This video has been making its rounds through social media. On some level, I agree. Technology shapes in ways that we often miss in the moment. My students had a great debate about the pros and cons of constant connectivity. We know that our devices are making us both more connected and more distant at the same time. And yet . . . I used to carry books around with me. If I waited in line, I'd bust out a novel. If I went hiking, I'd stop at the top, pull out a book and read in silence. My mother-in-law still teases me that I was the "Book Boy" who was so into Michel Foucault that I sat in the corner reading instead of interacting with others at a Valentine's party. I had the same issue with journals. I'd fill them up in the spaces between events. This was my instant solitude. True, I missed the moment. I became oblivious to the world around me. But, on a cultural level, this was viewed as a good thing. I never got flak for being a reader. No one ever said, "You're missing life, because you're into stories or ideas." I realize that a book is not a phone. A book is not a notebook (thought
The Notebook is a book). Every medium is different. Social media is tricky, because it's both inherently social and anti-social. It's a place of interaction and a place of solitude. I just wonder if we're holding our devices to a different moral standard than books and notebooks and cameras. It's deeply human to leave the moment to record it, reflect on it, or avoid it. Being present or being distant isn't tied to a device. We've been doing this for millennia and I'm not sure that's an entirely bad thing. And here's the bizarre thing: Social media has made me more social. True, I sometimes stand in line with a device. However, after interacting with so many "strangers" online, I've become more open with "strangers" in person. I see the moment more often. I pay attention to details. I feel less shy. And maybe that's a good thing.
