It was on the George Stroumboulopoulos Late Night Show that I learned Canadians are among the world's leading best "sitters". We love to sit. We lounge. We waste a copious amount of time on social networking sites. Hakunamatata. It is Friday the 13th and perhaps that may be the reason for all my friends deciding to stay indoors tonight. Or perhaps it is the sudden rain that started about fifteen minutes ago. Some "have work in the morning", others "haven't spent much family time lately". Really though, I think the reason they've all chosen to stay inside is because they are professional "sitters".
What are all my friends doing at this very moment? Melting into their couches and watching '90210' or catching up on last season's 'Dexter'. I don't have much to say for myself, I mean, how am I spending my time any better sitting at my laptop typing this out? My only defense is that my intentions were not to do so tonight.
I wanted to out with some guys 'n' dolls to go watch 'THOR'(which came out May 6th). I was even planning on suggesting heading out to a pub afterwards to enjoy a couple 'a' beers. Sadly my good intentions never received the oppurtunity to play themselves out.
Relationship-lovers, lazy slugs and club rats are what make up my scattered, and numerous, circle of friends. If they're not sitting, they're out at clubs dishing out money they don't have and making memories that will never be. If they're not at "Revival", they're at home in front of their TV set, or attending to their significant other's magnanimously important needs.
Makes me want to throw up.
Anyhow, that's all I have to say about that.
Oh, speaking of Friday the 13th...
Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Friday, May 13, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
"Numbing Ourselves to Social Interaction"
Iphone4, Blackberry, Android Phones, MacAir, HP, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, BBM, LiveProfile, SMS Texting, Conference Calls.
The more intertwined society becomes with technological adavances the more anxious we become in our anticipation for the next big, new thing. The more we await a new form of technology to accesorize our rarely-satisfied selves, the more we completely disregard what we have in the present moment: ourselves and those around us.
As new forms of communication become the norm, we are simply blown away by their efficiency and performance. Like kids in candy stores, we cannot get enough. Once mommy allows us one we want another and another and another and another.
But what about in the meantime? What about that friend that you text on a day-to-day basis, when was the last time you went out for coffee? What about your colleague that works on the 14th floor that you'd like to get to know, when was the last time you talked face-to-face? And what about your old highschool friends--if it weren't for Facebook or Twitter, would you ever plan any lunch dates?
Most likely not.
And the strange thing is, these media forms aid in forming a sense of interconnectedness between people. If you have a medium with which you can keep tabs on, but not relationships with, those you know, why not? How great is it to be able message a cousin that lives overseas to congratulate them on their recent marriage engagement? How convenient is being able to Skype with your parents as you go to school aboad? But how long would these cyber relationships be able to keep one completely satisfied?
There is something about the authenticity of face-to-face interaction. Not only are you given the opportunity to listen to what one says, you are able to decipher for yourself every facial expression and body gesture. If you want to reach out and hug that person you can. If you feel the need to gently brush the hair out of their face you may do so.
It is the physicality of interaction that is lacking among those who become completely absorbred with technological communication and social networking. This is not to say that while in a conference call with your colleagues and boss you should really be thinking about ways to touch one another, I merely mean that there is so much more that goes on in a conversation held in person, than through a mechanical device.
We need to take it back to basics. That's how I feel. We need to be able to look one another in the eye and say exactly what we mean to say, instead of heading back to our desk to email each other about we wish we could've said in person. Enough of this "sexting" and "twirting". Let's get raw, let's get dirty, and let's have a bloody good conversation.
That is all.
The more intertwined society becomes with technological adavances the more anxious we become in our anticipation for the next big, new thing. The more we await a new form of technology to accesorize our rarely-satisfied selves, the more we completely disregard what we have in the present moment: ourselves and those around us.
As new forms of communication become the norm, we are simply blown away by their efficiency and performance. Like kids in candy stores, we cannot get enough. Once mommy allows us one we want another and another and another and another.
But what about in the meantime? What about that friend that you text on a day-to-day basis, when was the last time you went out for coffee? What about your colleague that works on the 14th floor that you'd like to get to know, when was the last time you talked face-to-face? And what about your old highschool friends--if it weren't for Facebook or Twitter, would you ever plan any lunch dates?
Most likely not.
And the strange thing is, these media forms aid in forming a sense of interconnectedness between people. If you have a medium with which you can keep tabs on, but not relationships with, those you know, why not? How great is it to be able message a cousin that lives overseas to congratulate them on their recent marriage engagement? How convenient is being able to Skype with your parents as you go to school aboad? But how long would these cyber relationships be able to keep one completely satisfied?
There is something about the authenticity of face-to-face interaction. Not only are you given the opportunity to listen to what one says, you are able to decipher for yourself every facial expression and body gesture. If you want to reach out and hug that person you can. If you feel the need to gently brush the hair out of their face you may do so.
It is the physicality of interaction that is lacking among those who become completely absorbred with technological communication and social networking. This is not to say that while in a conference call with your colleagues and boss you should really be thinking about ways to touch one another, I merely mean that there is so much more that goes on in a conversation held in person, than through a mechanical device.
We need to take it back to basics. That's how I feel. We need to be able to look one another in the eye and say exactly what we mean to say, instead of heading back to our desk to email each other about we wish we could've said in person. Enough of this "sexting" and "twirting". Let's get raw, let's get dirty, and let's have a bloody good conversation.
That is all.
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