As I do that today, which I hate to admit is no different from most days, I am dumbfounded by the question of why do I need to be CONSTANTLY updated on who is doing what, and is there a new event or message on my facebook that I need to respond to? Has someone put up pictures of something or someone that I might be interested in? Is there a new band or song that I NEED to know about??
Since when did life and mine especially have such an A.D.D quality that I can't stick to one simple task, like writing the easiest book review ever and filing it off?
Why do these things that don't actually matter to me at all, take up so much of my time?? Even now as I am writing this, I quickly responded to message on evil Facebook. What is going on here??
And the things is I am not alone. The message I just responded to was about dinner plans from a friend who works in just as intense a job as mine! What are we doing? Why do we need to be constantly updated? And who can I blame this on? I didn't even have a cell phone when I graduated university in 2001...Now I am constantly plugged in, I have my laptop on probably 18 hours a day, my iphone is NEVER turned off, it's my alarm clock, phone, scheduler, email access device for those odd times when my computer isn't attached to my side, my weather checker, it's everything!
So are these guys propelling me forward or holding me back?? A bit of both maybe??Do I need all of this?? Probably not, but do I feel totally lost without them?? YES. Is that natural or good??? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Am I going to change my ways tomorrow? Honestly, no. But I am conscious of this ridiculous obsession with the need for constant up dates and it scares me a bit.
It's not just me, I see how my friends are too and everyone around me. We all need immediate gratification. We know that when we send a text message the receiver has got it within seconds, so why don't they respond right away?? We all have our phones on us at all times. For the love of God, where has our patience gone?
The text message and twitter is proof positive that it has gone. Have I become a tweeter? No. Am I planning on it? Absolutely not, I need to draw a line somewhere, and I do not need that kind of immediate updating. BUT I do see it's validity, Look at what happened in Mumbai in November, because of twitter people knew about the attacks within minutes.
But do I need to know a friend had a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of bacon for breakfast? Once again the answer is no. How self-indulgent have we become???
I have another beef with the instant text as well, and I am just as guilty as the next person, what the hell happened to the phone call?? The need or want to hear another person's voice? To actually connect beyond a technical interaction. We have begun to use the text message as a cop out. It's less intrusive than a phone call, but it's also far less intimate, an honestly sometimes it bugs the hell out of me. It's ok for the quick update, but text conversations make me insane! Call me! Talk to me!
But I digress...Once again I am not sticking to the task at hand, the need for the constant update. I know most of you out there start your day when you get to work by checking your email, then your facebook, answering messages and commenting on statuses, photographs, replying to event invites, peeping exes profiles AND THEN maybe starting some work, after an ichat or two...
So what is next for us?? Are we going to have microchips in our clothes or skin that we can access anything anywhere and have anyone access us as well?? Do we want that? It would be convenient right? But what is the cost?? The art of conversation and language is disappearing before our eyes. I mean for Christ sakes, I have gotten articles from writers with LOL in them!
Are you kidding me??? An article is not a text message. Don't be so damn lazy! In the world of emoticons, IMing, text messaging, facebook friends and twitter, do we have hope to make it as real formed people?? I don't know, but I sure as hell hope so!
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