A series of essays....
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| SADLY, THE NEW ERA OF PERSONAL COMMUNICATION |
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
I know. If you have been an avid reader of mine, you might believe that I harp on this topic more often than I should. But, if I were asked what my biggest pet peeve was....my answer would be encapsulated within the picture above.
Every now and then I like to go back through some of my pictures with the understanding of why they had been taken in the first place and then write a story about it. This particular picture sent out alarm bells and bright red, flashing lights back when taken, and still does for me today!
May I suggest you zoom in on these four individuals and then, kindly, continue reading.
We are looking at a mother and daughter sitting side-by-side on the left and a middle-aged, married couple, allowing a bit more space between one another, to the right. Each set of participants appears to be waiting for something to happen. Something more exciting than what I am witnessing while seated across the room from them.
The scene above was taken on June 6, 2014, in the entrance to the chain restaurant TGI Fridays, but could apply to so many instances today. As most of us have observed, this scenario has become more typical everywhere you look, especially as technology becomes notably embraced by everyone!
Dan and I had recently begun the demolition required in our outdated kitchen while living at 1648 Morgan’s Mill Circle in Florida and, with life inundated by chaos and hunger, we decided to go out for a burger on a Saturday afternoon. Any given Saturday in Orlando can be jam-packed with humans resembling worker ants attempting to complete their complicated tasks such as foraging and taking care of the youth. We desperately needed a respite from rehab and an opportunity to fill our tummies.
People watching and communicating with others are two of my favorite pastimes. Considering we had to wait a short while to be seated, we utilized our downtime to unwind, exchange stories about our children and grandchildren up in Michigan, and strategize about how best to use our time productively the rest of the weekend. Together, we had experienced the ‘weekend warrior’ routine two years earlier while remodeling our Master Bath/Closet and knew how important following a good plan would be.
The foyer of this particular TGI Fridays restaurant was comparatively small, just big enough to allow several people to sit comfortably and escape a summer shower, if need be. The six of us occupying this enclosed anteroom were handed a small, black, plastic square per couple and told it would light-up as the next table became available.
The six of us occupying the hollowed space created an unusual sense of quietness after several minutes when Dan and I curbed our own conversation after realizing our softened voices echoed back and forth across the tiny room. As we sat comparing notes in whispered tones on our side of the space, it was apparent that absolute silence prevailed on the opposite side.
What was each person accomplishing while caught-up in their own little world?
Were they texting friends, checking their messages, deleting unnecessary emails, or determining the score of one of many sporting events happening that particular afternoon?
With quiet keyboards, there wasn’t even the sound of ‘clicking’ to stir-up the atmosphere. We were witnessing the complete lack of enjoyment of verbal interaction with one another. Exchanging human contact via words and smiles was substituted with cyber interfacing instead. With minds compartmentalized by their own devices, mother and daughter, husband and wife sat silently while deep within their own private worlds....for a very long time.
Slowly sliding my own iPhone from the small, inside pocket of my purse, I decided I needed to capture the moment. My cautiousness stemmed from the fear of disturbing one of them or embarrassing myself by being so blatant about taking their picture. I needn’t have worried; my precautionary intent towards their privacy was totally lost on all four of them! Not an eye blinked (not that I could even see their eyes) or an eyebrow raised during the making of this photo.
I began picking-up on the specific body language of each of my subjects. Each face lacked expression, the lips were straight and pressed tightly together, and all eyes were downcast and seemingly closed. The old adage that if you cross your arms over your chest it symbolizes that you are silently protecting yourself from negative vibes or words tossed at you by others. It most definitely applied here. Something was surely ‘crossed’ on each one of them....with mother and daughter sporting the more painful leg-over-leg position while my Billy Joel lookalike and his wife, a bit more cautious, with only their ankles being modestly crossed.
Suddenly, buzzing waves of sound vibrated from across the room and bright red lights began to pierce the moment sending their glow up the back of the cool, black Naugahyde bench. Billy Joel and his wife were being summoned, not by a human voice, but by the small, plastic square device equipped with its red running lights. Like robots programmed to respond (Pavlov would have enjoyed this exchange) the couple entered the restaurant to be seated. I could only hope that their Internet reception proved even better once inside. If not, who knows, an actual conversation might have to be exchanged between them while eating lunch!
Not surprisingly, my mother/daughter team failed to even look up when married couple exited the same bench. I don’t know what happened next with them because Dan and I were being summoned by our own flashing red lights.
Progress is usually and hopefully a good thing as its definition suggests. It implies moving forward through development, growth, and improvement. When progress impedes eye-to-eye contact and the enjoyment of personal relationships and communication between human beings, I believe we are moving in the opposite direction of progress...and that is, most definitely, backwards.
Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
