Are we abbreviating the fullness of our relationships when we limit interactions to text.  Are we truncating more than words when we “tty?” How do we contain our sense of emotion let alone effectively relay all that can be passed along verbally or even nonverbally as we “LOL.”  Anyone who has searched a while for just that right emoticon understands the limits of this system.  Still we revert to it.

Of late there seems to be more of a trend to take the challenge to put down the personal devices and go off the grid for a week or even a day.  Albeit challenging, doing so can be freeing, but typically the effects are temporary.  Seldom does this act alone seem to impact long term behavior. It makes me wonder if we are more concerned with proving that we have willpower, than finding a way to adjust the behavior to change the habit and underlying pull.  In many ways it sadly mirrors and addict’s plea “I can quite anytime, and often he or she has done so, many times.

It is an interesting conundrum.  It seems we long for peace, connection, information and other advantages that technological advances give us.   The truth is these technologies have their advantages. Certainly, information is one of the benefits over our slower and antiquated options.  No longer do we have to wait to head to the library and dig through a card catalog to find a book which may or may not be checked out by someone else in order to answer a pressing question such as “why is the sky blue.” When my four year old daughter proclaimed, mid-conversation, “just ask google,” I realized how profoundly integrated information technology has become into our lives.  It seems that that Google is indeed more than a household name, it is more like a personal assistant and may be taking the place of picking up the phone and reaching out to someone who might know.  As a matter of fact, we presume we will get more accurate information from the internet than from someone we know.  In the end, I highly doubt that we are interested in or ready to give up these devices we have learned to rely on for these reasons and more.

Perhaps we should all just become more mindful of the impact of the way we use social networking technologies on our relationships and overall lives. The trouble is I am not sure we are in a position to fully see how we limit our experiences by relying on these technological advances. Experts are studying how this new style of communication is changing language development and the nature of forming relationships.  Though there are preliminary findings that these experiences are changing, the jury is out as to the level of ill effects.  Time will tell and recommendations for remedies will be made.

Meanwhile, I encourage us all to take a step back and observe, not only others behavior but reflect on our own.  These videos provide food for thought.  I’d love to hear about your challenges with and experiences of balancing the technologies in your life.  Please share your thoughts below.