Lately I'm feeling the pinch of my small world (contracted with parenthood & not having a car or a sitter) and the yawning distance between me & the folks back home (friends, family, even familiar places). So today I signed up for both Twitter and Facebook.
Suddenly my world expands! Faster than a handwritten letter sent through the mail. Or a phone call & a message left at the beep. Faster even than email. I'm catching up on the lives I've been missing.
My husband loves technology. It helps him to be more himself. It's like the tools facilitate a more authentic L. In a short amount of time he's really clear about what he wants to do with the thing and he does it. Since he's a stay-at-home dad his social life is primarily on-line and he thrives in it.
I am slower to adapt to these newfangled things. I'm a confirmed introvert & a recovering perfectionist so broadcasting myself in Tweets or on my Wall takes a little nudge past the self-conscious. But I welcome the connection these tools both give immediately & support on-going. Now I can mail the card, dial the call, or send an email and we've got a place to start from besides "It's been a long time...." Or we may be satisfied in our acquaintance already.
I wonder, too, if the tool really is helping me to be more me, like it does for my husband. Teasing me out past censored perfection. Rooting me in relationships with folks & stuff I enjoy. Challenging me to adapt myself to a new medium & adapt the medium to my purpose. Presenting me with a new set of choices. Sounds like I'll be growing up.