Before the time of internet and emails, letters between a mother and a daughter, for example, living in different states would be sent by postage. The mother’s letter would be written with care, telling the daughter about the last few weeks, a neighbor’s good fortune, the loss of a pet, a shopping trip, and the mother’s feelings. It would be mailed and received by the daughter within two weeks, at which point she would have to find time to reply. After at least another week, the letter detailing the daughter’s reactions and her current story would finally be mailed. The mother would receive her much anticipated letter after it has been in transit for at least a week. Approximately a month would pass between the letter sent and the letter received by the mother. Information in the daughter’s written letter would become details of the past and past reactions to the previous events. In snail mail communication there is only the past, rarely is there present occasions or feelings. With the invention of email, the present can be communicated because of nearly instantaneous transmission. Technology has shaped communication methods of today, not only with email, but instant messaging, blogs, and sites like MySpace or FaceBook.
After reading O Pioneers! especially when Alexandra writes letters to Carl while he is in California and when Alexandra receives Carl’s letter at the end of the novel, I began to wonder: What if an email had said the same thing as the letter? Has technology actually changed communication for the better? Is there something special in handwriting a letter? Then, I thought about how emails are deleted and how people are more likely to save hand written letters: Has this instant communication actually created more value in a hand written letter than there was in Alexandra and Carl’s day? Beside’s society running at a faster pace, what else could possibly have caused this shift?
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5 comments:
instant communication has taken a lot of the care out of writing letters. They have become more notes that can instantly be updated by a second e-mail. With the blog network and e-mail group lists, one is capable of sending mass messages.
There is something special in writing a letter, it's more personal and shows care, but in this fast paced world we often times can't afford to do business or keep up-to-date through the postal service.
Usually when i receive a letter or even a birthday card in the mail, i can't wait to see what the sender has to say and it does create importance in the message inside. On the other hand, you can change the priority of e-mails when you send them.
It is difficult whether to say letters were valued more often today or long ago. I would have to say that there is an equal appreciation in that it took so long in olden times to receive a letter that it became quite special and in today’s age a written letter is such a rarity and demands so much time that they are both valued greatly. The lapse of time between sending and receiving a letter, I would imagine, would create a great deal of excitement and anticipation. It seems today that these lapses, though much shorter, cause more frustration than any other emotion. I think that the shift between hand-written letters to electronic ones arose due to the need for people to be connected. It is funny that most technological advances are made solely for the purpose of communication. Think of the telegraph and then the telephone. Languages have grown to accommodate growing populations and books and magazines are still as popular as ever. I think there is a natural need for humans to feel as if they are loved and appreciated and in seeking this, technology is created. The faster pace of society certainly contributes to this phenomena but I think it is truly a human desire to be recognized and deemed acceptable.
Things have been shifting and changing dramatically for a past century. People often don't need to communicate to the others by sending an envelope with postal service. instead we have a cell phone and internet to keep in touch at any time no matter where you are. Personally I think the technology makes things much easier and faster. And we always have the most up-dated news with us. But as far as I am concerning, I think that technology device has made us be more captive or as been stalked. For me, I think we have been losing a lot of privacy and the whole world is a big prison that no matter where you go, people can always easily tracing you.
The shift in more electronic forms of communication has varying implications that differ from person to person. In some ways, it dilutes the lines of communication, while in other ways improves these lines with more frequency. Changing communication for the “better” is a subjective term and will be thought of as such. Handwriting a letter, depending upon your ability to write or type will also differ from person to person. People work at different rates and quality, some may work or write better using handwriting, others perhaps using a different medium might work better.
I feel that both medians have a place in modern communication. I would have to say that there is something special about receiving a hand written letter these days. My perception is most likely skewed due to the time in which I grew up, but whenever I receive a hand written letter I feel a little special. I think these feelings have root in the fact that in the fast paced society that we live in, knowing that someone took the time to write, stamp, and mail a letter demonstrates a level of care that goes above and beyond what we consider to be the norm. At the same time, email has revolutionized how we communicate with each other on a personal level but also on a business level. It is nice to be able to have an instantaneous back and forth with someone via email. Email is also conducive to keeping in touch with many people that you might usually forget about as time passes. Despite the convenience of email, I still prefer hand written letters, especially when conveying sincere sentiments, gratitudes, or condolences.
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