I’m sorry, I just can’t take it anymore. What is with text messagers? I admit I’m not one of you, but how glued to your phone do you have to be so that your super-reachable counterparts don’t chastise you for a delayed response?
Recently, I made an acquaintance who had mastered the art of slyly sliding her cell phone out of her front pocket, checking her messages, responding (while nodding) and then slipping it back in her pocket again, all in one fell swoop. Annie Oakley had nothing on her — the skilled dueler of the future. Yeah, except for the fact that we were in the MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION! No one is that stealth. Hopes of a potential friendship were dashed. And sadly, I doubt she even noticed.
I’m not sure how I missed out on this technological revolution. Truth is, I’m 32 years old, a logical age to be a techno-convert. And, in so many ways I am. I appreciate the things I utilize every day and often loathe the others — hence the love/hate relationship.
But I’m starting to think of myself as a throwback.
When I was a kid, we weren’t allowed to answer the phone during dinner. Remember family dinner? This was pre-answering machine of course, so this sometimes meant the phone would ring and ring. Under these circumstances, we were given strict instructions to answer, say we were having dinner and take a quick message EVEN in the case that Jason Pierce was calling to ask if he could sign my yearbook. No exceptions. It was the way it was.
Over the years, much has been lost in translation, all in the name of technological advancement. Note: I don’t actually want to hear about the sweater you just bought while I’m in the bathroom at the movies and there actually isn’t any technical reason to talk louder on a cell phone while you’re adding half and half at the coffee shop. Sometimes I wish a parental super hero would ascend just to ground them.
Call me old fashioned, but I still have respect for the in-person, one-on-one contact. Just as dinnertime was once sacred, I extend the same respect to the bagger at the grocery store, a co-worker over lunch and especially during some quality time with a friend. Shockingly, a recent study showed that as many as 11% of texters believe that breaking up via text message is acceptable. Looks like the march into the future is pulling us further away from our roots.
Lucky for me, I’ve found a partner who’s with me on this one. She loves me for who I am, despite how unavailable I may often be. I know I may not be able to see a photo of her latest hangnail, or participate in the choice of toilet paper, but that’s OK. We both invite a little mystery in our lives. I guess it’s what keeps old farts like us on our toes.
Not sure whether technology is necessary, evil, both or neither, Christine Heinz perpetuates this love/hate relationship every day as a photographer, graphic designer and educator.