I remember growing up in Willowdale, Ontario
in the ‘60s as a simpler time. There were no personal computers or cell phones
and communicating with friends happened by writing letters. Of course we had a
telephone and, as I recall, we had a party line, which was cheaper than a
private line. Our party line family spoke Italian and I would listen in on
their chattering, not knowing what they were saying.
During summers at the cottage in Muskoka, several families
shared a phone line. Different rings were assigned to each cottage. I think
ours was two short rings. I would send postcards home to my father who worked
in Toronto Monday to Friday and joined us on weekends. I found a few of those childish
postcards in a drawer after my father’s death.
Letters took about a day to arrive across
the city and we eagerly anticipated a visit from the postman. Today’s methods
of communication are immediate and intrusive. People are too easily accessible.
Cell phones ring and people answer them, regardless of where they are or what
they’re doing. Whatever happened to the days when people had to wait to
communicate with friends and family? Patience seems to be a thing of the past.
I’ve changed with the times and I find
myself opening my email account, anticipating chatty messages from friends
across the globe. It’s not quite as exciting as receiving a letter by mail, but
I still look forward to it. Easier communication methods have made us lazy. No
longer do we sit down with pretty paper and inscribe our thoughts with ink. Fewer
written letters have reduced the need for proper writing skills. Modern test
scores prove that current students’ writing skills are far below that of their
1960s counterparts.
Though rarely face-to-face, people are
socializing more. Fifty years ago, culture encouraged modesty and humility.
Social networks make us feel important. We share our entire lives online
without knowing who is scrutinizing us. Am I the only one who finds this
creepy?
We can chat online via Skype and see each
other. We have three-way connections and hand-free phones. Every year something
new comes out and everyone rushes to buy the latest gadget. I will admit the
computer is far superior to a typewriter and cell phones make me feel safer
while driving at night alone, but sometimes I think that progress is moving too
fast. I want to slow down and ignore the world around me.
Will today’s technology seem outdated fifty
years from now? Of course it will, but thankfully I won’t be here to see it.
