MOG #79: Technically speaking

Alexandra is back again; this time with a hard-hitting topic for all of us addicted to technology...

think I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I remember this one day in high school, I was at my best friend’s house. We both had boyfriends at the time, and instead of painting each other’s nails or playing Super Mario Galaxy together or eating a mass amount of chocolate ice cream like we usually did, we were sitting on opposite couches in her basement in silence, texting our boyfriends. We had the kind of friendship that nothing was awkward between us, no awkward silences or anything, and we just liked to be together. We were glued together at the hips, with our eyes glued to our screens. Usually texting our boyfriends. And that was totally cool. When my boyfriend dumped me, I was devastated. They say the first heartbreak is the worst (I’ve learned now that that isn’t necessarily true), and all I wanted was a girls’ night of painting nails, playing video games, and eating my weight in junk food, but all she wanted to do was text her boyfriend. Don’t get me wrong, I was so happy that she was happy, and I didn’t want to be wallowing in my own self-pity forever, but I needed the attention that night. But that was the night that I vowed I would leave behind my phone when I was with people in real life. That was until I got the iPhone 4, and that was with me constantly, as were my friends. I love technology. I absolutely love it. I’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty! I also know that nothing is more important than the person standing right in front of you. It’s something I’m not perfect with, though. Just the other day, I was standing in my kitchen with my mom and my little brother. I was texting my friend from high school, making plans to get together. My mom said something to me that I didn’t even hear because I was so wrapped up in that phone “conversation”. The last time I went home, I hardly touched my phone. I think I charged it once in four days, which if you have an iPhone, you know that that’s pretty impressive. Instead of watching my screen, I watched my little sister grow up a little. It’s incredible how fast she’s growing, and I want to be around to experience it. I want to be there to see it. Not just see pictures online of it later. Technology can bring people together, sure. One of my best friends in the whole world lives thousands of miles away from me, in a different country. I’ve never met her in person, but we talk a lot, and I love her like a sister. In fact, the number one thing on my bucket list right now is to give her a hug and thank her for always being there for me, no matter what. She always gives me the best advice. I don’t know what I would do without her. I’m so grateful that technology gave us the power to become so close, despite our different time zones. Technology brings people together, I’ve kept in touch with so many friends who live all over the country, and I’m so grateful for that. But nothing, absolutely nothing, is better than sitting face-to-face with someone. I’ve decided, rather, I have made a promise to myself that I’m going to reconnect with some old friends. And so I have. I went out for lunch with a friend I’ve known for around nine years now, and even though we can’t see each other as often as we would like, we’ve kept in touch through technology for all of those years. We spent hours talking, laughing, reminiscing, and I had the best time with him. Same thing happened with my neighbour. We’ve been close since we were around six years old. When we were fourteen, we decided that we would start writing down some of our favourite memories that we share in a book, and now every time we get together, we read this book, and we cry from laughing so hard. That book was the best decision we ever made. Last weekend, I spent a night at a friend’s place, and we ate an entire tub of ice cream and a tube of Pringles. We vowed when we were fifteen that we would spend every breakup together, and we have. We’re practically the same person. She’s one of those friends that, no matter how much time passes between each time we see each other, it feels like it’s been no time at all. It’s like that with all three of these friends. I’m so grateful that I have these life-long friendships. In the end, I owe a huge thank-you to technology for keeping us in touch all of these years, when we’ve all gone off to different schools, and on different adventures. I’m grateful for technology, but I cannot even put into words how grateful I am for all the friendships that I have, and all the people that I’ve met. And I’m grateful that I’m able to share my gratitude with other people on the internet. Technology is amazing. And so are the people all around. I just hope that technology never replaces those amazing people in my life. So I guess I’m stuck on this: Is social media actually social? Or is it a replacement? Can’t it be both?