Getting Inter It

It all started with chat rooms didn't it? This need to feel connected and converse, often times with strangers. Somewhere between AOL and the iPhone though things sort of leveled out, and we got personal with texting. Then #FOMO happened. Apple and Google caught on, and group conversations reemerged. This is fantastic, as more often than not three or five people are more funny than two. How awkward is it though when, for convenience sake, someone texts the group chain about plans for the weekend and only three out of the seven people on it are living in that city? Well perhaps it's not awkward so much as it is irrelevant/annoying.

The point is, did we get lazy and lose interest or just lose interpersonal communication? I enjoy most to all modes of communication. For as much of an old soul as I am, I do feel fortunate that I was born in such a time where so many open wires exist. It helps to enhance my know-it-all nature when I get sent articles, sites or restaurant recommendations people forward along to me. On the other side, it nurtures friendships and offers a sense of pride to that person when I can offer something to them that I thought they may find of interest.

Often I think we shy away from this in general. We think someone may feel we're weird, or the groupthink psychology goes into effect. If no one else is doing it, then I shouldn't. Other people are though in some ways or the other. Maybe not everyone, but some people. After all, how did a group come together in the first place? One person was friends with one person because of shared interested who was friends with another person and so forth.

The worst thing we can do to our friends is let interpersonal communication fall to the wayside. It doesn't foster trust, and it certainly does not cultivate anything exciting or interesting to talk about on Monday mornings. So here's a challenge for the week: the next time something reminds you of someone, be it a song you heard or Buzzfeed post you skimmed through, share it with that person. See what happens. Then keep going. Get inter it.

{Image Source: Wit and Delight}