A Letter in the Mailbox

“As electric media proliferate, whole societies at a time become discarnate, detached from mere bodily or physical ‘reality’ and relieved of any allegiance to or sense of responsibility to or for it.”—Pg. 96

Think about it, when was the last time you wrote a letter? And I mean a real letter in a blank piece of paper, not a note in a greeting card aided by some mass produced quote. Most likely the answer is in years, to some it may even be never. Not long ago I used to write letters in a regular basis and I can honestly say I missed the personal touch a letter has in comparison to an email. Don’t quite know how to explain it, even when you know the email is written from the heart and specially sent to you is just not the same as a piece of paper. The only reasons I found on these is the fact I can touch the letter, (sure I could touch the email, but I will have to print it. Just seems like there is need of much technology to be able to get an email in my hands.) And the email was typed while the letter is handwriting. I think there is something fascinating on being able to recognize someone’s handwriting, is like you just know something unique about them.

In my opinion the irony in all these new emerging media it is providing societies endless way to communicate with each other, but at the same time the communication seems to be becoming less and less personal. Perhaps the main reason is that it not only requires for people to see less of each other in order to have any sort of relationship, but also there is not even the need to speak. One example is Facebook and its birthday reminders.  In a sense it’s a good thing since it is hard to keep up with everyone birthdays especially to people one is not close at the moment but at some point in their lives you were. Also is good because it gives you the mean of getting your birthday wishes across people you will have no other way of contacting them. Still it makes people lazy and often do they not pick up the phone to say happy birthday to people to whom without Facebook you will have normally call. Last year on my birthday an old classmate called me to wish happy birthday. He actually said  I just like to call people if I have their phone numbers, I know no one does it anymore with Facebook and text messages and twitter, but I just like to call. Honestly we are not great friends, we never even hang out outside school, we were classmates for a couple years in college and the only reason we exchange numbers was to help each other in class. Without Facebook he will probably never had known/remember my birthday, but he had my number and opted to do it by speaking and not by an informal wall post.

 Not for one second have I thought emerging media is the cause of making relationships less personal, the only ones causing these is ourselves. The problem relies on people not understanding the proper use for each medium we have available today. Of course is simpler and less tiring to send an email than writing a letter and then going to the post office. Sure posting in people’s Facebook wall is fun and cute, but do you really need to have personal conversations in there for the world to know? I do use Email to connect with my friends and family back home because is instantaneous on comparison to letters that take week, but I still call them is even faster to get a response if I need it. Sure a phone call costs more money and its amazing how people are not willing to spend money in long distance because you can do it for free online. I understand you have to take advantage of the resources available nowadays, but sometimes people cannot be in front of a computer all the time, I mean we spent money on so much meaningless stuff I just don’t understand why is it so hard to spend in a phone call to someone that is part of your life. To me it seems people misunderstand and misused all these media to satisfy their cheapness and laziness.

Finally, I think people feel no responsibility of what they can cause by what they communicate through new media, like social media, because they have not fully grasp the concept of what it mean to post something online. People need to be educated that whatever is in the internet is there for the world to see. And in spite of all the ‘private settings’ someone will always see it.

All in all is not media that makes relationships less personal. It is us that misused the new ways of communication that come our way. Everyone gets used to what seems to be easier, faster and simpler and forget the importance of adding some personal touch when trying to show someone you care.