Passing Notes

In the beginning of the Internet, the media talked about how it was going isolate people because people would no longer have a reason to leave their homes, use the telephone, etc. I think the exact opposite has occurred. It has opened so many more doors to communication: message boards, blogs, and websites. I believe that we are a better-informed and connected society than ever before. News is shared, unfiltered in the blink of an eye; communication across miles & miles is instant. The media says that even the upcoming presidential campaigns will have to be waged like never before because of the power of the Internet.

In addition, the Internet has dramatically changed friendships. For the good, I am sure. I can sum up my point in one simple question: How do you most communicate with your friends? Let me guess: Email? IM'ing? Texting? Doesn't matter which, actually. It is a safe bet that it is electronically based. Gone are the days of hours on the telephone or long chats over coffee. We are too busy now. Or our priorities have changed. Or both.

For me personally, it is for the good. For example, I have connected again with a nearly lifelong friend, whom we allowed a lousy boy get between us. I have kept a friendship that stretches across the US. It helps me keep in touch with friends I would otherwise never hear from, even if it is only a silly pass-along.

There is even an email pass-along that essentially states don't be offended if you only get stupid jokes or sappy poems from me as it's all I have to offer at that moment but it is an opportunity to communicate that I'm thinking of you all the same.

When major drama strikes, all it takes is one minute to send out an email and there is instant support from all corners of the earth. My point being we stopped being pen pals in the sixth grade, when most of us discovered the telephone. Now, the Internet has allowed us to continue being pen pals as adults. As one of my oldest friends said one day: email is the grown-up equivalent of passing notes in class. And leave it to the Gen-X'ers to develop the technology.

I have two e-friends that I communicate with sporadically. I have never met them, probably never will but it's fun. There is fun in a little anonymity. I can see why Internet personal ads would be fun. You can be whoever you want to be and be as mysterious as you want to be. I mean this, of course, in a fun way and not in a stalker kind of way.

I also keep in better touch with my brothers. There is a good age gap between us and the Internet has helped bridge that gap a little. As we are a non-communicative family, the Internet has been a godsend. If not for email, we would see each other four times a year and sadly, that is not an exaggeration.

For me, being a night owl, it is easier to sit down at 11:00 p.m. when normal people are sleeping and shoot off an email. Or I am at home during the day and most people are not. It is easier to sit at my keyboard than to try to catch people on the telephone.

Cell phones are awesome. I stand by my previous proclamation that I think they are the best inventions ever. However, they have this thing called "Minutes" and if you use too many of them, it is really fargin expensive. As I sporadically call my friends, the risk of using too many minutes is a high one. Thus, the Internet is a beautiful thing.
And who has time for long, drawn-out telephone conversations anymore? We are constantly busy…even me who is gainfully unemployed. I, who has no job, am busy. Juggling a telephone will trying to drive, do errands, fold laundry is just too much hassle. Not when my faithful computer is waiting patiently for me at any time.

The Mad Genius is addicted to his laptop. It used to be mine, but not so much anymore. Ten years ago, when I bought my first computer, he was uninterested and unsure why I would lay out almost $2000 for a computer. Fast-forward ten years and now he is nearly as proficient with it as I am. He uses it to communicate, research, and play. I asked him not too long ago if he thought he would ever have imagined himself being proficient with a computer and he laughed. He would have never predicted it.

He has a telephone addiction; he is constantly on the telephone with friends, family, vendors, customers, and work. Now, it is not unusual for me to find him on the cell phone and the laptop at the same time. His circle of friends and acquaintances has considerably broadened. He now has friends throughout the US and Canada. He has never met them but he talks to them regularly. This probably wouldn't have happened if not for the Internet.

As the husband of my BFF K says ""If only we had access to some sort of global information network...." when they are trying to remember something. The Internet is perfectly lovely for research nerds such as me. In a blink of an eye, I can ask questions and have immediate answers. In my tiny little corner of the world, I can connect with anyone, anywhere in a matter of minutes.

My overall point being is the Internet is probably the best innovation ever. I think it may even bump the cell phone out of first place. We are a better informed, educated, and connected society because of the Internet. Communication has changed, and for the better in my humble opinion.

Now, excuse me, I have emails to write in between writing chapters of my novel and talking to the Mad Genius on the cell…