The Passing of A Decade

I didn't think I was old enough to give a "back in my day" speech. You know one of those talks that your parents and the older generations give on how things were SO different in their day and usually much harder. After all, I'm 33, my experiences cant be much different than most of those in my speech class, right?

This return to college after at least a decade of being out of formal education has surprised me in some ways. I've been reminiscing, comparing and contrasting.

Just eleven days ago, we started a new decade and this event, this turning of time has sparked some thought in me.

I sat in class last week feeling as though things were surreal and a little like the technological and electronic age has come at me and society at warp speed. Our professor spoke of the rules and how we should keep texting to a minimum. We spoke of not having Internet in the classroom.
"No Wifii, that's unheard of," one of my younger classmates remarked. I pretended like I could relate but really I couldnt. I can't remember a time I was in a classroom that had internet available to me.

I was completely ok with the thought of keeping texting to a minimum because well back in my day, there was no texting in class, we either passed notes in class or waited until after class to talk. I'm not sure any of us even had cell phones.

I feel like we are often bombarded with information and have become an instant gratification society nowadays. I am sure there is nothing so important that I need to hear it right away, it can all wait until after my class, this was my baseline thought as our professor went over the rules. Then my phone started buzzing, my friends were texting me in class, one after the other. It seems that while I was in class my favorite performer (yes Darius Rucker)was singing the National Anthem at the Sugar Bowl. Friends didn't want me to miss out on the performance. I texted back and forth, during breaks of course, about my triumphant return to school, my fears and insecurities, and what was going on outside the classroom.

After class I came home and within the hour was on Facebook, checking and returning emails, instant messaging with friends, commenting in real time with others. And it made me think of how different things are this time around as opposed to last time I was in college,a little over a decade ago.

As I was thinking about this, reminiscing,I began to Google things, wanting to compare my thoughts to the experts thoughts on how much technology has advanced in the last decade. My googling led me to an article by the Huffington Post entitled "You're out, 20 things that became obsolete this decade" I thought I would mention a few to you:

Video tapes have been replaced by DVDs and movies streaming through your computer or electronic device. We even watch Netflix through our Wii. How cool!

Encyclopedias and time researching in a library have been replaced by sites such as Google,and Wikipedia. Most anything can be researched online nowadays.

Cassette tapes and CD's are being replaced by MP3's, instant downloadable songs.

Handwritten love letters are quickly becoming a novelty or rare treat, as more and more people express themselves electronically through email and instant messaging.

A single friend of mine recently sent me a forwarded email from a man she was dating, wanting to brag a little on his romanticm. In the email he wrote a quick poem and then sent her a link to a youtube video of a love song. It made me smile and made me think of how far the love letter has evolved in the electronic age and what is yet to come. No more midnight serenades with the boom box outside your window, Say Anything style or long conversations late into the night on your landline phone, it's more like a 100 short quick texts in one night or possibly hours instantly chatting on IM. Quick, short bursts of conversation, with abbreviations like LOL and BRB and emoticons, the new way to express your feelings, who knew a smiley face could say so much.

Paper Maps and people stopping for directions are also becoming a thing of the past as more and more people turn to GPS units (global positioning systems) and Mapquest or Google Maps to get their directions from point a to point b.

During my sophomore year at college in 1996, a friend and I went on a road trip one winter weekend and became quite lost in nowhere WV. The snow was coming down, it was late at night and we were two young college girls afraid to stop for directions but we did stop, at a creepy gas station and ask. The men were very nice and gave us landmark directions, turn at the little church up ahead, go five miles and then turn by the old railroad bridge or something like that. We got turned around a few more times but eventually made it home. I imagine our trip would have been a lot easier had we smart phones equipped with MapQuest or a GPS. But the trip was comical and adventurous.

Speaking of traveling, travel agents are also quickly diminishing as more people use sights like Orbitz, or Priceline or Travelocity to plan and book their trips.

Information is available instantly and in many forms.

Social medias sites allow us to be involved in each others lives 24/7.

Texting is replacing most other forms of communication. According to a study by The University of Michigan the frequency with which teens text has overtaken every other form of interaction, including instant messaging and talking face-to-face. Teens would rather text than talk face to face, amazing.


I have no formal opinion about all of these advancements. My life is enhanced by technology. 2011 marks the start of a new decade. I'm excited to see how we grow and advance this decade and a little nervous about what we may lose out on. But only time will tell.

(This was an assignment for my speech class but several of my friends are mentioned in it, I had to blog it.)