Face to face

Do cell phones and iPods and Facebook virtualize our lives, stripping away the face-to-face contact we need and replacing it with prosthetic relationships?

That’s the vibe I’ve been getting lately from a few different places — a newspaper article, and some of my grown-up friends, to list a couple. It’s gotten me thinking, particularly since I have a cell phone, I have an iPod, I’m on Facebook, and I of course have this blog and lots of you comment on it.

The danger, if danger there be, lies in replacing our real-life relationships with technology, but not in supplementing them, I think. Cell phones make it very easy to communicate, and since it’s often not feasible to physically be in the presence of my friends and family (for whatever reason, be it walking home from work or already in bed or what have you), I use mine to better keep in touch. Sure, it’s easier to ask girls out via the phone than in person, but it’s not like I try to do the whole date itself on the phone. :P

Facebook is doing wonders with helping me keep track of my friends, many of whom are scattered across the globe. It hasn’t replaced my real-world friendships; it has augmented them.

iPods, now, there’s a possible snag. They don’t really help us communicate with other people. Instead, they’re portable isolation devices. Don’t get me wrong: I have one and listen to it every day. But I think there are times when it gets in the way of things, like when people walk from class to class. (It’s hard to say hi to someone who’s sprouting earbuds.) And yet I don’t know that I necessarily fault them.

Likewise, chat (Gmail chat, for me) has made it far easier for me to talk with my friends when I ordinarily wouldn’t be able to. Sure, it’s not the same as a phone call or as being in the same room with them, but it’s still communication, and I’ve found it refreshing and worth my time.

All of these can be used for bad, of course, but I don’t think any is inherently detrimental. Technology is neutral; it’s the use of it that determines what side of the line it ends up on.

I agree with your take on both Facebook and iPods, and your conclusion that technology is neutral. For me, however, it’s easy to forget about calling someone or meeting in person — the high-bandwidth interactions which are still really valuable.

I have to say that I am rather enjoying Facebook, cell phones and ipods. I have been in England for over a month now. Facebook seems to be the easiest way to share photos with everyone (at least when the internet is working). I must admit that I enjoyed using my cell phone to call my mom on Mothers Day. And my ipod comes in handy when I am researching in archives for 40 hours every week. These tools are a poor substitute for face to face interaction, but under the circumstances I am extremely grateful for what they have allowed me to do.

Its funny you should bring this up. My big pet peeve is when people over-use these communication devices, and begin to depend on them, or use them to take the easy way out of tough conversations. It is very easy to begin to spend more and more time each day on Facebook etc. at the expense of face to face social interactions. I very much prefer the real kind, and to me there is no substitute. I wait in anxious anticipation for the celestial kingdom where we will have an eternity of social interaction with people we love dearly, never to be separated again.
Ben, you asked if there was food or books in Heaven… what about Facebook? I know for sure iPods won’t be there! ;)

Richard: True. I’ll admit that I often prefer e-mail, since it has the advantage of being on my timetable (though I guess I’m not very good at responding punctually, so perhaps it’s not as good as I think), but in-person is definitely high-bandwidth. :)

Heather: Aye, good examples there of how technology can supplement our lives in good, meaningful ways.

James: Well, if I know in advance that a girl is going to say no when I ask her out, I don’t really feel too bad about e-mailing or texting her to ask her. ;) No, there will be no Facebook or iPods in heaven. Probably no TV, either, I’m guessing. (At least not the kind of TV programming we have here. :)) But being purely terrestrial doesn’t necessarily make something bad. If that were true, banks would be very, very evil. :P