Several years ago, when I was working for a small, very trendy web design firm, we were having a meeting with a 'big' client. I was brought in, as in my chameleon career, I had pretty much worked for everybody and done most jobs (I say most... No, I never got paid for that.. Read my book) A young pup, fresh out of 'uni' all white jeans and checked shirt, was giving us the 'heads up' on the market research that he had been enthusiastically carrying out.
"So we asked them about how they connect with friends online, and what social networking sites they use. We even asked them about their offline social networking".... At this point, I just had to interrupt,
"You of course mean REAL LIFE?... Like a proper conversation, on the phone, over a coffee a glass of wine??!!" I looked round the room with a conspiratorial grin.... (They were too cool and trendy to return my gaze) The young pup with his big brown eyes, looked at me, (whom I had worked out would be old enough to have been his mother, if I had got up the junction at age 18)
"Ummmm, yes, what they do when they are not online..." He looked troubled, as though a large big bad cloud had come into his personal night garden. I was bemused. So 'real life' to this clean skinned, tight bottomed lad was subservient to online existence.
This was six years ago. I am sitting here, typing away on my ipad at midnight, and I am asking myself, "God, do I really have to keep blogging away in order to exist?" I am sure my friends know who I am, I do believe they like me. I have a job, where I interact with people in an offline capacity (I teach). But, the truth is, I am a secret authoress and in the eyes of the reading public, I don't really exist unless I tweet, blog and publish more books. In fact, who am I kidding? My book doesn't really exist, it's an e-book, so why am I fussing?
I suppose it is because like all older generations before, I am dreaming of a simpler life. One where we didn't have to get our iPhones out in restaurants to share photos and post our status. In fact it would be lovely just to go on holiday, like we did in the old days, where, you really did cut yourself off from the world for two or three weeks. Don't you remember the feeling ? ..of coming back, and thinking you really had been on Mars for the previous fortnight.
But, as far as interacting and communicating goes, I do challenge those who say 'we don't talk anymore'. Complete tosh. We are talking and communicating too much! Tweeting, texting, emailing all day and all night. Gosh, your phone is even communicating with you when you sleep, mapping your sleep patterns! Perhaps, its the quality of communication that I am concerned with. Being old school, and having several thousand letters after my name (I exaggerate.. It's only 9) I always write texts in long hand, no 'c u la8r' for me. My emails have a title, a suitable greeting and an appropriate sign off. I believe caring about how you communicate by writing is respecting your audience and yourself. And if that means I am a lingua-snob. Good.
I was at the National Portrait Gallery recently, spewing out to my children the subtleties of Tudor propaganda in their portraits, (communication without words this time) when we stumbled across an exhibition of contemporary artists. One painting absolutely stopped me dead and it succinctly summed up my view about the kind of world we are living in. One full of noise and communications but on the outside, grey and introverted. This is the fabulous 'Shinjuku' by Carl Randall 2013 Oil on Canvas 650mm x 1300mm.
Seventy-five individual portraits were done for this superb depiction of one of the busiest rush hours in the world.
You can still see this work at the NPG until 15th September. What I love is that no one is talking to each other, everyone is in their own space, but most are communicating or being communicated to (by headphones)
We are no longer left with private musings or ponderings thoughts. We have the ability to tell the world every last detail of our daily lives. And yes, I do FB, (in my real life) and I do take pictures of my children wildlife, drinks and plates of food to share with friends. It makes me feel wanted, loved and let's face it, that I do matter.
We cannot ignore our genes, we cannot ignore our instincts. We are social animals, and the more efficient ways we can find to communicate to each other, the more we will do it! So a world of constant noise and communications is here to stay. Hurrah! I hear you text and tweet, I thought she was going to never shut up. Well, I am now, as I have to go and interact in an offline capacity, by making dinner and feeding my children who may have developed square eyes, extra large thumb pads and speak a language of creepers and diamonds but they haven't yet developed the ability to eat online.
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