Email (personal, work, school, ghost), texting, home
phone, cell phone call, Facebook, Skype, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube Channel, Blogger,
Yelp and Foursquare and new to the group is Google +. These are the ways I like to
communicate. This isn't the order in
which I prefer, but merely a list of the most current, and most often utilized.
Now, one would think that in this day of social media that I would just be
nothing but overwhelmed with all the messages I have to respond to and sympathy
would be a requirement for the calluses my poor fingers must be
developing.
It is quite the opposite really. I am on the computer all day and I have my
trusty Android phone by my side always.
Yet it amazes me how little communication I actually get. Now this can be attributed to several
factors. Most people know that I am very
busy during the day. I go to school at
the University of Toledo full time, and it is full time studying for a
“non-traditional” student like myself.
Also the hours that I am actually really available for personal time is
when most of America is sleeping (including PST). Every day I attend classes which lead to my
nights being spent on my homework for university.
By last count (and this isn’t a bragging point) I have 500+
friends on Facebook. Out of these, I
would assume that if only one friend contacted me once a day, I would have 1.4
+ messages a day. Doesn’t happen. I have approximately 250 email
addresses. I should get a personal email
asking me about my life about every 1.45 days.
Guess what? Can’t remember the
last time I got this email from anyone. A wall post from me might prompt a response,
but this isn’t technically communicating with me. It is a chance for someone to show off their
wit, act snarky or simply put in their $0.02.
Using a Like button or +1 or retweeting seems like a way to show you
have been noticed, but it’s a complete failure of talking with me. It is talking about me, while I moderate the
conversation.
I think it is time that we all take a minute to realize
that we have this technology available, so use it. Call an old friend. Send a letter to that old classmate from high
school. Email your aunt who only
forwards junk, and ask her how life is treating her. The catch is you have to really want to do
it. Don’t feel like it is an
obligation. Try to be human every now
and then in this world of machines. Be
refreshing to the rest of the world.
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