We're all always surrounded. Even when we are alone, we have access to other people and resources. Technology has brought about a huge change in the dynamics of daily social interactions. I often feel that I'm literally carrying the world in my pocket on a daily basis. From my cell phone, I can easily access thousands of people through texts, email, and the internet. Social networking in particular links people from all stretches of the world together. These networks are supposed to help us, right? It's nice being able to say you know 500 people. It's nice to be able to keep in touch with old friends. But, honestly, how many of those Facebook friends do you actually know? It's scientifically proven that the human brain can only handle social circles of up to 150 friends and even these 150 friends probably aren't true intimate relationships. Also, if you really want to keep in touch with someone you truly care about, wouldn't it be a better idea to make a phone call or video call, or write a letter? If you really cared, you would make that extra effort to express that care. The sporadic "hey how's it going?" "it's going great" conversations on Facebook walls don't exactly inspire sincerity. The same goes with texts. Texting is a great way to keep up with people, such as figuring out when and where to meet, etc. But to hold a full out conversation over text? That just seems kind of sad. What can you say in the 160 character limit? There's no room for any expression of emotions and ideas. This lack of expression essentially renders the conversation useless. Moreover, over-obsessing with these forms of communication results in losing the ability to hold on-the-spot, expressive conversations.
I love technology. There's absolutely no doubting that. But , I feel that our traditional ways of communication are much better. They allow people a chance to actually express what they want to say, and this expression is a huge aspect of human nature. It might be tough to think of what to say and put it to words on the spot, but that's more or less what makes life interesting.
I know that I've somewhat fallen victim to this, and the more I notice it, the more I want to change. I've felt more of a need to express my feelings and thoughts lately, and using texting and social networking isn't cutting it. Just because it's easier to communicate with technology doesn't mean that it's the best way.
omg, i love this post to death. i completely agree. there's a difference between writing a letter and simply typing up an email; one is an art, that takes careful thought and consideration and is an extension of one's self (through handwriting), while the other ...just isn't.
ReplyDeletefacebook is nice, and all that stuff, but i agree with you completely. it's all useless, except for convenience if you need to ask a quick question or if it's purely for networking purposes.
i miss writing letters and notes. i write letters and send cards but i usually don't get any in return, haha. i feel like its nice to be so connected but theres no more mystery and definitely less appreciation for the relationships you make as you go through life. the closer we get to each other, the more impersonal it all seems.
ok, i'm done. i just love this. excellent thoughts.