Weekend Warmup: Is New Better?

Our prompts for the COMMUNICATION kit are up on our Inspiration Page. Here's one of my faves, and it's really got me thinking:

Newfangled communication methods are all the rage – Facebook, Twitter, texting, the list could go on forever. Which methods do you use regularly and how do they impact your life? Has this kind of communication helped or hindered your relationships? What old-school method of communicating do you still employ, or miss most if you don’t?

I'm not someone who typically looks back at 'stuff' and misses it. I do miss people, places and memories, but I don't long for the 'good old days.' 

When it comes to communication, though, I think it's a toss-up.

Remember these?

I remember being tethered to the wall in the kitchen if I wanted to talk to my friends, swinging around in our plastic 1970's era swivel chairs surrounding our Formica table.

Then, my dreams came true. I got my own phone! It was still on the main line, so there was always the danger of being in the middle of a private conversation and being interrupted my my parents, or worse, my annoying little sister (sorry Budge!)

But I got to lounge on the bed and talk as late as I wanted to. My best friend and I used to stay up half the night talking and fall asleep on the phone! 

The best thing about an old fashioned phone call was that you weren't multitasking - most of the time you were totally invested in your conversation. You might have had a TV or radio on in the background, but you weren't getting another call (until call waiting, that is) or reading text messages, surfing the internet on a computer or your phone, or checking email.

The connection may have been over the miles, but it felt close. Remember saying to a relative a world away, "you sound like you're right next door!"?

I loved those late night phone calls with my friends, not only for the content, but because it evokes a time when I it was all about me - I had lots of rights and very few responsibilities. I loved talking about my feelings, dreaming about the future and wondering what would be.

The good news? There's nothing better to me today than (as a verb) scrapbooking from the inside out to think about my life, dream about my future and wonder...what's next?

And with the amazing photos I can take now by pulling my phone out of my pocket, not to mention Instagram, Photoshop, Popbooth and all the other apps out there, I can now use my phone to call a friend and reconnect, but also to capture my life and what matters most to me. And keep it forever.

 

 

Have a great weekend, and come join us online for our first challenge using the prompt above. 

Also, don't miss our DT layouts on the subject of new tech and how it impacts connection in my piece on the Creating Keepsakes Blog. You could win the COMMUNICATION kit!