I have to admit, I took typing in high school. Computers were still Star Trek stuff and no one could have imagined how integral they would become in the fabric of society in just a few short decades.
Cell phones? Forget it...we carried spare change to call home when we missed curfew. Otherwise, if we wanted to talk we used the landline or, (incredible) actually got into a gas guzzling, six (or eight) cylinder car to visit (in real life...really...not just in cyberspace). We weren't allowed to call long distance without permission and when permission was granted (reluctantly), it was usually only to say hello to Aunt Bernice or some other aging relative who was "so sweet" but could talk the ears off a mule about his or her latest "procedure.
When we were away for an extended period we wrote letters with ballpoint pens (technology) that sometimes leaked and left messy globs on real (made of trees; very anti-green) paper. We put the paper into envelopes (also anti-green but there were plenty of trees), licked the back of a postage stamp (no self adhesive; tasted like, well, glue) and hoped the mail man (some were women, but it was still okay to be generic) didn't forget us that day. If not, we could be assured that our message would arrive in three days or so. As a baby boomer (made it by 2 years, depending on whose definition you use), I was a member of the last generation who actually posted letters as a regular means of communication. How did I get to the half century mark, why do I need my wife to help me locate my sunglasses when they are perched on top of my head, why do my children look at me like I have three heads and why, how on earth, did I lose my hair in the process?
Now I'm not against technology. I like my cell phone (I still haven't caved on the Smartphone) and think it's cool that I can call home and ask if we're running low on milk or bread before I actually leave work. Cell usage is also an excellent means of maintaining communication with our children, and has all but done away with the excuse of "sorry, I was going to call but there wasn't a phone and I didn't have any change".
I love being able to use Google in order to maintain marital harmony. I'm convinced that the phrase "let's Google it" has saved many marriages, averted countless arguments before they reached critical mass and dramatically lowered the rate of domestic violence in our country. I'm crazy about my lap top and I think the Kindle is the most wonderful gadget ever invented.
Email is a terrific tool, and the instant gratification it provides is addictive, though I'll admit I'm still not entirely certain what PMFJI means (hey, let's Google it). Who comes up with these things and are we really so lazy we can't just type it out? It is distressing to see that the twenty and younger crowd generally lack all but the most rudimentary understanding of basic grammar, punctuation and spelling (I'm sure some smart aleck will note the fact that I've committed a typo or misspelling here, but hey, it's a blog and hasn't been proofed with my ball point). There's also something personal in a hand written note that email will never be able to duplicate. Who passes down an email for generations?
About four years ago, I took the leap and delved into social media via FaceBook. I used the excuse that I wanted to stay fresh and keep tabs on my kids. I soon learned that some of the things on my children's wall curled my hair (probably why I've gone entirely bald), and that while I love them and wanted them to be free to express themselves, I didn't care to be that involved. I do, however, enjoy catching up with old friends and family, and feeling that I'm able to be somewhat a part of relationships I would (sadly) otherwise probably let die from neglect. I reconnected with my wife, who I dated briefly in high school, after my divorce in 2008 and for that, I'll always be grateful to Zuckerberg and his crew. I've enjoyed hooking up with high school friends I didn't mean to fall out of touch with (Meg, Dan, Tony, Donna, Craig and countless others). I really don't care to know that a friend of a friend just removed her fish casserole from the oven, or that her cat just had a litter of kittens, but do appreciate the willingness to share and know that some will find the topic interesting and/or useful. I'll probably never be a tweeter or understand the entertainment value in the fact that someone just stopped at the bank or did a load of wash. I'll never, ever be able to get the hang of sending cryptic acronyms in my messages (except with my wife...we have our own love language). But I am convinced that FaceBook (and MySpace, etc.) are good tools if properly used and not as a substitute for a real life.
My sis in law (a very wise woman) once likened FaceBook (in a real time, face to face conversation) to walking down the street, waving at friends, occasionally stopping to chat, but rarely going inside from the porch to sit down for an extended visit. It's a mixed bag, I guess, and maybe one day I'll be able to bring myself to purchase that Smartphone.