Keeping In Touch

With Lulu away in California - among other things - this seems like the perfect time to broach a subject that has been on my mind recently. I've got a few concerns and questions and I'm hoping you will indulge me by offering your opinion.

I'm a fan of technology. Really. It allows us to keep in touch with one another in so many ways that were totally unheard of even a few years ago. My great-grandparents lived in Wyoming in 1910 and some of their family was back in Ohio. I can only imagine how hard it was for them to keep each other up-to-date on family events. I've mentioned in the past how hard it was even for us when we packed up that rental moving truck in 1985 to move 350 miles south. My parents bore the brunt of large long-distance phone bills so that we could talk once a week.

I still remember how excited I was when we unpacked our first home computer! Wow! Receiving email was the epitome of communication then. It was thrilling when my mom's company added email. Mom would send one each day right before she left her office. I would reply so that she'd have one waiting for her the next morning. We were ecstatic!

Soon I was experiencing the thrill of sharing genealogy information with distant relatives. Personally, it isn't just the hunt of the dead ancestors that makes genealogy thrilling. It is the new relationships I've forged with living relatives. One of my mom's cousins disappeared as a child when his parents divorced in the 1940s. It's a long story, so I won't bore you with the details, but the story has a happy ending.

Then we progressed to pagers and cell phones. Remember pagers? I remember how thrilled I was that Pastor Dad had one back when I was expecting my last two babies. And who doesn't like cell phones? Well, maybe you. If so, you can tell me about it.

So when is enough enough? With the proliferation of things like My Space, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, text messages, IMing, and homepages when do we actually get out and meet real live people anymore? Or is it even necessary to physically meet real live people?

I wonder about this because I decided a few years ago to cut back on my computer time (which was then being consumed by the pursuit of genealogy) to spend more time with my husband and children. We rediscovered biking, walking, gardening, and talking (live-and-in-person talking). We've even gone so far as to disconnect our t.v. from cable/satellite and just watch the movies and programs together that we have on DVD.

Pastor Dad and I have discussed our foray into the realm of "always being plugged in." He likes me to blog. He thinks it helps me (a shy loner) to escape my cocoon. I also have dabbled with Twitter. Pastor Dad is now on Facebook. We both text regularly with each other and a few of our children. We still communicate with others via email. We are definitely not anti-technological communication. But our discussions have led us down the path of asking ourselves some important questions. Things like, what is good and what is a waste of time? Are all our friends "virtual" as opposed to ones we meet regularly? What are our goals? Are we protecting our morality? Are we advancing the gospel? Are we using our time wisely or wasting it? Are we using our financial resources wisely?

I want to conduct an impromptu survey. Here are my questions for you:

1. Which technological communication platforms do you use regularly? (My Space, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, cell phones, pagers, text messages, IMing, homepages, something else I've not mentioned - please be specific)
2. Which do you like?
3. Why?
4. Which do you not like?
5. Why?
6. What social/religious/recreational activities do you participate in that are not computer/cell phone oriented?
7. What other insight can you offer concerning this topic?

I'm thrilled that Pastor Dad and I can keep in touch with our friends and relatives so much more easily than ever before. I just want to be a good steward of the time and resources that God has given us. I'd like to hear your thoughts. I'll give you my more-in-depth opinion in a later post.