually, it has been a very busy couple of weeks. There is a lot to talk about with the economy and the government, but though these are important issues (and certainly they need monitored closely and I encourage you to do so), I wanted to write about something else tonight.
Things are not simple today. That is not the same as saying things are difficult, because difficult times transcend decades and generations. Things are always difficult. What I am talking about is generally, things are complicated and not simple anymore. Even though we have advanced technologically and are more connected than we ever have been in history, the reality is things are more complicated than ever. Are we better for it? It is hard to say.
People are plugged in constantly. They are either on their computer, their cell phone, their iPod, their Bluetooth, BlackBerry, or any other electronic device constantly. Whilst partaking in such activities, you then have to deal with the barrage of updates for all of these devices that are supposed to “make your experience more enjoyable”, whatever that means.
Socially, there are countless mediums. Email, text messages, Facebook (and other social networking sites), cell phones, video chat (Skype), instant messaging, and so on. The ways to communicate are endless, and bearing that in mind, your ability to keep up with each of these forms of communication is necessary because while some people prefer one way of communication, others will prefer another way. And for there being so many ways to communicate, it has become completely impersonal as time has gone on.
Example? Let us examine the singles scene and dating/going out/hooking up and compare different decades so we can see the effects of communication/technology.
1980s. Your primary means of communication in the 80s was a land line phone. For those of you who already forget what those are, the phones plugged into your wall and did not drop calls. As a result, your only option for communication was by phone and phone alone. If you wanted to ask someone out, you would ask for their phone number. Yes, simple I know. You call the house, they pick up, you go out. Simple. Calls would occur between morning and 11:00PM (unless you didn’t have other people living in the house or you were perfectly fine waking everyone up). You would have to wait to call back the next day. There was great comfort in this, and it actually worked to the advantage of people because it forced them to wait and was not instantaneous. You can learn a lot about someone from their reactions to waiting.
1990s. Advent of the cell phone. Email was catching on, but the phone was the primary means of communication still, and it was not acceptable to ask people out by email or Facebook (which strangely seems to becoming more accepted today, God help all of us). The cell phone probably was the greatest invention for dating and going out, because it really did make communication easier without a.) having to tie up the phone line at the house and b.) having your family probably within earshot of your conversation. But again, this was very simple, because the phone (even in cellular form) was still the primary means of communication in the 90s. It, did however, open the door for instantaneous communication, which continues to pose problems.
2000s. This is where things have become complicated. Email is now officially a norm. Texting has become just as big as talking on the phone. You have vast social networking sites which are cool but at the same time one more communication you need to keep track of. Video chatting is becoming more widespread as computers have improved. You still have your cell phone, but with limitless capabilities. Online dating sites are becoming a regular thing for many people and serve as a primary means of communicating with people to go out with. Of course, this is without so much as knowing how much of that information on that person’s page is true or knowing the character of that person that you could at least get a glimpse at in person.
Amidst all of this in the 2000s, we are dealing with instantaneous communication. I have had some friends freak out when a girl or guy does not return their text message right away. I have also had friends completely give up because the other person did not respond to a phone call, only to find out later that the girl sent a message on Facebook. And then you have these damn games people play with texting. You know what I am talking about too.
And did I mention that unless you are completely disconnected from the world of Facebook (and few this day and age are), the person you are going out with pretty much knows who you talk to on Facebook, what you are doing, when you are on, who your friends are, etc. etc. etc. And that has been a big problem for some people I know, even when there was no basis for getting into a fight.
People also forget that it was only ten years ago when waiting until the next day to hear back was normal.
I put the question to you: Is this better than it used to be? Be honest here. You might legitimately find this to make things 100% easier, but from my own experiences and the experiences of people I know, this seems to be a point of frustration that keeps turning up. For me, it comes down to this: one or two ways of primary communication or twenty? Personally, I know which one is less aggravating. Unfortunately, the “crazy train” that is technology is not making things any simpler.
Things are not simple today. That is not the same as saying things are difficult, because difficult times transcend decades and generations. Things are always difficult. What I am talking about is generally, things are complicated and not simple anymore. Even though we have advanced technologically and are more connected than we ever have been in history, the reality is things are more complicated than ever. Are we better for it? It is hard to say.
People are plugged in constantly. They are either on their computer, their cell phone, their iPod, their Bluetooth, BlackBerry, or any other electronic device constantly. Whilst partaking in such activities, you then have to deal with the barrage of updates for all of these devices that are supposed to “make your experience more enjoyable”, whatever that means.
Socially, there are countless mediums. Email, text messages, Facebook (and other social networking sites), cell phones, video chat (Skype), instant messaging, and so on. The ways to communicate are endless, and bearing that in mind, your ability to keep up with each of these forms of communication is necessary because while some people prefer one way of communication, others will prefer another way. And for there being so many ways to communicate, it has become completely impersonal as time has gone on.
Example? Let us examine the singles scene and dating/going out/hooking up and compare different decades so we can see the effects of communication/technology.
1980s. Your primary means of communication in the 80s was a land line phone. For those of you who already forget what those are, the phones plugged into your wall and did not drop calls. As a result, your only option for communication was by phone and phone alone. If you wanted to ask someone out, you would ask for their phone number. Yes, simple I know. You call the house, they pick up, you go out. Simple. Calls would occur between morning and 11:00PM (unless you didn’t have other people living in the house or you were perfectly fine waking everyone up). You would have to wait to call back the next day. There was great comfort in this, and it actually worked to the advantage of people because it forced them to wait and was not instantaneous. You can learn a lot about someone from their reactions to waiting.
1990s. Advent of the cell phone. Email was catching on, but the phone was the primary means of communication still, and it was not acceptable to ask people out by email or Facebook (which strangely seems to becoming more accepted today, God help all of us). The cell phone probably was the greatest invention for dating and going out, because it really did make communication easier without a.) having to tie up the phone line at the house and b.) having your family probably within earshot of your conversation. But again, this was very simple, because the phone (even in cellular form) was still the primary means of communication in the 90s. It, did however, open the door for instantaneous communication, which continues to pose problems.
2000s. This is where things have become complicated. Email is now officially a norm. Texting has become just as big as talking on the phone. You have vast social networking sites which are cool but at the same time one more communication you need to keep track of. Video chatting is becoming more widespread as computers have improved. You still have your cell phone, but with limitless capabilities. Online dating sites are becoming a regular thing for many people and serve as a primary means of communicating with people to go out with. Of course, this is without so much as knowing how much of that information on that person’s page is true or knowing the character of that person that you could at least get a glimpse at in person.
Amidst all of this in the 2000s, we are dealing with instantaneous communication. I have had some friends freak out when a girl or guy does not return their text message right away. I have also had friends completely give up because the other person did not respond to a phone call, only to find out later that the girl sent a message on Facebook. And then you have these damn games people play with texting. You know what I am talking about too.
And did I mention that unless you are completely disconnected from the world of Facebook (and few this day and age are), the person you are going out with pretty much knows who you talk to on Facebook, what you are doing, when you are on, who your friends are, etc. etc. etc. And that has been a big problem for some people I know, even when there was no basis for getting into a fight.
People also forget that it was only ten years ago when waiting until the next day to hear back was normal.
I put the question to you: Is this better than it used to be? Be honest here. You might legitimately find this to make things 100% easier, but from my own experiences and the experiences of people I know, this seems to be a point of frustration that keeps turning up. For me, it comes down to this: one or two ways of primary communication or twenty? Personally, I know which one is less aggravating. Unfortunately, the “crazy train” that is technology is not making things any simpler.
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The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown
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