What's are my closest friends up to? What's new with my family? What am I doing?
Well, my older brother Rob finally got a data plan for his blackberry. My younger brother Ryan is extremely frustrated that his XBOX 360 online connection is down. My friend Carleigh has lyrics to a song stuck in her head. I am working on one of many assignments due within the next two weeks.
...I'll admit, I haven't spoken to my two brothers or my friend today. Instead of making a long-distance phone call or spending time writing an e-mail, I can take the short-cut. The click of a mouse lets me stay connected to my loved ones by checking their status updates on Facebook and/or Twitter. Twitter and Facebook have completely collapsed time and space. No one needs to be in the same place at the same time to communicate, just simply check eachother's profiles!
The status update is having a profound effect on social interactions between individuals. According to McLuhan, it isn't the content of these status updates that is important, it is the fact that it exists in our culture and that utlimately it is revolutionizing it.
In the case of Twitter and Facebook, it is possible to stay connected with friends and know what they are doing without even having to speak. We are seeing a decline in the need for the telephone, e-mail and even face-to-face communication. Who has time for small talk anymore? In a culture where time is money, people want to retrieve information quickly and efficiently, and move on with their day. Status updates are quick snipets of information that keep us connected, but still leave us time for other tasks.
The changes in modes of communication are also bringing about change in economics, as prophesized by McLuhan. Signing up for an account on Twitter or Facebook is free; no hefty phone bills and no money spent on gas for friendly visits. Our entire society has transformed into a collection of people looking for social and economic shortcuts.
People, myself included, may have lost touch with the ability to reach out to others to find out what they are doing. It seems as though the world has become a collection of birds - tweeting rather than talking.
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