mind your p's and q's...not your inbox
imagine your life without your tv/dvr, laptop, internet, email, cell phone and ipod--i can't, and i don't want to. without a doubt, technology is amazing. each of these inventions have not only made our lives a little easier and a little more entertaining, but as a side-effect, they have also ushered in dramatic cultural shifts in the way we communicate, do business, and more viscerally, in social decorum.
a few years ago, i recall having dinner with my sister at some chain restaurant when she criticized me for plopping my cell phone on the table near the salt and pepper shakers, and later cringed in embarrassment when it rang (fortunately, i've never been one to select potentially embarrassing pop songs for my ring tones). but at the time, it's just what i did. i had become accustomed to always being available, answering the phone whenever it rang, and texting like it was my job.
how the tables have turned.
i was a college student then, and over the past few years, while it has become increasingly fashionable (and increasingly expected) to be available at all times, at all places, simply because we "all" have cell phones, i have become increasingly disgusted with it all. clearly, there is danger of hypocrisy in my sentiments, but i can say with complete honesty and assertion that when it comes to technology in social settings, less is definitely more.
many of us have replaced our landlines with cell phones, and that's great. we're all entitled to lengthy convos in the comfort of our homes, but on the outside world, lets reserve the calls for eta-checks and emergencies. is there anything more obnoxious than feeling like a third wheel when there are only two of you in the car or on the street? the same, of course, goes for dining, shopping, and any other social activity involving people not speaking through an electronic box.
blackberries, treos, and expanded-feature cell phones are fine during a business lunch (annoying, but fine), but there's absolutely no reason anyone needs to check their email every five minutes at dinner, or text everyone in their phone book witty little comments inspired by the conversation, fellow patrons, or humorous moment from earlier in the day while they're waiting for their food (or worse, eating). trust me, it can wait until after dessert.
the source of the problem is not so much in the toys themselves, but in the way in which these toys have allowed us to change the way we communicate. we are no longer content to wait until someone returns a phone call we left on an answering machine last night. snail mail is reserved for jury summons, wedding invitations and greeting cards. (when did getting "real mail" become such a novelty?) we don't even have to actually talk to each other anymore, because the quickest and easiest way to convey a thought is in a one-way text message. all of this equates to a generation if impatience and boredom.
so impatient that we are annoyed when our calls are sent to voicemail, and expect emails to be returned within half a day. so bored that we can barely sit through a meal or conversation without playing with our toys, and if we're not playing with them, we're passing them around so other people can play with them.
the solution? throw it all away and party like it's 1982!...or not. i realize it's not possible, realistic, or efficient to step backwards when it comes to technologies of today, but what we all do really need to learn is how to live with technology, not without it. my personal choices include keeping my cell phone on a silent setting 95% of the time, reserving my ipod for the privacy of my solo commute, and keeping my cell phone use to a minimum in the presence of others.
sure, we all slip, and there are exceptions to every situation, but let's all make a conscious effort to make the world [sound-]pollution free (and, maybe we'll all live in harmony!)
a few years ago, i recall having dinner with my sister at some chain restaurant when she criticized me for plopping my cell phone on the table near the salt and pepper shakers, and later cringed in embarrassment when it rang (fortunately, i've never been one to select potentially embarrassing pop songs for my ring tones). but at the time, it's just what i did. i had become accustomed to always being available, answering the phone whenever it rang, and texting like it was my job.
how the tables have turned.
i was a college student then, and over the past few years, while it has become increasingly fashionable (and increasingly expected) to be available at all times, at all places, simply because we "all" have cell phones, i have become increasingly disgusted with it all. clearly, there is danger of hypocrisy in my sentiments, but i can say with complete honesty and assertion that when it comes to technology in social settings, less is definitely more.
many of us have replaced our landlines with cell phones, and that's great. we're all entitled to lengthy convos in the comfort of our homes, but on the outside world, lets reserve the calls for eta-checks and emergencies. is there anything more obnoxious than feeling like a third wheel when there are only two of you in the car or on the street? the same, of course, goes for dining, shopping, and any other social activity involving people not speaking through an electronic box.
blackberries, treos, and expanded-feature cell phones are fine during a business lunch (annoying, but fine), but there's absolutely no reason anyone needs to check their email every five minutes at dinner, or text everyone in their phone book witty little comments inspired by the conversation, fellow patrons, or humorous moment from earlier in the day while they're waiting for their food (or worse, eating). trust me, it can wait until after dessert.
the source of the problem is not so much in the toys themselves, but in the way in which these toys have allowed us to change the way we communicate. we are no longer content to wait until someone returns a phone call we left on an answering machine last night. snail mail is reserved for jury summons, wedding invitations and greeting cards. (when did getting "real mail" become such a novelty?) we don't even have to actually talk to each other anymore, because the quickest and easiest way to convey a thought is in a one-way text message. all of this equates to a generation if impatience and boredom.
so impatient that we are annoyed when our calls are sent to voicemail, and expect emails to be returned within half a day. so bored that we can barely sit through a meal or conversation without playing with our toys, and if we're not playing with them, we're passing them around so other people can play with them.
the solution? throw it all away and party like it's 1982!...or not. i realize it's not possible, realistic, or efficient to step backwards when it comes to technologies of today, but what we all do really need to learn is how to live with technology, not without it. my personal choices include keeping my cell phone on a silent setting 95% of the time, reserving my ipod for the privacy of my solo commute, and keeping my cell phone use to a minimum in the presence of others.
sure, we all slip, and there are exceptions to every situation, but let's all make a conscious effort to make the world [sound-]pollution free (and, maybe we'll all live in harmony!)
posted by mark at 3:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home