So I got a phone call the other night and it was my friend. I saw her name pop up on the screen of my cell phone and so I answered the phone by saying something to the effect of "What's up, So&So." And because she also has grown up in the technology age, she did not find it strange or out of the ordinary that I would answer the phone by saying her name. I am the same way; it is not a surprise to me when my dad answers the phone by saying, "My Baby....it's good to hear you voice." (Sidenote: I'm the only girl so although I am quickly approaching 30, I am still my Daddy's baby)
But back to the phone call. So I started thinking about how all of the innovations in the telecommunications industry have really changed how we communicate; it's taken all the surprise out of phone calls. I mean, there's no more of this: "Hmmm....it's 6:32 pm and I'm in the middle of dinner. It better not be one of those $@*& telemarketers. They always call during dinner. Doesn't anyone have any respect anymore?" Ok, so maybe that's not a bad thing. But what about the surprise of hearing someone's voice and the excitement (or other emotions) that go along with that? I mean, caller ID has taken all of the fun out of the telephone guessing game.
Well, maybe not altogether. I guess you could argue that seeing someone's name pop up on the Caller ID is also exciting, but I don't really think it's the same thing. Think about it - when you get a call from a number you don't know, your curiosity is piqued. You may not always answer it, but you do keep picking the phone back up and looking at it to see if they left a message. And if they don't, you wonder about it - who was calling me and what do they want? And some of you are even tempted to call the number back and say, "Hi, your number was on my caller ID...." even though you know this is a total stalker-type thing to do.
As enthralled as I am with my little gadgets, having all of these choices can ruin the little surprises that you used to encounter every day. Instead of listening to the radio to see what comes up next, I can create a playlist of my favorite songs and upload it to my iPod mini and listen to the songs I want to instead of what's being played without my intervention. And what about doo-dads like DVRs? We are no longer subjected to the scheduling whims of the networks; we can record our favorite shows and watch (without commercials, even!!) them on whatever night we want to watch them. Don't like Law & Order on Wednesdays at 10? TIVO it and you can watch it in half the time (remember, we skipped the commercials) at 6:32 while you're eating dinner. And if the phone rings in the middle of the show, you can look at your caller ID and decide whether or not to answer it.
&*%$ telemarketers.
But back to the phone call. So I started thinking about how all of the innovations in the telecommunications industry have really changed how we communicate; it's taken all the surprise out of phone calls. I mean, there's no more of this: "Hmmm....it's 6:32 pm and I'm in the middle of dinner. It better not be one of those $@*& telemarketers. They always call during dinner. Doesn't anyone have any respect anymore?" Ok, so maybe that's not a bad thing. But what about the surprise of hearing someone's voice and the excitement (or other emotions) that go along with that? I mean, caller ID has taken all of the fun out of the telephone guessing game.
Well, maybe not altogether. I guess you could argue that seeing someone's name pop up on the Caller ID is also exciting, but I don't really think it's the same thing. Think about it - when you get a call from a number you don't know, your curiosity is piqued. You may not always answer it, but you do keep picking the phone back up and looking at it to see if they left a message. And if they don't, you wonder about it - who was calling me and what do they want? And some of you are even tempted to call the number back and say, "Hi, your number was on my caller ID...." even though you know this is a total stalker-type thing to do.
As enthralled as I am with my little gadgets, having all of these choices can ruin the little surprises that you used to encounter every day. Instead of listening to the radio to see what comes up next, I can create a playlist of my favorite songs and upload it to my iPod mini and listen to the songs I want to instead of what's being played without my intervention. And what about doo-dads like DVRs? We are no longer subjected to the scheduling whims of the networks; we can record our favorite shows and watch (without commercials, even!!) them on whatever night we want to watch them. Don't like Law & Order on Wednesdays at 10? TIVO it and you can watch it in half the time (remember, we skipped the commercials) at 6:32 while you're eating dinner. And if the phone rings in the middle of the show, you can look at your caller ID and decide whether or not to answer it.
&*%$ telemarketers.
posted by Tiffany | 8:01 AM
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