8923 W. Virtual World, Planet Earth, This Universe 2008

I think back just a little over a decade ago when email wasn’t wide spread. When computers were not as common in the household. Back when IM was unknown to the public sector. Back in the day when Blackberries were just a delicious fruit you’d eat.

Those were the days when people would call each other on the home phone and use answering machines if the person wasn’t home. The good old days when face to face communication was the preferred method of communicating.

Those were days when you could really look at someone and (mostly) know how they felt when you said something.

Those were the days when you would write letters to your friends who lived far away. Sometimes using stickers to express feelings or even scented perfume to trigger a memory. That was as virtual as we got.

Now look at us. Emoticons are second nature in our communications. We keep in touch through black and white words displayed on a screen. The mindful communicator adds emoticons to ensure the message is received how it was intended.

We added to this world a virtual space that many replace with the real world. In this virtual space, we can hide any kind of emotion our bodies automatically announce. We say more or say less because we know the receiver of the message has a higher risk of misinterpretation.

That’s a way of looking at it. You are, of course, reading this on my blog wondering what’s on my mind at the moment, aren’t you? ;-)

I’ve found in myself - expressing emotion becomes harder and harder as years pass on.... as I become more dependent on technology to deal with people. I find myself absolutely loving self check-out lanes and feeling irritated when I actually have to stand in line and talk to someone. I pass up businesses who don’t have an online ordering system or online catalogue of products and services. I find I enjoy too much the ability to not be vulnerable. The virtual world gives me the detour around being a natural human being.

I know I am allowing myself to become a hermit in the real world because I’ve replaced it with the virtual world. I’m becoming emotionless in the flesh. Have you?
Instant Messaging, Text Messaging, Email, Social networking sites, Online dating sites, PayPal, Online banking, Online investment brokering, Teleconferencing, Web Cams, Cell Phones, Blogs, Wikis, Online WebMD, iPhones, Crackberries, GPS......

I love it, but I kind of hate it. Call me sometime. Let’s do lunch.