Communication

Communication used to mean one of two, then three, things in my early days (clue re my age).  People talked to each other or they sent letters in the post.  A red telephone box on the corner of a nearby street was a third option for emergencies or convenience if you had the right change and knew how to operate 'press button A or B'.  Large black handsets on wired dialing boxes were respected and valued by the communities in which the stood.

Then the installation of the cream dial faced telephone entered our home.  Long chats, with boyfriend or one of my girlfriends whilst sitting on the stairs, was a great luxury.

How far we have come in such a short time (well, just a few decades).  Now I am bombarded with ways to communicate with my family and friends, even celebrities and strangers!  Here are just the ones I know about or use:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email (this replaced the posted letter but notice I have given it third place!)
• Instagram
• Skype
• Face time
• Blogs
• Text messaging
• Phone (no longer a 'telephone' which is mostly a mobile rather than landline)

I even 'speak to' friends who play the on-line game Words with Friends, so my choices of communicating are vast (for a woman of a certain age).  It comes very natural and unquestionable to those younger, it is acceptable to be on your mobile whilst at the checkout in a supermarket or on your train journey home.  Privacy is not worried about it, seems to me. 

I am new to Twitter, just getting to grips with it and trying to work out why some people put the same message on 3 of the above mediums.  Are they for a different set of friends, is it for a different reason?  No doubt if I persevere I will 'get it' and enjoy it like I do with Facebook.  But all these communications take up time, of which is very precious, and I'm so much slower than I was 20 years ago (annoyingly).

So every now and then I try NOT to 'log on', to have some non-communicative hours or day or weekend.  However, its very seductive to see who has 'Liked' or 'favourited' my 'post'; to 'follow' what others are up to (silent stalking?), or to add 'comments' to others 'blogs'. 

I love the positivity of Facebook, the encouragement and the keeping in touch with friends at home and abroad.  I like seeing people on Skype and chatting for free (? well after the internet/phone line fees are paid).

Emails and sending photos electronically is fab, but some days I have been alone for 10 hours and not spoken to a soul!  But I have communicated!

Phone boxes are no longer respected, letters hardly ever come through our letter box and the only calls on the landline are nuisance telesales calls!  No wonder coffee as shops are so popular these days - people meeting to talk face to face.  My age has some perks! Coffee and cake and silent mobile phones.  No iPads, iphones, just icontact.