Published in The Siskiyou, April 24, 2006

Here in the 21st Century, interpersonal communication runs rampant. A great deal of the United States keeps in contact through email, online chatting, friends networks like Myspace.com, and cell phones perpetually attached at the hip. With all this communication comes a greater sense of connection, but is that always better?

Eleven years ago I was madly in love with a high school friend who saw me as his wise counselor. When he broke up with his girlfriend and moved off to college, I imagined long, heartfelt letters passing between us. Letters did arrive, but few and far between. Email had yet to become an American staple, and cell phones were still reserved for the select few. So every afternoon I walked to the mailbox, and in that moment I knew whether or not I had heard from my long-distance love interest. If no letter had arrived, I knew that I could retain hope for the next 24 hours, but that nightfall would pass before there was the possibility of hearing from him again. I was a hopelessly hopeful romantic.

Today though, most communication is delivered instantaneously and can arrive at any minute of any hour. No longer do people wait by the mailbox or even the phone. Instead, the phone goes with them. For some, email goes with them as well, through Palm Pilots or cell phone services. No longer do we experience anticipation, because our “mail carriers” work around the clock.
This has its benefits. Life can still be lived while waiting for important communication. Plans can be made on the road, in a computer lab, or even on the toilet. Friends can go out on the town without worrying that they will miss a phone call from the ones they love. Correspondence can be sent to a plethora of contacts in an instant, and hopelessly hopeful romantics know that the communication they desire could be mere seconds away.

As I get older, I find myself more and more dependent on such communication. If the TV’s not on, providing a false sense of interaction, I’m on the computer. If I’m not on the computer, I’m on the phone. If I’m not on the phone, I’m sitting in class, talking with my classmates or listening to the professor. If I’m reading, it’s only between times of more direct communication, and I’m constantly thinking of what I will say to so-and-so about such-and-such, often putting the book down to reach out to friends and family.

Copyright © 2006 Shannon Luders-Manuel