Well, not long ago I was finally forced into the world of Facebook.
Oh my.
I obediently put in my school information.
Oh my.
I was suddenly swamped with friend requests from aqaintances from High School. These were people that I knew barely more than their names 25 years ago... we never hung out or talked or really knew each other. And now they want to be my friend? How strange is that?
Of course there were others, and I did find some people that truely were my friends back then... but the fact is it's been 25 years and we have gone different directions in that length of time. I feel awkward there.
But then there is another catagory of friend. I did have some good friends 25-30 years ago that I had lost touch with. People I spent a lot of time with, and people who had a profound impact on my life. Those have brought back some wonderful memories, and a few regrets as well. I hate that I lost touch, and even deliberately walked away from some of them. But now there is a chance to renew those contacts. That's cool.
But I wonder about this blog/facebook/texting community in general. It's a great way to keep up long distance, and a great way to find old friends... but it's not enough. I see kids texting conversations... why not talk? What about body language and tones of voice? What about handshakes and hugs? What about a shared meal or a cup of coffee? What about focusing on the person you are with and eye contact? We are physical people, and we need physical contact... does the next generation realize that?
1 comment:
I definitely think there will be social ramifications from the digital age we are in. I envision that the next generation will have even more technology, but that we will find them going back to what we know as traditional social avenues because of the impact I am guessing that it will have on our current generation.
Interesting post!
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