Think about it. One day, you're writing a letter that will take days to get to your friend. The next day you punch a few numbers into a receiver, and you can talk with someone miles away as if she's sitting right next to you.
All of a sudden, communication becomes easier. Business happens faster. Plans can be made only minutes in advance. Breaking up with boyfriends or girlfriends becomes less awkward.
Lately, you hear a lot about the "connected" or the "plugged in" world. In our society, if you don't have a cell phone you are in the minority. In fact, I haven't even used a land line in my home since living in the dorms in college. I email. I text. I call. I blog.
Anyone can get a hold of me at any minute. Not only can they get a hold of me, it's expected that I will be available at any minute. If someone doesn't answer the phone when you call, send a text. If the the text isn't answered, send an email.
I don't think things are too different today than they were at any other time in history. The telephone, just like the letter and the text and the carrier pigeon and the dashes and dots, means this: We need each other. We need to be connected to others. We want to be connected to others. We want to relate and interact with one another. We like the feeling of being loved when we hear the voice of a friend. When the phone rings, it means someone is thinking about you. Even if it is a telemarketer.
But still, there is something about presence that can't be replaced. Something is lost in translation over the telephone. It's not the same as having someone physically right there with you. There is no body language. There is no eye contact. Things become even fuzzier with text-messaging. You can't pick up on sarcasm or accents. A phone call, or email, or text, just isn't enough.
Which is why on this very day in 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell placed the world's first phone call to his assistant, Thomas Watson, he said this:
"Mr. Watson, come here! I want to see you!"
-Dave
