Generation X-Communication

Think about it. How often do you check your phone a day? How often are you sitting on facebook, twitter, or social networking sites chatting and creeping on people you went to high school with? How often are you having conversations through a cellphone or computer as opposed to drinking a cup of tea and chatting face to face? If you're like me, a 19-year old, who grew up in the technology era, it's extremely hard to escape situations like these. When I go home over break and spend time with my high school friends, all I want to do is be able to hold a converstaion with them for longer than 10 minutes without them checking their phones. Honestly, is it that hard to set your phone aside for TWO HOURS? Who is so important that you need to be texting them when you're hanging out with people you haven't seen for 3 months??? It's getting on my last nerves. I don't understand people who can't put their phone down to talk to people fac-to-face. I hate being part of the generation of no communication. Do you really think you're building a real life relaionship when you get to know someone through facebook or by texting them? We have facebook, e-mail, skype, and cell phones in order to communicate with people far away from us who we haven't seen in person for a long time-not to text someone for 3+ hours that we could easily call up and ask if they want to get a coffee and talk. It's ridiculous.

My mission this year is to end the nonsensical text conversations that happen on a daily basis. To end the constant facebook creep sessions.  To end the awkward in-person hang out sessions where everyone is on their phones instead of talking to each other. It needs to come to an end. We can't rely on technology. Technology is wonderful, but anything in excess isn't good for us.  So turn off your phone when you go somewhere with someone. Give your full attention to that person. Don't be halfway there, be fully there, willing to talk and catch-up. Don't check facebook more than once a day. Don't sit on facebook longer than 10 minutes. Don't update your twitter every five minutes. No one really cares what you ate for lunch. Stop having conversations that last longer than 30 minutes through texting-either call the person or talk in person. Don't chat online unless the person you are talking to is in another country. Stop relying on technology for everything. Go read a book or listen to a record. Draw a picture or write a poem. Go on a walk or take a bike ride. Make some coffee, invite old friends over, and talk about the past, present, and future. Live in the present. Hug somebody in real life instead of sending them an emoticon. Be real. Not technologic.

conversationally,
hill