Published on Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Technology keeps us from truly connecting

By LETTER WRITER

Technology keeps us from truly connecting

In response to Sara Adams’ column, I would have to say that what scares me more than our society’s use of abbreviations and monosyllabic words as slang is that most people feel less and less inclined to communicate outside of texting or MySpace comments.

I think that communication in general is being destroyed by the technology of cell phones and iPods. Every day, I see hundreds of students on campus lost in their own world of music and texting and posting a new weblog (blog is also an abbreviation).

What I think most don’t realize is that these activities give off certain signals to those around you. It tells people, “I’ve got better things to do than talk to you.” And that is more detrimental than our word choice.

After all, language only exists if more than one person shares its meaning. What really scares me is the idea that the Internet and technology makes us more connected, when it at the same time helps to prevent us from connecting with each other in the non-digital world.

Real, meaningful relationships have taken a backseat to superficial ones, which require less maintenance. And I will be the first to admit, I have a MySpace and a Facebook page, but I work to make sure that the people whom I regard as my friends are people that I know and talk to in the real world as often as possible.

And for the record, no, I do not, nor will I ever, own an iPod or any other mp3 player.

Chris Brown
Junior media studies major