Imma Be Straight....Technology and Communication

I will say that technology has brought amazing things to the world to communication. We can communicate with family thousand of miles away and send a email in a blink of an eye. Invites to events can be easily sent out and birthdays can finally be remembered. It's brought distances closer than ever before.

All that boils down to seemingly easier time to make friendships and possibly closer relationships.

Really? Has it? ...has it?



I will say it has but as these last few months have flown by and the distances to my friendships so large, I start to wonder the quality of my friendships. They're not as strong as I thought. Time away from the computer has put a lot of strain on my friendships. For several reasons I have let them strained because of school, mental health (serious mental health) and just the realizations my exchange student and a friend of mine has said. These aren't excuses why I don't like online talking anymore just observations in my own actions that I've observed and feel so much guilt for. At this moment...I'm sort of frozen in guilt and fear learning about this. Feeling depressed and guilt, wondering how can I balance this desire and with the limits that are placed in front of me.

Sometimes...just sometimes it's so much better to be face to face or on the phone with a lot of my friends. I connect more and I can see their reactions in their faces and tone of their voice. There's less time to dwell on the sadness that envelops the both of us. The only thoughts that go through our heads is that time is precious and if we do dwell on depressing things at least by seeing their face or hearing the tone of their voice, reaching out is much more...felt. This is months after my exchange student sister left back to Japan I've realized this. We don't talk on facebook, but when I can call I can hear and feel the level of love she has for me. I'm sure if I saw her face there would be more proof. It's like my friend had told me one time. There's just something about seeing someone face to face that makes friendships a whole lot stronger. I miss that feeling so much with a few of my friends who are far away. To the point now I don't know how to talk to them just online. It doesn't feel satisfying anymore. That is not to say I won't talk online but it does feel like I'm missing something.

The internet feels now like a quick fix to friendships for a short period of time until somehow you can see them again in person. In the day of age of technology and need for things that is fast we have it. We can get that but at the cost of quality. Everything comes at a cost. And now I'm seeing and feeling it. I miss my long distance friends and desperately wish I could go out and see them every so weekend. For now I settle with online talking...but now I struggle with...how do I even begin?

With technology comes a price and the price is lack of communication and the know how to communicate is gone.