“Love in the Time of Twitter” A Response.
Given my emersion in the world of technology, I have been following the writing of Natasha Singer from The New York Times. Her latest article “Love in the Time of Twitter” details a study conducted by the Computer Science department at Georgia Tech University. The article explores how our online communication changes based on relationship status and other life changing events. The ideas in this article are juxtaposed to those presented in the classic Gabriel Garcia Marques book, Love in the Time of Cholera. Marques’s book is a story of unrequited love. It contrasts the social media platforms of today that seem to compel us to expound our feelings online.
This article and the classic book, for which the title cleverly plays on, represents a major BDW theme from the past week. The theme surrounded the idea of isolating technology in order to create meaningful relationships. It was a well-timed conversation with the advent of Valentine’s Day just around the corner. Is presented us with the question of what the social expectation is when technology gets removed from the common equation.
Within this discussion there was talk of capturing those deeply meaningful moments that cameras and recorders often miss. The instant when you first said, “I love you” or the first conversation you had with your best friend. We talked about dating apps and how to remove the technology we rely on for those moments when safety is questioned. We talked about instigating short-term conversations, maybe lasting only a few minutes. Would this eliminate the need to check in, to update or post? If the interactions were brief and technology free, would it be possible to initiate a curiosity that propelled the conversation further? Of course, the tricky part of these proposals still lies in the hands of technology. Sitting on the bus or in a coffee shop or even hiking on a trail, individuals are rarely without their personal devices. To me, this is in some way an indication of outreach. What if we looked at technology and apps or wearables as beacons of connection? Rather then devices for blocking interaction.
In some small way, all of these devices act as indicators for community. Whether it is fitness, music or techy related. As the Georgia Tech study indicates, humans are pretty indicative of social behavior online. Personally, I think we are even better at indicating this in person. I am a hopelessly optimistic techy. Which means, I do not subscribe to the theory that technology and social media are isolating forces. If anything I think technology has driven our outlet for social opportunity. And while my generation might spend a HUGE amount of time on these social platforms, it by no means should indicate that this is where our social lives stop. So next time you find yourself sitting at a coffee shop with a bunch of attractive people in their yoga pants or racing gear, go ask them what their opinion is on that Fitbit they are wearing!
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