connections

E-mail, texting, droids, I-phone and Twitter keep everyone so connected. I didn't mention I-chat , voicemail and caller ID! So why can we not get an answer to a simple request? We see people in our lives with their phones in hand or on the ear, as it were, yet when a question is asked by and through their chosen communication means, there is no response. What is that about?

Yesterday I sent an e-mail to all the members of a certain group of which I've been a member for as long as I care to remember. Not only do most of these people have access to e-mail through their pcs or laptops, but they are ever so proud to now have access through their phones. So did I get a response from all of them? Of course not. So what is the deal? Is the question not important enough for a response? Am I not important? Did no one ever tell them about the importance of reservations or RSVP? Are they waiting around for a better invitation?

I do recall the days when we called someone and got voicemail and left a message. Then, the person called back when it was convenient for them to do so. That time was not that long ago. Now being connected twenty-four hours a day seven days a week is the norm and voicemail is a bother, or so I read in the newspaper. It seems today's Tweeeters prefer instant updates and responses to delayed ones. What? They are so important in their worlds that they don't take the minute it would require to send an e-mail or a voicemail ? Are they saving the whales? Curing cancer? Capturing Ben Laden?

What I've noticed is a whole generation, mine included, who can't be bothered with yesterday's niceties. Interrupting a game being played on their phones (for heavens' sakes!) texting their location or some other nonsense is more vital than giving an answer to a friend? Please!

Are we all nuts? I won't be trading in my old flip phone for a new "droid" or some such contraption any time soon. Using it to make a call or being called is enough. Using the ever so convenient cell phone to text that I'm on the way to the market or playing a game where I kill something or get offed by a cyber bully is not something I crave. Setting aside a little time to check and respond to e-mail is about all I am willing to do. Getting a laptop was a quantum leap for me. Checking voicemail and caller ID is also a small time allotment. I am inclined to do these chores along with a sip of coffee. Feeling the newspaper, or what's left of it after the continued cutbacks in printing, in my hands is still a morning delight. Turning the pages of a novel while resting on a pile of pillows in my bed is still my preferred way of relaxing.

Will I ever resort to Tweeting or instant messaging? Probably not, unless my eyesight fails so drastically that I can only view a large Twitter screen or an electronic book screen big enough to need a stand to hold it upright. I am not condemning anyone for using the tech gadgets; it' s just not for me. If you want to talk to me, call; I have voicemail.