I have just completed my evening ritual before turning in. It is not meditation or journaling – it’s the routine of plugging in the plethora of electronics that are required to carry on the next day’s activities and meet instantaneous communication. Wireless communication has become an integral, yet double-edged part of life providing instant information and increased expectations. Can we have instantaneous communication and still find the ability to unplug and recharge ourselves?
According to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), Canadians sent 19.5 billion person-to-person text messages just in the last quarter of 2011. Billion. That is about 550 text messages for every Canadian in three months. Instant communication is mainstream. The multiple methods of communication that are now available – including email, texting and social networks – add value to how we interact on many levels and instantaneous communication has become a staple both at work and at home. Those of us who use smartphones have had our workday extended and the expected timeline for a response shortened.
Personally, it is not unusual that while on a call; the call waiting on the landline will ring, followed by the cellphone, and followed by an email – all from the same person. The perk of the email is that I can respond while still on the original phone call. Those who know me well now skip all of the above and just text. The downfall of this methodology is that I am always available to everyone, and respond in a well trained fashion – immediately.
At home the perceived need for instantaneous communication is ever present. The use of devices and tools such as cellphones, smartphones, iPods, iPads, Facebook and Twitter ensure we are all in constant contact. In the olden days (2008), my family would actually plan activities. Today, we just do. The day’s schedule is ever changing and is organized through a series of text messages, emails, web calendars and Facebook groups, all of which is available in the palm of our hands. The upside for parents is that there is instant communication and contact and the downside is the limited depth of the dialogue.
Instant communication shows no generation barrier as nearly one in five cellphone users over 55 uses a smartphone. You are just as likely to see a grandma at Costco with a Bluetooth in her ear as a 16-year-old. Instant is grabbing hold for those 55 and over too – nearly 38 per cent have used their mobile device to send a text. For my family, technology has provided an opportunity for both me and my kids to connect to grandparents (or g-rents) while we are all on the go. While text message communications are not deep and meaningful they have allowed for increased communication between our families in the absence of the traditional Sunday dinner.
For me the double edge is that instant has improved my ability to connect but detracted from my ability to disconnect. The key is to find balance between the ability to receive instant communications and the need to respond in order that the communication is a life enhancing tool. How we choose to engage, respond and manage the myriad of communication methods is an individual choice. Ultimately, the ability to recharge ourselves may be in avoiding the nightly ritual and using the power at our fingertips – the power button.
Tanya Doran is an enthusiastic St. Albert resident.
