Thanks to the ever-expanding world of technology, there is an endless way to get in touch with people these days. From emails and text messages to Facebook and Twitter, there is no reason why people can’t stay connected. But back in the day, the luxury of fast communication didn’t exist. With letters as the only form of long distance communication, it took weeks to send or receive mail. And not only did it take time, but lots of patience.Writing letters was an art form. They were filled with detailed descriptions of events and feelings, an ability that seems to be lost now. Americans used letters to describe the terrors of war and, most famously, to profess their love. Many detailed records we have from war are found within soldiers’ letters to their generals or loved ones.This is something our generation doesn’t have. We don’t understand the importance of this dying art form. So many people can reduce their feelings to 140 characters or less, but I bet they couldn’t compose five sentences describing their day.Technology has spoiled us. It has desensitized us and made us impatient and hungry for information, myself included. I remember one day last semester, Google Mail wasn’t working, which meant my TigerMail and personal emails were both down. I thought I was going to have a panic attack. And just a few weeks ago, my cell phone didn’t work for nine hours. I couldn’t make or receive phone calls or text messages. I felt completely cut off from the world. That’s because I am dependent on technology, and, don’t lie to yourself, so are you.Technology has made us feel as though we have to know what’s going on at every second. It has given us a sense of entitlement that we don’t necessarily deserve.I don’t NEED to know about that girl who sat behind me sophomore year of high school, but it shows up on my newsfeed every day, so I know about it. I don’t NEED to know how the celebrities’ are dieting, but it comes up on my homepage, so I know about it.We live in a world of information overload, and there is nothing that’s going to slow it down. Technology advances every day. It only gets faster and skinnier — just look at the new iPhone 4. The new design is sleeker and the display is clearer. And of course Apple just released the new, updated software to go along with it. But don’t worry if you can’t get your hands on the latest release. I’m sure Apple will release the iPhone 5 in a year or so. You might as well just save your money for that one, since it will be more advanced anyway.It’s almost impossible to keep up. Once something becomes outdated, there is no point to keep it around.Remember VCR’s? You probably only remember them because you have all those Disney movies on VHS stored under your bed, and now you can’t watch them because you don’t have the VCR anymore. DVD players have taken over and before long, Blu-ray players will be the movie player of choice. But, I’m sure in 10 years something will be invented that is faster or has better quality and they will become outdated, too.When will this cycle stop? Never. Our want for better communication has made superior communication essential in our daily lives.But there was nothing wrong with our way of communicating to begin with. Letters were personal, passionate and emotional, characteristics that we lack as a whole.Write a letter to a friend, loved one or yourself. Take the time to be personal and passionate and emotional and see what you can learn about yourself in the process. It’s good for your soul — or at least for your grammar skills.
—-Contact Brittany Davis at [email protected].