A few weeks ago in our Mediated Communication class, the question was posed: “Has technology affected our relationships?” And after a lengthy discussion within our group, we came to the conclusion that yes, technology has indeed affected our relationships, sometimes good and sometimes bad. While our discussion was riveting, there was an interesting point that was brought up in the everyday graduate student banter that got me thinking: with all of the available modes of communication, some of the ways we use to communicate are replaced with new models. But maybe what we have lost are some valuable and personal ways of connecting, such as exchanging the written note.
Remember passing notes in school? Writing notes to your friends at camp or receiving notes in the mail? The joy of finding a handwritten status update in your mailbox or a folded piece of loose-leaf stuck in your locker cracks was the highlight of the day. I was a big note passer. My girlfriends and I had our own notebook that we would pass around in each other’s lockers, perfectly coordinating our placements to coincide with scheduling locations. Now if we want to send our friends or family a “note,” we send a text message or write on their Facebook wall. And while I love getting these messages, especially for the instant news updates and connectivity, I still appreciate a handwritten note from time to time. I like opening a card and finding a personal message at the bottom, it shows that person didn’t buy the card minutes before, quickly scribble their name on the bottom and seal the envelope. Or waking up and finding a post-it note on the cork board or a quick drawing from my boyfriend. I know it’s silly but every time I pass by the note, I smile.
I take it a step further and mail things to my friends a few times throughout the year. Sometimes it’s a card for a special occasion or printed pictures from a special trip or a night out. It doesn’t cost me more than a dollar or two including the envelope and stamp and the picture in my head of the smile on their face while opening the piece of mail is priceless.
I am not making a case that the written note is magically going to come back and make a relevant push back into our lives. I don’t expect my post office box to be overflowing with colored pictures and post cards in the next few days. But the next time you are writing out a greeting card, just think about how a few special words can make your entire message more meaningful.
