Ullman Comparison

At times while reading Ullman's article "Come in, CQ," I found myself having difficulty relating to Ullman's point of view. Upon its conclusion, I decided that this difficulty was likely due to one clear difference between Ullman and myself: we're from very different generations. It's obvious from Ullman's story, specifically her fascination as a child with radio communication, that she grew up in a time when the internet was nonexistent. I, on the other hand, don't remember a world without it. When Ullman was a child, handwritten notes were probably the norm and dating via technology was almost certainly unheard of. I certainly agree with her argument that technology has made people less social beings, but because of our strong generation differences it isn't something that I find alarming. It's life.

Another difference between Ullman and I is the purpose we use the internet for. Ullman and Karl developed their personal relationship via email. They exchanged lengthly and detailed emails and developed emotional connections on the basis of these. I have never had this type of interaction on the web. I rarely send emails in general, and if I do they consist of short messages about meeting times and questions for classes. I do use social networking sites to maintain relationships online, but there is a key distinction here: maintain. The people I have online relationships with are people who I know well from previous face-to-face social interactions. They are people I have has actual conversations with before having them on the computer. Perhaps if I were in Ullman's position, I too would find the initial social interaction with someone like Karl to be uncomfortable and somewhat troubling.