We Have the Technology!

But does that mean that we should use it?

I've actually been writing this post in my head all week. I've had so many thoughts about the impact that social media has on our day to day interactions. It started when I caught myself midweek having a conversation with someone via Gchat while also returning emails with them. The topics of both communication were entirely seperate, thus it appears there was a mutual agreement to keep the lines of communication seperate. And this got me thinking...are we being more efficient, or less efficient? I am able to cover more topics in arguably less time. But am I being more personal or more impersonal?

I let it slide until I caught myself 2 days later in the exact same situation, except this time it was via email and my Facebook wall. The topics at hand were slightly more aligned, but why on earth could we not just hash it all out in one centralized location? The odd part to me was that it just seemed natural to communicate the way that we were, and everyone just accepts it.

So there are two thoughts that I had here. 1) How do we decide what the proper line of communication is with another person? Does each form of social media or email or text or calling have such specific roles in our culture that we instinctively know the right one to pick? I am inclined to say NO because we all know some genius who inevitably posts the wrong thing on our Facebook wall or texts us about something far too personal that requires a conversation. 2) Is there ever a point where these multiple channels will collide? Why do I need a GChat, a Facebook, a Skype, a Twitter, a LinkedIn, a Blogger, a text, an email, and a BBM (Blackberry Messenger for those of you who have never had one) when I can manage them all via my cell, my laptop, or my iPad? Why can't there just be one centralized area? It's so much work and I just don't get it. I am guilty of it too, but I don't know why I do it.

Even as I am typing this post, I am talking on Gchat, have Facebook up in the background, and am texting with a friend. My brain is overstimulated trying to keep up. Perhaps this is why I can't sleep anymore, the overstimulation of too many channels. It's all becoming noise to my brain. That coupled with the fact that each of these channels makes their own unique noise, technology is getting so loud that I can't hear myself type. I am not calling for a revolution or suggesting that we all turn our backs on these forms of communication, but really people? Can't we just all get together and agree to use one way to communicate? Afterall, we all agreed NOT to use Google +.

As I see it, here are the main reasons to use each of these sites:

Facebook: You just have to. It's the only way to really prove that you exist. Afterall, would you trust anyone who doesn't have a FB profile?
Gmail/Gchat: Your college email address ran out and this was the next best thing. One day someone sent you a Gchat and thus your buddy list was born.
Skype: Either you want to talk to someone in a foreign country and don't want to buy a phone card, you want to video chat and don't own a MAC, or you are still holding onto the fact that this was the cool new thing from 2005.
LinkedIn: You don't want an employer to see what's on your real Facebook profile, so you're HOPING they find this one first.
Blogger: Clearly, you just have great taste. That or you don't care to take the time to tag every single one of your Facebook friends in a "note" that everyone will be pissed that you tagged them in.
Email: The only true original form of online communication.
Text: You are hiding your awkwardness by allowing yourself sufficient time to think of a perfect response or witty comeback that your friends can approve of and can claim you were "busy" when it takes you an hour to come up with a decent joke.
Blackberry Messenger: You feel the need to get something unique out of the crappy data plan that Blackberry provides. This is about it.
Twitter: You have a strong opinion that you want to share, but you don't actually want anyone to comment on. 

As I mentioned, I've been working on this post for a few days, trying to really draw a conclusion that I felt was worthwhile, and Friday night was just the icing on my technology cake. I agreed to go to Yom Kippur services with my father, and while we were sitting in temple waiting for services to start, I brought up something that I had seen on Facebook. At that point, my 72 year old father, who only joined Facebook a few months ago because he wanted the coupons that he was promised for "Liking" his local Huddle House, told me that he and my mother had their first "Facebook fight". Apparently a fellow professor that he works with left the following post on his wall:

"Hey Handsome! I didn't know it was your Birthday today! Have a good one!"

I think that any of us who have ever had a significant other and a Facebook account simultaneously know exactly how this discussion went between the two of them. And I couldn't help but laugh out loud, in the middle of temple. The only thing that could have made this story any better would have been for my parents to have had this conversation over Gchat! Don't worry, I'm 95% sure that neither of them know what that is :).  I share this story not because it is "funny" but because it was so pertinent to how pervasive the challenges of social media and today's technology actually are. Even my parents feel the stresses of it. Fascinating!

So I leave you with this. And I do hope that you will think about it over the next week or so as you communicate. Why do you choose the line of communication that you do? What posseses you to send a Facebook message instead of an email? Do you have a different status message on Gchat than Twitter? When do you pick up the phone and call a friend instead of sending a text? Is there a standard role for the different forms of communication that we use day to day- and if so, can we combine and condense? I know I'd sure appreciate it.

As always, your thoughts are much appreciated, especially because I know we all have unique feelings on this very topic! And just for fun, why don't you tell me the channel via which you keep up with my blog: Gchat, Facebook, Blogger follower, checking in from time to time, or because my mother emailed it to you :) Could be a fun experiment!