In ancient times (back when I was an early teen), we had our own cliques.
The Racks
With their black eyeliner and beehive hairdos.
The Greasers
Who channeled Elvis long before Vegas.
The In Crowd
Doesn’t every generation have one?
The Hippies and Flower Children came later.
Me? I was into sports, so I didn’t think I fit any of the cliques. Of course when you’re that age, a girl, and into sports, kids have another label for you.
Aren’t you glad we left all that behind?
Or did we?
Technology Advances(?)
Communication is the heart of relationships. Professional or personal, communication causes more joy, more angst than any other human trait.
- Communication is the vehicle of expression
- Communication shares what we know, what we feel
So, for all of our technology advances, wouldn’t you think we’d be better at communicating?
Instead, we are thrown back into our drama-filled teen years.
There are more ways to be ignored.
- Silence greets posts on walls, Twitterdom, and the blogosphere
- Connection requests go unanswered
- Phone trees mean you never have to speak to another human
There are more ways to be rude.
- Insults hide behind faceless gravatars
- Vicious attacks go viral
- Gossip gathers speed
Think before you speak should now include – Think before you Send.
Connected, But Alone
I first saw this TED video of Sherry Turkle, MIT professor, at my writer friend, John Soares’ Productive Writers website.
If you have not seen the video, take the opportunity to do so. It’s almost 20 minutes in length, but I think it is well worth the time.
The video may get you thinking – and caring.
And isn’t that what communication is all about?
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Live…Laugh…Love
I dunno, Cathy. There may be more opportunities to be ignored but there sure are also more opportunities to connect – look at us, in the same town for years and never met until you moved and we found each other online.
I fully agree there is a very positive side to our enhanced form of communication. It helps me stay in touch with family members across the country and I see their children grow up through shared photos.
This video simply resonated with me as I have observed the downside of too much of the technology good.
I do appreciate your positive spin, Anne, which this Pollyanna needs to focus on. 😉