Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
I can't say I agree with Bob Herbert, of the New York Times op-ed page, on too many issues. But the title of his NYT op-ed today caught my eye, and made me smile: "Tweet Less, Kiss More." The column itself wasn't too shabby either. Herbert writes about our frenetic obsession with checking e-mail, texting, tweeting, bbm-ing, etc--being totally plugged into our technological gadgets and plugged out of the world around us.
He writes:
Beyond the obvious safety issues, why does anyone want, or need, to be talking constantly on the phone or watching movies (or texting) while driving? I hate to sound so 20th century, but what’s wrong with just listening to the radio? The blessed wonders of technology are overwhelming us. We don’t control them; they control us.
We’ve got cellphones and BlackBerrys and Kindles and iPads, and we’re e-mailing and text-messaging and chatting and tweeting — I used to call it Twittering until I was corrected by high school kids who patiently explained to me, as if I were the village idiot, that the correct term is tweeting. Twittering, tweeting — whatever it is, it sounds like a nervous disorder...
A friend of mine told me about an engagement party that she had attended. She said it was lovely: a delicious lunch and plenty of Champagne toasts. But all the guests had their cellphones on the luncheon tables and had text-messaged their way through the entire event.
One affect of twitterization of our lives, as we all discussed and debated here, may be the death of creativity. Another affect, as Herbert notes, is the death of thoughtfulness and even intimacy.
We need to reduce the speed limits of our lives. We need to savor the trip. Leave the cellphone at home every once in awhile. Try kissing more and tweeting less.
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May '10
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
Who can argue with the sentiment? Of course, neither Rubber Duckie nor I pay any attention whatever to Twitter. Frankly, that whole endeavor strikes me as the ultimate invitation to terminal narcissism.
But I do confess that it looks pretty funny when we are both sitting there in the same room, laptops blazing, absorbed in different websites. Not that that eliminates kissing.
May '10
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
There's an episode of the British comedy The IT Crowd called "Friendface" that humorously deals with social media taken (way) too far.
What annoys me the most is the people who feel it's necessary to multitask while driving: If you were so important that the phone call couldn't wait, you'd have a driver. Watch the road!
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
Yeah, I used to think that.
ClaireBerlinski My brother and family are in Port au Prince. Can't reach him. If anyone has info about UN employees there, contact me. PLEASE retweet.2:30 AM Jan 13th via webRetweeted by 2 peopleDelete
ClaireBerlinski @InternetHaitiLOOKING FOR MINUSTAH EMPLOYEE CRISTINA IAMPIERI and husband MISCHA BERLINSKI and son LEO. 3:12 AM Jan 13th via web
ClaireBerlinski @RAMhaiti dept of peacekeeping information 212 963 413911:50 PM Jan 14th via web in reply to RAMhaitiRetweeted by 5 people
ClaireBerlinski to help people sending emergency SMS texts from #Haiti, pls RT this URL:http://wiki.ushahidi.com/doku.php?id=4636instructions. Needed now.2:50 AM Jan 31st
ClaireBerlinski @RAMHaiti Can you do quick reference guide to PaP, suburbs, how street numbers are labeled, in what order, for rescuers, or can you RT?
ClaireBerlinski Mischa and Cristina and Leo and Bruno are safe. The communications are very limited. If I can do anything to help anyone else, tell me how.
May '10
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
I remember a story about a man trapped under rubble in Haiti who used his iPhone to stay alive. The rubble blocked out all light, so he took pictures with flash in all directions until he located an elevator shaft that would protect him until rescue. He also used the iPhone to view his broken leg, then research how to tend the wound. Finally, he posted his relative location on Twitter or something.
I agree that it's good to turn one's phone off occasionally... as it is to occasionally set one's books and other reading materials aside. ;)
May '10
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
There is, quite obviously, a 180 degree difference between Twitter for emergency broadcast and "Jones Bartleby just checked in at Starbucks, Hamptons for a butterscotch latte!" I have a Twitter account for that (former) purpose, fortunately never needed to use it.
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
Duane, what I realized after this happened is that there's a whole universe in between Twitter for emergency broadcast and Twitter for butterscotch-latte updates--and that this universe is uniquely useful--revolutionary, even--for political mobilization, humanitarian relief, crowd-sourcing solutions to complex problems and bypassing the limitations of the traditional news media. What's happening on Twitter is amazingly interesting. Sure, a lot of it is vapid and narcissistic, but anyone with an interest in politics who brushes off Twitter is missing one of the most interesting technological advancements for the spread of ideas since the advent of the printing press.
Jul '10
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
No doubt that Twitter can have a positive impact on things, particularly when journalists spout off about something said off the record. Increased transparency is a good thing. I get the feeling that what Twitter really does (and Facebook and Myspace) is it allows everyone to be a celebrity. Now that I think of it, so does this Web site, or at least everyone gets to be a noted commentator. I'm not that interested in what people I've known throughout my life are doing moment-to-moment, and if they're tracking me, that's more than a little creepy.
May '10
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
Claire Berlinski: ... anyone with an interest in politics who brushes off Twitter is missing one of the most interesting technological advancements for the spread of ideas since the advent of the printing press. · Jul 18 at 3:07am
You know me- I'm out stapling one-page flyers to telephone poles like Sam Adams (I'm a true conservative! 18th century!). All this wireless stuff is starting to eat into the availability of the phone poles.....
May '10
Re: Less Tweeting, More Kissing?
To show how up-to-date I am, on Friday I finally saw "Star Wars".