wired in disconnection

Found it highly ironic that while I am reading this book, I was foiled and frustrated by switching phones this week. Due to a damaged SIM card, I was phoneless (and computer-less) for over 24 hours.  And Blogger was down during this same time period.

Discovered that I become extremely twitchy when disconnected from the wired world.  Why is this?  I am barely on the edge of being a digital native and yet, without the comforting blink of my Blackberry or my MacBook, I felt lost and a bit panicked.    Part of this may be because I've moved so much and my friends are scattered all over the world.

But it gave me pause and made me a little saddened that far-away people somehow seem/feel more important to me than people in my daily orbit.

The above mentioned book is a fascinating examination on how our relationships with humans are shifting due to our continuous connection to technology.  It's (and this) are not a rant against it.  I am astounded that I can, in a device that fits in my hand:

• watch a friend/student's audition video
• be part of the joys of the Littles in my life
• have my friend in Glasgow, help me job hunt--in real time
• do banking, pay bills
• map a driving route
• read newspapers, watch TV, movies
• connect with dates, restaurants, concerts
• etc, etc etc

The first computer I ever used was a Commodore Pet and it had......cassette tapes!  For one teeny program.  My entire thesis and many graduate school papers are on the above USB flash drive.   Astonishing.   And what was life prior to Google?

There have many articles bewailing how disconnected we are now because we pay more attention to the virtual world than to the life floating around us.   It's a little eerie, at times, to walk into a coffee shop and see 40+ people hunkered over laptops and smart phones and not hear a single conversation.  Lots of words and ideas are being exchanged, but none aloud, in the shop.

I've nothing eloquent to articulate on this topic...just pondering if my life is balanced between real and online and wondering how technology appears, and its affect in your life.