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Communication Breakdown
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By:
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BillyG
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Mood:
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other
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Date:
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03/25/2008 21:15:59
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Music:
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None
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The information superhighway. A series of tubes. Teh interwebs. A place to share porn. All synonyms for the place we inhabit called the internet. And maybe making the internet a habitat for humanity is where the problem lies. The internet brought the world plenty of great innovations, but there is one aspect that has been a focus of mine lately. The ability to communicate in the digital age with another human. The majority of people, at least in North America, have in the last 10 years used some or all forms of new age communication; email, instant messengers, social networking sites, forums, bulletin boards, cell phones, text messages. A lot of people do not even keep land line telephones thanks to the relatively cheap and efficient cell phones. So with all of these new ones to get in touch with someone, why does it seem harder than ever to just hold a conversation and really get to know someone? Going back to when I first was getting online with Prodigy if someone wanted to talk, you just gave them a call. Sure, you might be worried that the apple of your eye's father might pick up and tell you not to call past 9:00PM, but eventually you got on the phone and talked all night. Or if you wanted to go play basketball with your friends you made the calls, picked a time, and everyone got together. But now? Well the girl might send you a text or an email letting you know to call around 7, because they'll be able to talk then...but oh sorry, they're running late, can't talk...but why oh why do you keep texting me to chat? Just wait and call me! If you want to set up something with a group of friends on a Friday night it would be best to send everyone a message on Myspace, then send out a text with a link to a map to the bar you're going to meet at. But no one is going to call and talk to everyone about meeting up. The worst is dating in this digital age. I've found it damn near impossible to just give a girl a call, get a straight answer, and be able to chat for a little while. Instead it's "let me IM you after my shower" or "I'll text you after dinner with my folks" or some other forum of digital communication. Then it ends up we never get a chance to get to know each other. Sure, we go to dinner, have drinks, hang out at each other's place, but then we are both basically running off physical attraction, and not much of substance is ever said. Sure, I love a roll in the sheets as much as the next guy, but eventually I'd love to talk to the girl about more than where she wants to grab breakfast.
So, with all these new digital ways to get in touch with each other, why does it seem that so many people have trouble connecting? Is it a generational issue, where many more people are just looking for a ride and then to scoot out the door? Sure, this generation might be more liberal sexually, but I can't believe that such a great number wants to avoid emotional contact.
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