I have never thought I am the type to constantly use technology to communicate, I don’t keep up with the latest “tech trends” such as the new iPhone or the most popular apps, I’d prefer to connect with someone face-to-face over a coffee.
I will admit, I have had a Facebook account since the age of eleven but rarely used the site and spent most of my time with people in the real world.
Recently I moved out of home and to a new city and with my lifestyle change I have come to realise just how much I actually depend on technology to communicate.
I use it to organise meet ups with new friends, to see what my friends from home are doing and to “like” their new selfie. Most importantly I use technology to communicate and “connect” with my family.
Thirty years ago the way I am living and using technology would have seemed impossible or unimaginable. Communication technologies are no longer seen as a luxury item owned solely by hobbyists as they were in the 1980s (Swalwell 2012).
Now, at least once a week I video chat with mum to catch up. We talk about our day and the days in between. We ask how we are, and talk about work and university. Our conversations usually last about an hour or two and feel significant. We connect effortlessly.
But, does the ability to simply connect whenever, wherever alter our connection?
The conversations we have often end with one of us running out the door, or being pulled away by another circumstance in our own real world.
Friends phone me at least once a week and we go through the same process. How are you, how was your day, what did you do over the weekend, what are your plans for this week. The conversations we have also feel significant but at times during the conversation I can feel that they are distracted by something in front of them - perhaps they are cooking or looking at another device or somebody walked into the room.
With my increased use of communication technology, I have become aware to the fact that it doesn’t create a connection. There will always be an outside factor that interrupts. The intimacy of chatting with a friend over a glass of wine, or laughing together after witnessing the same event cannot be replicated over a mechanical device.
