I grew up on different music than most of my friends. Even though our age difference might only be 2 or 3 years, those two or three years are huge. They don't remember when 2pac and Notorious B.I.G. were alive. They don't remember hanging outside all day long listening to their latest CD on your walkman. I got to experience that. I remember being heartbroken on March 9th,1997 when Biggie died. I'm thankful that Mister Cee still pumps his music on the radio to keep his memory alive. My 14 year old brother has no clue who anyone I just mentioned is. So much for the memory.
I remember spending all day on AOL chat rooms because that was the cool thing to do. A/S/L?
I remember watching pro wrestling when Hulk Hogan was still the champion and no one ever heard of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. I also remember WWE when it was the WWF. And I have the common knowledge to know that pro wrestling in general is really just a reflection of society.
So when did everything because so different? I was in High School in the late 90's, for the record the 90's were the best decade as far as movies, music, and TV go, and you were cool if you owned a beeper.
No one had cell phones. There was no text messaging. I had three beepers, a black one for my friends to page me at, a red one for the ladies of my life, and a blue one for something else I won't mention. The red one was hardly used (insert sad face here) But do you know what was awesome about a beeper? Nothing. You had to find a payphone in order to call someone back. Do people even use payphones anymore?
There was no facebook or myspace or twitter.
If you wanted to find out what was going on that night, you did things the old fashion way. You either called someone at their house or you walked to their house. Do you know what this did? It made you form a relationship with your friends parents. How many parents nowadays even know who their kids hang out with? You got know them and they got to know you. Parents loved me, by the way. With cell phones, texting, email, and etc. that relationship seems to be lost in the shuffle, not the shuffle mode of your iPod.
My point is simple. I honestly believe for everything positive technology brings us, I feel like we ignore the negative aspects of it. It's easy for cyber bullying to exist nowadays. Most people don't have the courage to pick on someone in person. That's why growing up, I had one bully in every class. Nowadays, you can have 30 in one chatroom, formspring, or whatever. Relationships face new problems. Who hasn't heard the line, "Why do you have their number?" before? God forbid you have a friend of the opposite sex. And why is this more than a matter of insecurity? Because if something is going on, the whole world is going to know about it. Bob from Japan and Hideki from Canada (you see what I did there?) will probably know your relationship is over before you do because once it is on facebook, it is official. The invention of fantasy sports takes away some of the classic debates we had about our favorite sports. Things go viral. In 1997, if something when viral, you went to the doctor. I just feel that some of our interpersonal communication has been affected because of technology. We've become robots. There is no face behind a text message. I have to assume what mood the person I'm texting is in. Everything is so different now. I regret not enjoying the 90's more now. I wish I could remember more of the 80's. Maybe the real problem is, things are too easy nowadays and we don't know what to do in the face of dilemma because we've never had to because of technology. Which is why more people commit suicide over something internet related, more people are depressed, we celebrate alcoholics and druggies, and we worship celebrities.
Cheer me, boo me, just do something.
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I can identify with a lot of the content you're referring to in this post. A "social network" was a group of people you could call at any moment to talk about absolutely nothing. "Friending" someone was being on their team in a game of pick-up basketball and developing a relationship after the game ends. "Liking" something meant you laughed, smiled, grinned, or nodded your head in acknowledgment.
ReplyDeleteYes, all these things have changed. And, to some, they've changed for the better... though I don't think I get that from you in this post. It seems that you've set a scale where, on one side, you have interpersonal communication and, on the other, you have electronically mediated communication. And if you have too much of one (EMC) you lose a significant portion of the other (Interpersonal). Do you think that's always the case?
I feel like while interpersonal communication has taken a hit, a new world of communication has opened up. As you put it, "electronically mediated communication" can have its advantages. Time is one of them. But on the other hand, I feel like a live conversation with someone can be awkward at times because you can't hide behind a computer screen.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest fear is that we lose some our humanity. Or expose our humanity for what it really is...
I really enjoyed reading this because it brings back memories of easier times. It's strange how ironic that is-new technology is created to make things easier, but in countless different aspects, things become more difficult.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many problems with having these advancements in technology, for example, the cyberbullying that you were alluding to and its tremendous impact on suicide rates.
And I absolutely understand where you're coming from when you say that your "fear is that we lose some of our humanity." It is easy for someone to do or say anything that they want, completely uninhibited, if they are safely sitting in a computer chair; yet, they would never have the audacity to have the same behaviors in person. (As I'm writing this, Pix News on channel 11 is on speaking about a student who just committed suicide because of cyberbullying).
I, too, find myself lingering between the past and the future, weighing the pros and cons of the technological advances we have undergone over time. It's hard to accept that humans may never interact the same way again. These days, everything seems so impersonal. You can get to know someone through textual conversations, but meet them in person, and everything could be completely different.
I think it's weird how you can meet someone on a social network, feel like you know them because of their personalized profiles, and yet you might pass each other on the street without even realizing it. It's sad to think about the possibility of the disintegration of humanity, but at this point, we have no choice but to move forward.
I'm glad you get my point. I think the only way to prevent this technological disaster is to show restraint. For example, I don't have a text only relationship with girls I just meet. I give it like a week and if I haven't talked to you over the phone, good bye! haha And the only reason I do that is because I don't want a relationship with someone who isn't real. When you text someone new, they are a fantasy with little realism.
ReplyDeleteI still think I'm the only one who leaves voicemails, too. Maybe that's the old school answering machine way of thinking I have but I can't remember the last time I had someone close to my age leave me a voicemail.
And I love your point at the end about passing by someone and not even realizing they are your "friend" on facebook. Just think about our facebook convo the other day. Case and point. :)
I agree with Caroline's point regarding "restraint" involving the electronic digital media. I also recognize Ryan's point about "maintaining humanity." To me, the "restraint" and "humanity" can go hand-in-hand with something like an "Internet Ethics" class or a code, working consensus, virtual-social norm that most web users can reference when wondering, "What's the point of this massive, imaginary thing called 'The Internet.'" Such education will, as I think we all talked about in class the other day, help to restrain bullying, stalking, etc
ReplyDeleteI still don't know about the "Internet Ethics" class or code. I still think the bully gets a louder voice. No matter what happens, there will always be a bully in the world. Now all he needs to do is create several email accounts and pretend to be different people to reinforce his one-sided view.
ReplyDeleteI was born 10-21-1984 45 miles south of Roswell, NM and I'm looking to find out what it really means to be est.in '84
ReplyDelete