iWrite—Gabriel Molina

How would your life have been different if you'd grown up 20 years earlier? How would you interact with others? Do you think your relationships then would differ from your present relationships? Which time period would you prefer and why?

This is a question with what I would call a complicated answer. My first response to this prompt is that before the technology we have now, people would probably be much more relational. Without texting and social networking and indirect means of communication like that, people would be forced to interact with others on a more personal level. I know people today that will not have a legitimate heartfelt conversation in person, but they are perfectly willing to over text. It’s frustrating, honestly.

On the other hand, technology has opened up many new doors for relationships with people. I can imagine how difficult large-scale communication would be without twitter or cell phones. Social media like Facebook also allows people to remain in touch with others over long distance. So although technology can limit how relational people are with others, it also allows for communication that would not be available without it.

In light of both of these, and considering that I am a pretty relational person, I would probably prefer to have grown up in the previous time period. Relationships are difficult sometimes but they are extremely important, and sometimes I feel like technology allows a degree of cowardice to keep up from fighting for authentic and personal relationships.