I have very mixed emotions about communicating online. I often feel disconnected from my generation because I disagree with alot of the emerging norms. Just as often however, I find myself feeding into the phenomena just as eagerly and aggressively as everyone around me.

I the examples of studies in class based upon online communication and its effects on relationships particularily interesting. Data supporting the fact that families can still communicate effectively regardless of the presence of technology would definitely shock some hysterics. However, it doesn't shock me. I think the key concept people need to grasp is that technology is here and it's not going anywhere. People will never be able to simply not communicate with one another, despite many critics opinions. People will also never forget how to communicate with one another. The point is that the way this is done is simply changing. People can't go through life without communicating face to face. How would you order your coffee in the morning or tell a cab driver where you need to go? These are such simple interactions yet they're still personal, face-to-face interactions nonetheless. So yes, things are changing, but the basics are not. Homes now have the highest level of technological devices present ever. It cannot necessarily be concluded that this is going to lead to families functioning without communicating. It simply means they communicate different. I don't see the harm in moms texting their children to come downstairs for dinner. So the intimacy of her walking up the stairs and peeking her head in the room for a brief moment is gone. It's convenient. Family dinner discussions may revolve around the funniest youtube videos that child saw today, or how many levels they have conquered in the newest video game. The topics may be changing, but that's nothing to fear. If anything, social technology is spurring conversation more than ever. I can in an instant look up a comment my ex boyfriend made on a new girl's picture and laugh about it with my girlfriends. My mom can share with me the pictures of our family she found on my brother's facebook. My friends and I often sit around and watch funny videos together. If anything, technology has the ability to initate many conversational aspects that weren't even prevelant in the past.

On the complete contrary, I'm completely socially incompetent when it comes to social communication. I'm a very outgoing and expressive person. I am very confident in face to face daily interactions. Needless to say, I'm the opposite of shy. The problem I have with technology is I don't know how to communciate myself in the same fashion over a screen. In person, my nonverbal and even verbal cues are 75% of my communication. I never know if someone is going to understand my jokes, seriousness, or sarcasm the same way they would if they were watching and hearing me say it. I think I put more effort into a text message than I do into a sentence. Communicating statically means you can actually see it the physical way someone else will, before they do. Therefore you can see some of the different ways it might actually be seen by them. Sure in casual conversation with my good friends this isn't necessarily always true. But say I'm fighting with my boyfriend over text and I have to be much more self concious of how I'm coming across.