Do you remember the
time before Facebook, instagram, snapchat or even myspace? A time when selfies
were unheard of, no one knew where you ate a meal, or what your current emotion
was. If you wanted to communicate with people you were thankful for t9 on your
phones and shocked when touch screens came out expanding how many words you
could fit in a message. Emails were around, but not very popular. Stamps were
35cents. Pictures could be attached to an email or printed and mailed in an envelope.
How technology has advanced us. Or has it?
I’ll be the first to
admit, I was a teenager and college student obsessed with Facebook. I was
constantly on it chatting or just doing random things. The Lent of my sophomore
year, I gave up Facebook and it was harder than I ever expected it to. Now, I
don’t know how I wasted so much time.
On the weekends I can
usually go someplace to connect another device to wifi to check email and update
photos. I can usually get Facebook on my brick of a phone throughout the week;
however, it takes phone birr to log on and send messages. I can’t see people’s
pictures or emoticons throughout the week. If I want to post or send anything
during the week it has to be less than 120 characteristics (spaces count). I
can no longer rant about something or take awhile to get to the point. Many
things I want to say, I literally cannot post as a status and take many
messages to send to friends and/or family about instead. I can’t “check in”
where I just ate or went.
Don’t get me wrong,
Facebook is a great website. It allows one to connect with people all over the
world and stay up-to-date on the lives of friends, family and celebrities. I
wouldn’t have been able to talk with my family as much as I have without it.
However, what I wonder about is what is being put on Facebook. I scroll through
and realize how many things posted are petty and non-essential. How many things
are just shared and liked because the button is so easy to push. Some of my
friends seem to share every meal, trip, and emotion. Does that show a
dependency on electronic relationship verses personal ones?
How would your
Facebook or any online activities change if you had to fit your message into
120 characteristics? That question took 113.
Words are important.
Relationships are important. Feeling connected is part of what makes us human.
Finding a balance in all of them is important. I will always value you as a
friend no matter if you post 129 statuses a month or 3. I am thankful to be
your friend if I see 19373 photos of you in a month or none. I want to know
what you really think, so choose your words with care and precision.
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