It seems like that’s what I get these days in lieu of actual communication with friends. So, this will be a short and sweet post, mostly commiserating about ‘the way it seems to be these days.’
First there was people talking to each other (believe me, this is something I actually experienced in my own lifetime). People actually met and talked. Or went to work and talked, or stood in line at the bank and talked or waited for a bus and talked. Ok, that’s probably still going on, it’s been a long time since I’ve taken the bus (because I work from home and maybe that’s why I’m writing this post).
So, when we wanted to talk to our parents or our high school buddies, we racked up a great big long distance bill. But then came email and so we didn’t need to talk so much and we could save money by just sending emails back and forth. And it was quick, not like writing a letter (does anyone do that anymore???).
Then cell phones became really popular – I remember being in Singapore in about 1999 or 2000 and being at a really fancy restaurant and all they GUYS were talking on their cell phones and we commented to each other that it’s really taken on here because number one, it’s where they make these things and number two, it’s because they haven’t got the same infrastructure as the US. Maybe we were somewhere in Malaysia.
So, flash forward a couple of years and we’ve got our cell phones (I’ll admit it, we were holding out..). So now no more long distance charges to call Mom. Then I move to a second location and still feel the need for a “land line,” because of my security system, so I go with an IP phone (my first one was with what’s their name, oh yeah, Vonage). Now no matter who I call from whatever phone, no phone bill.
So, maybe I talk to Mom more than I used to, but to everyone else? Email is mostly for business and spam. A couple or three years ago I created a Facebook account as part of an internet marketing class. I had no “real” friends, just IM classmates. Now, again, fast forward a couple of years and suddenly I’m friends with people I haven’t seen in years. But are we really friends? Not sure. People seem to be more fond of playing games than talking to each other.
Communications are down to sound bites (I guess we should have expected this all along thanks to TV commercials and political ads dating back decades…). Even when I email someone now I get back a 2 word sentence, if I get a response at all. Twitter bites, Facebook bites, something bites anyway.
I got more relationship from my cat, which is probably why I miss her so DAMN much. Anyway, she’s coming back, but that’s a different story. In the meantime, I’ll quit grousing about all this. As people are fond of saying these days, it is what it is.
