Response to the Trendspotter's Guide to New Communications: Death of Distance

We were asked to make a feature article as a response to TP's Guide. I chose the death of distance aspect as the focus of my article.

I agree with this aspect because distance seems non-existent with the use of technology. However, there is a side effect to this advantage. Read on to know. Here is my two cents on the topic:

Death of Emotions

I stare with apprehension at the blinking cursor before me. Gradually, I obtain the courage I need to click his name on the Facebook search engine. I take the liberty of browsing through his profile, reading his status messages and looking through his latest pictures. I frown at some posts; I laugh at some of them. In between my stalking and reminiscing moves, I begin to miss him. 

He was my good friend. I was always in awe of everything he does. He was good in his academics. He played sports well. He was good-looking, too. He was kind, sensitive and friendly. Despite all the commendable traits, he kept his feet flat on the ground. But then again, he was my good friend. Was. Past tense. 

We were good friends back in High School. We used to eat lunch together, study for quizzes together, practice for group presentations together. We practically did everything together. But graduation came and we had to part ways. We went to different universities, making a promise to keep track of each other constantly with the use of technology. 

At first, we managed to keep the promise as planned. We texted everyday. I posted recent photos of my new world, just so he knows what I’ve been doing. He tweeted his whereabouts, his daily life and new activities. It felt like the distance between us died; he was so far yet so close to me. I was happy with the kind of set-up, the situation we had.

But months passed and the updates began to fade away. His texts were reduced to a sentence or two. The always-present smiley became non-existent. I felt that our relationship’s status was beginning to deteriorate. I made efforts to win his attention back. But he always replied with “I’m busy, let’s talk some other time” or “I’m tired, I’ll call you later.” We drifted apart like the islands of the Philippines described on the Continental Drift Theory.

The feeling is indescribable. There are no words to illustrate the pain I felt after the rejection. Yes, the death of distance is present between us. But why am I also feeling the death of emotions between us? Technology is indeed a double-edged sword, like plenty of things. It helps you stay in contact with the people you love, but there is no guarantee that you maintain your good relationship with them. You may be talking every single day on Yahoo Messenger, but nothing compares to being together and enjoying each other’s company, even for just an hour.

Technology has made everything easier, but it has also made some things impersonal beyond our control.