In communicating through text messaging, using shorthand is a necessity, not even laziness. Our language seems poorer than that of previous generations, and I wonder if the way we think will also change -- we may be quicker and more tolerant of new ideas and new people, but we also do not take the time to look beneath the surface. Rewriting a paper or a letter forces the writer to probe what he or she has said and to contemplate word choice, nuance, and diction.
The Internet has expanded the range, not just of personal connections, but also our sources of information. In my grandfather's day, most people read one or two papers: a local paper and a national paper. They listened to one source of news on the television or radio. Even my mother can remember growing up with only a relatively few number of television channels. However, I can access newspaper articles all over the world. I don't need one or two magazine subscriptions because I can specifically select the articles that interest me, simply by Googling one or two keywords. It seems like my access to knowledge is greater than anyone who ever lived before me in my family. But I cannot read everything that lies at my fingertips. Again, I ponder what is lost: I envy the sense of connection that previous generations felt when everyone read the same publications, and watched the same television shows in real time. Because there is so much information, I know that I probably skim things much faster rather than read things closely, with attention...
And there are arguments against the idea that new communication is less precise: after all, if a picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it wonderful that we can take pictures of ourselves with a phone, and send the message to all of our friends online, to show rather than to take the trouble to think and say what we mean? There is no chance of misreading someone's awkward cursive handwriting when everyone types on the same keyboard. Regional slang, because of the greater access to diverse media, is disappearing: we all now speak the same language. But I still think that slowness has its place as well as speed, and that focusing on a few important people, pursuits, and books has a value, an authenticity, that is often lacking in my generation. Again, no one can go back in time, but I think that this sense of loss is one reason why so many people are looking for a career that is based upon some form of idealism, and why so many traditional hobbies (everything from knitting to cooking) have become so central to many people's lives. There is a desire to slow down, to take the time to get to know people, things -- and your soul -- even if technology seems to be resolutely pushing the world forward into overdrive.
