Alternate Perceptions Magazine, April 2023
Changes In Communication Have Made Our World Smaller
by: Stan Prachniak, MBA
Change comes in many different forms, and affects us in various ways. We have all experienced change in our lives, and we will continue to do so until this life ends. When things change, we tend to adapt and evolve. And one catalyst of change I’d like to focus on has become increasingly more powerful over us in recent years—technology. Many of us understand that its effects can be profound in both positive and negative ways. Advances in the technology of communication are an example that I’d really like to expand upon, because the way in which we communicate and who we are able to communicate with has changed so drastically over the past few decades.
I remember the days of running to the mailbox to see who we may have received a letter from, and the excitement that came with receiving a letter. I also remember picking up the phone and calling a friend to make plans for the day, only to receive a busy signal and have to try again later. These days there is little to no excitement about heading to the mailbox because letters are few and far between, it’s mostly “junk” mail. And calling friends to make plans has turned into a quick couple of texts. The point here is that advances in technology have made it easier to communicate with friends, family, and even different people from around the world. But, have these advances made communication better?
I recently read an article about how much has changed in the way teens and young adults socialize, and it really resonated with me. It got me thinking about the many different friends I had growing up and how we spent our time together and how we communicated with each other. There was a lot of calling people on the phone, knocking on doors, and riding around to see who was out and what they were doing. We were teenagers who didn’t always have anything in common except that we were looking for something to do. People with different interests and beliefs hung out together. We learned about each other and accepted that we were different, and that these differences didn’t mean we couldn’t be friends. In fact, in some cases, it made us even better friends. Technology, specifically social media, has changed much of that for the youth of today.
These days, it seems like we are becoming less accepting of the differences between us. Social media platforms allow us to connect with groups of like-minded people from all over the world. This is a great way to feel connected with “your” people, and be yourself without fear of judgement. But, people who solely interact with others who share their same interests and beliefs will further isolate themselves from anyone who is different from them. What I am saying is that if these are the ONLY people we communicate with, our world becomes smaller and we are prone to becoming less acceptant of those who have different beliefs and opinions than our own.
Freedom To Change offers a way for you to accept who you are and avoid certain “traps” in life. For more information on the Freedom To Change materials, visit www.freedom2change.org.
