I’m the kind of person who, perhaps stubbornly, goes against the grain of whatever is popular these days. Apple products seem to be owned by every Tom, Dick and Harry that I know, so of course I stick with my trusty and cheap Samsung phone where I still buy the minutes. No data or roaming charges for *this* guy…
It’s the same with most technology these days. In something of a role reversal from my younger years, these days I just feel an internal need to NOT do what almost everyone else does or buy all the super-small but still super-expensive technology that permeates our everyday existence.
Our lives are becoming increasingly dependent on the internet, computers, apps, software and hardware. Wanna make sure your house is locked up while you’re on vacation 500 miles away? There’s an app for that. There are even fridges that now feature “windows” to show you what’s inside before you even open the door. (Because the physical act of opening a door is too much, I suppose)
And then there are social media websites such as the big kahuna itself, the F-Bomb (no, not that one) known as Facebook. You’re on Facebook, your siblings are on Facebook, and odds are pretty good that even your butcher and your baker are on Facebook. A fine web tool, no doubt about that, but has it reached a point where social media has replaced the act of physically talking and conversing with one another? Have we become a society where messaging and non-verbal reactions have eradicated the tried-and-true telephone?
And yes, the irony of taking pot shots at Facebook while some of you may be reading this column after clicking the link from our fine publication’s Facebook page is not lost on me. I already said it was a fine web tool, didn’t I?
Take my mother, for instance. (I really resisted making that old-timey joke of saying ‘please’ at the end of that sentence…..go ask your grandparents, kids.)
My mother is someone who has come to despise Facebook and social media in general. While she recognizes that it’s again a useful tool for things such as keeping in touch with people far away or keeping informed of what’s going on in peoples’ lives, she basically feels left out because it seems like everyone and their dog have vanished into a world of ‘likes’, memes, and pointless political debates.
Lynda is pretty much trying to stay analog in a digital world.
But it’s reached a point where she almost wants to join because, as I mentioned, she feels left out because Facebook is “where all the gossip is”. Wanna know who went where on vacation? Better check out that photo album! Wanna find out anyone’s holiday plans? Better log in to find out! Even the news of sensitive subjects such as someone passing away is “broke” on social media, and actually picking up a telephone and calling people has seemed to become a non-practice in 2017.
There’s something admirable about the way Mom stays off social media. The woman doesn’t even text. But does she honestly *have* to sign up like everyone else has? Has our society, even in our smallest of towns and rural communities, really abandoned the notion of talking on the phone or having face-to-face conversations with each other? Should Mom just “give in” because that’s just how our world operates now?
I’ll admit that I’ve grown accustomed to sites such as Facebook because, to be honest, my job these days depends on me staying informed of daily happenings, and I don’t mind saying that it helps me a lot in planning ahead when it comes to local events, sports and other news. The internet and social media obviously have a place in helping communities grow and get the word out when something is being planned or the public is to be informed of something important, but the human touch also goes a long way too.
No more evident is the face-to-face approach needed than in Outlook at times. Take the recent boil water advisory, for example. While Facebook was a significant tool in helping to spread the word about it, people still had to go door-to-door or pick up the phone to reach many other people who don’t use social media. It’s nice knowing that the “old school” way of doing things still has a place in our ever-digital times.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll take a complimentary phone call or friendly word on the street over ‘likes’, memes and messages any day.
For this week, that’s been the Ruttle Report.
