Communication

We definitely live in a time when people communicate much differently than they did when I was young. And when I was young people were complaining about how no one was communicating anymore - the telephone had ruined everything. I was walking with my friends, this summer, when we had this conversation and I've been contemplating it ever since. Do we really communicate less or is it just different?

For instance, I rarely talk to people -- outside work and family -- face to face. I'm not stuck-up or anything, just uncomfortable. I always greet people with a friendly smile or a quick hello but don't go into full communication mode at the grocery store very often. My grandparents' generation would meet on a neighbor's porch and talk for hours. That kind of freaks me out. But, give me a telephone and close friend or my mother-in-law on the other end, then I'll chat for hours.

That type of conversation only happens with people I'm close to. But, a new handy dandy conversation piece was introduced to me last winter. It's name is Facebook. Through Facebook I have made contact with people I haven't seen or heard from in over 20 years. Then, through instant chat, I have a full-fledged conversation with them. I've chatted with a "renewed" friend for 90 minutes before. I would never have done that face to face. I've even chatted with six friends at the same time before. We would never have been in the same place to do that personally or over the phone. These friends live in New York City, Seattle, and everywhere in between. It is way awesome. I "talk" with people using this form of communication everyday - people that I will never see or telephone.

Last night, my daughter who isn't into expressing her inner most feeling EVER, got onto Facebook while I was on Facebook. We had a good lengthy chat about boys. It was really fun. Though I would like her to, she would not have told me these things face to face. But, that little instant chat has opened a window for us and may even open a door to her actually looking me in the eye and talking.

So, I think I've reached a decision. I communicate more now than I did before, it's just different. And, I think it is good.