I remember reading an article in the Washington Post Magazine a while back about a local family who communicated to each other through instant messages on their personal computers. The article explored in-depth the social lives of the children in the family, who interacted with their friends through the Internet. It was their main means of communication.
I could identify with much of their problems and the culture that the text messages bring forth, due to the fact that I, too, am a part of a culture of instant messages. Indeed, most of VCU’s student body is also a part of this new culture in the new millennium.
Researchers keep saying that socially we are evolving into a society that is very tribal in regard to the level of intimacy we are allowing others into our lives. For the most part, it is the younger generations who are in middle school, high school, college, and just out of college who are apart of this new culture. We let people know what we are doing, where we are going, where we have gone and our simple sublime observations of life we broadcast to the world in the form of “away messages.” The world is feeling smaller and smaller, and we are able to become more and more involved in each other’s lives.
There is a different way of thinking and a level of imagination when it comes to talking to others online. Since the only visual you have of the person on the other side is the screen, their screen name, and the words they type, their screen name and their words become a part of their being or personality. This is especially the case if you converse with someone with whom you have never met before. Furthermore, because of the nature of text messaging, the responses and text that are exchanged between two people online is much more fluid and natural than any e-mail. For this case, much of what is typed in instant messages closely resembles the person. Internet slang is very distinctive from face-to-face confrontation.
Picking out someone who is not part of this new culture is very obvious. Phrases such as “lol” or “brb” would sound like gibberish to them. There are even some people who use the slang in everyday life. That is a little weird. For those people, maybe they need more human interaction.
Ten years ago, it was unheard of to be able to get notes for tests or class handouts for school through the Internet. Today, Blackboard is the catalyst for much of VCU’s academics. Students are able to communicate with their instructors and download materials for class on an unprecedented level. I am amazed myself at the amount of information that is available to me through the VCU Web site or Blackboard. Convenience is the key to today’s culture.
They even have text messaging on cell phones nowadays, not to mention cameras on the phones as well. There is an increasing amount of ways for people to access you 24/7. In about 10 years, I suppose they will graft computers or cell phones to your arm directly, so you don’t have to worry about carrying around one more piece of equipment. Just think, all you have to do is punch a few buttons on your arm and you can communicate with someone in Sweden. There would be no need for batteries, because the human body can produce its own electricity. Wireless Internet would have to be a standard for the ArmPhonec. You could even take pictures of a happening party with your phone just by swinging your arm in the direction of the action. Convenience is the key.
Among the many advantages to the instant message culture, there are disadvantages as well. I know people who are disillusioned and disappointed with the text messaging society, since they claim the computer only separates the human interaction even further.
All of us long to connect and interact with other people in reality But the future of instant messaging seems to lean towards video communication. So, maybe those who feel disconnected from others will be satisfied with seeing the face of the person to whom they are speaking.
All in all, the ability for me to check on what my friends are up to through the Internet is something that I want to keep around for quite a while. There are critics who say that the computer – and especially the Internet – have created shackles for us, in not being allowed to enjoy the reality of the world outside our house or classroom.
To this, I say it all depends on moderation. Being connected to each other on a tribal and intimate level such as instant messaging and away messages are something that I believe will help us grow as a society – and with it, globalization will become ever more apparent.