Trapped in the Digital Age...

“Very good work kids, you may now have a text break.” –New Girl on Fox

Yes, my friends.  This is what the world has come to.  What happened to the days of “talk amongst yourselves”?  These days it’s easier to text your best friend sitting one row behind, two seats to the left, than to hold an intellectual, human, non-technological conversation.  We now have entire worlds created in Virtual Reality where the whole purpose is not to talk to other humans. 

I saw an article that said people born before 1990 were going to be the last generation to remember using such things as rotary phones or even phones with a cord, rabbit ear antennae,  cassette tapes, records, dial-up internet, pay phones and the list goes on. 

I hated adjusting those rabbit ear antennae when I was younger.  Cable did not enter our household until I left for college therefore countless hours were spent trying to clear the picture.  And as it went, when you got the screen perfect and walked away, there went the picture!  Very frustrating!

Change like this happens in every generation.  My parent’s Peter Frampton records were replaced by my Ace of Base cassette tapes.  An 8 Track is something I’ve only heard about.  When my grandmother was courting, or stalking, my grandfather she would first have to get word from a friend in town as to his whereabouts.  Then hitch a ride on a wagon in the hopes that he was still around when she got there.  That is dedication my friends and it is apparently effective.  Today, all you have to do is ‘Check In’ and the whole world knows where you are. 

Back in my day, approximately ten years ago, DSL was just beginning and comparatively speaking it moved at a snail’s pace.  I actually remember the day I discovered an amazing new search engine called ‘Google.’  I told everyone I knew that it was far superior to the ones we were using, like AOL or Yahoo.  For those of you readers not around, Google in 2002 was far different from the Google of 2012, practically from the Mesozoic era

As far as cell phones are concerned, you would have considered yourself very lucky to have one if you were in High School.  My parents were definitely not on the ‘teenagers should have cell phones’ bandwagon.  They weren’t on the ‘Car’ wagon either come to think of it.  Oh the agony!  I had to take the bus!

This Christmas, while taking pictures on the iPhones of my High School aged cousins, it occurred to me that maybe these generations are the ones missing out.  Technology makes everything so easy that there is little need to think outside the box.

For example, the art of note passing.  There were many different ways to pass notes but here are my personal favorites.  In 8^th grade French class my friend Brittany and I went through practically an entire notebook a week with the teacher only catching us one time.  Even then, because we were good students, she only gave us a dirty look and kept walking.  The key there was good timing and quick hands. 

In High School, I had my note passing ‘Pièce de resistance.’  Every day in third period French II, I would write a note to my friend Bethany and stuff it down a crevice in the desk behind me.  Then in her sixth period French III class, she would write her response and place it back in the crevice for me to pick up the following day.  It was quite the successful fete if I do say so myself.

However, this might explain why I did so poorly grasping the French language.

A few years ago, I recall hearing a story about how Kiera Knightly threw her Blackberry into the ocean while filming Pirates of the Caribbean because she was ‘too available.’  Don’t think I haven’t thought of it myself.  The second I got my first Blackberry, I was hooked.  I got email, calls, text messages and more in one tiny device!  It was almost like the phone was calling my name saying, “Check me, Check me.”  Nine times out of then there was nothing there but then that one time you see that tiny little icon telling you that you have received a message.  Someone wants to talk to YOU!  How amazing!  “You have received 20% off coupon to Express.”  Darn, but maybe I’ll go shopping.

Sometimes, if my phone dies, I pretend I didn’t notice.  Although I am not sure why, it gives me some small sense of satisfaction.  I AM ALL POWERFULL and you will not control me!  Sadly, it lasts only a short while because I realize it is my lifeline to the outside world and so I plug it in the charger. 

Personally, I am a big fan of technology detox from time to time.  In my opinion, it is quite necessary.  Think of all the fun things you could do.  You could learn how to read a map!  You could talk to your family and friends face to face!  You could see sights and sounds that have been untouched my cell phone towers!  Or you could just let your phone die for a while and relax.  The beauty is that when people ask why you didn’t immediately return their call, text or email, you can respond, “Sorry, no signal.”  And that is not a lie!

It’s all time for us all to power down for a little bit and get back to basics.  Add some spontaneity and creativity back into your life.

Until Next Time,

~ E