Email, Facebook, Twitter, Cell, Text....Get with it!

OK, Quit dragging your feet. We've got to get with the program! I have friends that are digging their heels in. They do not want to "play." If you want to be informed and you want to be a part of your kids lives as they embark on this stage of their lives, you really need to adopt the "when in Rome" theory. This is their turf, they've embraced it and there's no turning back. Cell phones are everywhere and what they can do is amazing!

This reminds me of when my mother brought a pushbutton phone to my grandparents' house and their response was "what do I need that for?" "I have a phone." "It works fine." "I like the rotary dial." "With my cataracts, I can feel the openings and count so I can dial." "I have no interest in learning how to use that fancy phone...." etc. etc.

Well guess what sports fans? Some of us are sounding a bit like them! Yikes!

Reading yesterday's NYT, there was an article in the Weekend in Review section about India and how this new world of communication is changing everything faster than a speeding light. "A Pocket-Size Leveler in an Outsize Land." They've skipped the whole landline era. They've leaped into this digital age and texting, using their cell phones is transforming public policy...

So here we are. Baby Boomers in this digital age. Some of us are actually making more of an attempt to join this digitized era...I actually have an iPhone! I don't mean to be tooting my own horn, I'll admit that I have been a little reluctant in this area, but now that I know what I know...Aside from feeling very "hip and trendy," I really like it! It's so user friendly and believe it or not, pretty intuitive, at least to my way of thinking. I'll admit that I've always been an Apple person, maybe because I went to college in that neck of the woods, but when I actually got a tutor to help me navigate this world of computers back in 1992, it was on a Mac. And being the stubborn person I am, switching to a PC? Never! I'm glad that being a "hold out" has actually worked out. I'm sorry to say that we cast our vote with Sony and Beta 25 years ago and you know how that went....we have a Beta player just in case we ever want to watch those tapes...crazy, I know. At any rate, back to the digital age....

As every month goes by, I'm communicating more and more with my kids by text. Granted, it's nothing like a good conversation with them, but it's a quick "check in." I've also just started Facebook chatting (I'm not sure that's actually the lingo, someone help me out and tell me what this is called), not with my kids, but with friends of theirs! Love that! It's much like the AIM, but for some reason it seems to move a lot smoother, especially if you have the Facebook application for your iPhone. Now of course this assumes you're ON Facebook as much as they are, and I simply am not. My kids have it as a "constant", I don't, but I suppose if that's how I start hearing from them, well then, I'm open to it.

I think that's the key: being open! Rather than digging in your heels and saying "I won't do Facebook" or "I have no interest in learning how to text".... think about it. You can learn! You know they say you can ward off Alzheimer's with things like Sudoku or Bridge or crossword puzzles or learning a foreign language, I'm thinking that learning how to do all of this social media and getting techno-savvy will ward it off too! And quite frankly, it's much more fun than some of those other things! So get with it!
A good read...interesting...
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Marc Prensky