I hope I am one of those lucky fews. Recently I made it my goal to reduce my time on social network sits i.e. facebok, twitter, youtube and text message and more face-to-face time with friends, family and people in general.
In an era of instant communication with text messages, instant messages, emails, faxes etc. it is easy to divulge personal information, have heart-to-hearts and be passive aggressive through these forms of communication. But we lose so much in the process. We miss out on the facial gestures that convey to us the feelings of the other person's, we can understand their rage at a former boyfriend, there sadness at a love one's passing away, their enjoyment at a friend's accomplishment and when they are about to burst into tears. Facial expressions that give us cues to hug them on a great accomplishment, to touch their hand as they express their anger, and to embrace them and cry with them as you share their pain.
The more we move to less personal contact the more we know how to deal with social situations, the less human we become and the more technology takes us over.
As a person that loves and enjoys the benefits of the internet and technology, in general, I know it's hard to cut back at times and temptation is everywhere but I think the benefits of my resolution will outweigh the damages.
My photo for the Seattle Weekly on their New Year's Resolutions piece. My roommate and I were stopped and asked if we wanted to take part and we obliged. :)
