In my mind the internet could be compared to the printing press in terms of it’s significant effects on our society. When the printing press was invented suddenly the written word was available to the masses, and so, people learned to read. Things in print became more believable that the word-of-mouth from which they came, songs and poems could now be preserved on paper, Christianity spread due to the bibles printed, and then Christians stepped in and tried to censor other publications, yada yada.
My aunt Jane sent me an email today thanking me for some pics I sent her. I replied back within a couple minutes, and then she replied, and so on. I have a few family members, some a couple miles away and some a continent away, with whom I keep in touch. I’m going to scan some pics of Aunt Jane’s daughter tonight, pics I took over the last 24 years of her life, and email them to her. It’s a lot easier and less expensive now to exchange photos, but what else has changed?
From the time I was born until recent years, I visited my Aunt Jane weekly, at least. She’s only 10 years older than I, and so we’ve always been able to relate well on things. When her daughter Angie was a toddler I would take a few pictures of her almost every weekend. I shot a roll or two of film back in those days and would send them away to be developed on Monday, to ensure they would be back to me by Friday, and then on the weekend I would share them with the family. Photos meant a lot more in those days, and even just a few years ago. They didn’t have to be 8x10 to be displayed. Even a decent snap shot would be stuck on the bottom edge of a framed photo, put it a cheap frame, or even stuck on the refrigerator. Letters from relative meant more, too. I have a drawer full of old letters, yet I get emails from a certain cousin daily and instantly trash them because I know when I see, “FW:FW:FW…” that it’s worthless.
This week Aunt Jane gets, “LOL, yeah…” instead of a hug. Instead of sitting on the porch with a photo album she’ll go click, click, copy, paste, and stick them in a folder. I’ll drive past her house and think, “wonder if she got that joke I emailed?” instead of “wonder if she’s home so I can stop”. Is change for better or for worse? No matter which way you point a finger someone will agree with you. Technology is not evil or downgrading; it’s just a tool, and it’s a poor craftsman who blames his tools. The printing press didn’t change the world; we did by it’s use. The internet has not made me less personable; it’s my responsibility and I'll own up to it.
