Back to Blogging/Livin' in a Modern Age

So, this is my first blog post in well over a year.  It doesn't mean that I thought I figured it all out and then realized I hadn't.  It doesn't mean I was happy for a while and now I'm not.  It doesn't even mean I was depressed for a while and now I'm not.  It means that life happened.  Like whoa.  And eventually, I forgot this thing even existed until I had to submit a blog sample for a job I was applying to.  And so here we are.  The mighty return to Sterner Stuff:

Hands up:  Who hasn't made a personal phone call in months?  I'm not talking about, "Hey, you aren't answering my texts.  Are you getting them?"  And also, your parents don't count because they are from a generation where phone calls were still a major form of communication.  My point:  the only time in months that I have had a legitimate phone conversation with someone on a personal level was when I was stuck on a layover in St. Louis for three hours, and even then I had my trusty iPad out and was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed as I was talking.  And why is that?  Because we live in this Fahrenheit 451 era where we need to be talking to twelve people about twelve different things while we're checking our credit card statements with a re-run of Community going on in the background as we watch a YouTube video featuring all the clips of Kurt and Blaine kissing on Glee... not that we did that today...

I spent the entire day, except for forcing myself to go grocery shopping and treating myself to brunch with a book this morning, in my apartment and I still had conversations with 23 people.  And that's just the emails/facebook messages/text messages/tweets/OKcupid messages (we all do it) that had a back-and-forth conversation going.  There were many more of those sent that I haven't gotten a response from yet (and in the case of OKcupid, but hopefully not in the case of the other social medias, might never get a response from).  I talked to less people than that at a real live party last night!  It's a wonder, an incredible moment in the development of communication between human beings, but I have yet to hear from anyone whether it is actually a GOOD or BAD thing.  I know the terms are sweeping generalizations, but if we can definitively say that Hitler is bad, negating any time he may have held the door for someone or let Eva have the last stick of gum in a pack, and Ghandi is good, assuming he never farted and blamed it on the dog, then I'm sure we can do the same for the age of digital communication!

Let's make a pros and cons list.

PRO:  I can take my time responding so that I know I'm using (and spelling) every word correctly and crafting the exact tone to appropriately react to any situation.
CON:  No matter how carefully I feel I've crafted the response, since the person on the other end is reading words in black and white without my inflection to indicate sincerity versus passive aggression, my words are often misconstrued.

PRO:  No one can see me. Which is good because I cannot control my facial expressions.  And also, sometimes I'm not wearing clothing.
CON:  When I'm talking to attractive people that also aren't wearing clothing, I can't see them either.

PRO:  I can get a remarkable amount of work done in a small amount of time.
CON:  I can waste a remarkable amount of time googling stupid stuff when I should be working.

PRO:  I get to stay connected with people I might never get to see again.
CON: I have to stay connected with people I might never have to see again.

PRO:  Everything is practically in real time.  When something happens with one of my friends, I immediately know.  Often through multiple media forms.
CON:  I miss having a friend tell me either in person or on the phone.  I'm not really with them, experiencing their joy, when it's via text.  It's so amazing to walk up to the restaurant you're meeting them at and have them burst out of the door with news that they've had to hold on to for hours waiting to see you.

Okay, I see it.  I know.  This isn't as easy as Hitler V. Ghandi.  Digital media and its place in our lives is much bigger than war and peace, clearly.  So, here is my take away:  It's a tool.  Not like Todd Akin is a tool (a whole toolbox, really), it's a practical tool that we as humans can utilize to accomplish tasks. Digital communication can bridge gaps that were impossible or very difficult to traverse in the past.  It streamlines our interactions and makes much of our work more effective.

HOWEVER, I think it is very important to be sure that we don't forget what it means to actually be with one another.  I was on a cruise for a week with no phone and no internet (not because they didn't have access, but because it costs $0.65/min to go online and mama's not trying to break the bank to check on her Farmville) and it was so wonderful to have everyone making eye contact throughout dinner instead of making googly eyes at their phones.  It was even a pleasure to have to plan exactly when and where you would meet up with someone later in the night.

Once in a while, try to unplug and really be with the person you're with.  I know it seems like the world might end if you turn off your iPhone, but I promise the chances of that are slim.

Hope to literally see you soon.

And as a parting gift, two of my favorite people I don't actually know personally not actually texting each other: