The New Backyard Swingset

Do you know what all of the above logos are from? I can guarantee anyone from my generation and maybe even my parent's could identify at least 3 of the 4 without thinking too hard.  And forewarning...this whole post is slightly contradictory, considering it is posted on exactly the forum I may or may not be analyzing. But alas, I think its interesting.

I wake up every morning and generally check my email before I step foot out of bed.  I have some imperative need to know if something needs my immediate response since I've been sleeping for the past (hopefully) 7 hours. Similarly, we're a facebook obsessed generation. Even my MOM has a facebook now. And she is incredibly good at navigating the cyberspace gossip network.  But what did we do before all these crazy forms of communication? I can catch up on the latest happenings of some distant friend from high school Biology class who goes to college half way across the country (without necessarily gaining the title of creeper). There are obvious advantages to this free flowing network which connect people from far and wide; the lines of communication are kept open for far longer than was usually possibly pre-internet days.

I remember clearly the day I first got an AIM screen name in middle school. I logged into my new account to some unpredicted frustration...I had zero friends. Except for my stinky older brother who helped me sign up for it in the first place. And-with one computer in our house and absurdly slow dial-up internet, there was little chance I'd be talking to him anytime soon. However, that problem solved itself pretty quick.  These days you can be "chatting" in far too many different windows and probably lose track of which conversations are happening where, but this has also made our generation incredibly skilled at multitasking (maybe not studying at the same time...but oh well), and typing. Classic typing classes are hardly necessary anymore as kids are typing very efficiently far before having to crank out essays.

Ironically, my writing of this post has been interspersed with facebook and g-chatting...surprise surprise, the internet is taking over our lives. I am definitely not opposed-I thoroughly appreciate being able to watch my favorite tv shows as soon as they appear online, and keep in touch with my family and friends on a consistent basis. But are future generations going to skip the sandbox and swings and plop right in front of the blue screen??