You know, when you’re my age, you hear a lot of people complaining about where culture is going. You’ve heard it. “We’ve become far too impersonal.” “Kids are texting all the time….they have no time for “real” relationships.” “All this technology is fine, but people need time face to face to REALLY connect!”
It’s funny….I may have agreed with those comments a few years ago, but I think people’s need for connection has changed my mind on this. They have figured out how to use technology to develop real community. Let me give you an anecdote that illustrates my point.
In 2001, my then 64 year-old mother contracted ARDS. (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) This disease kills 50% of those who contract it within 24 hours of onset. Yikes! It all started with some chest congestion, and before she knew it, she was on life support in an induced coma for 16 days. Gratefully, she has had a full recovery, but it was touch-and-go for several days.
Towards the end of her days in a coma, my father received a phone call in the middle of the night. My dad answered.
“Hello?”
“Hello. Who’s this?” the man on the other end of the phone said.
“Excuse me, who’s this?”
“Is Marcia there?”
“I am her husband. Who IS this?”
[Long pause.]
“My name is Anwar (not his real name), and I live in Cairo, Egypt. For the last couple of years, I have played bridge with your wife online almost every day. I have not seen her for over 2 weeks, and I want to know what is wrong?”
Wow. Remember, my mother was not a teenager, she was 64 years old. And this was in 2001 – 8 years ago!! Many of her friends in close proximity had no idea she was ill, but here was a guy 10,000 miles away who was acutely aware of her absence.
Online community is real. Those of us over the age of 30 may not like it, and we may not understand it, but our kids will not be told how to communicate. If this is how the next generation is going to connect, I think it’s high time we drop our pre-conceived notions and get on board. They still need a few gray hairs in their lives!!