Announcing Announcements... How Do You Do It?

Again another topic I find fascinating.

There is an article on Inside Higher Ed today about people learning family announcements that are fairly important via Facebook/Twitter and other social networking sites rather than in person with a phone call, etc.

There is much grumbling from an older generation about this (read the comments on the article) ... how it's tearing the social fabric of our society, etc, etc, etc... but while it might be tearing an older version of our society I do think it's rebuilding a new one. The technology that is available now is changing so quickly, and for many of the younger generation (today's college and high school students) these things have always been around. It is now second nature to immediately post your news as your Facebook status for this group.

I'm torn. Sure I like a phone call to let me know- for instance, my best friend just called to tell me she's thinking of moving to Rhode Island this summer and wanted to let me know before she put it on Faceboook. It was a gesture I appreciated, though had I learned it via Facebook or Twitter I wouldn't have been upset. From what I see in the high school students I work with have college students I used to work with, learning news via these messages is perfectly acceptable. Now, I know there are some older folks out there who don't use these sites and don't think this is the way to learn news. At one time it wasn't, and for you (depending on who you are) it may not be. But for these kids, I really think it is and these "impersonal" (as I heard them called) methods of communication are not impersonal at all to this generation.

Broadcasting to all 300+ of your Facebook/Myspace/Twitter friends that you just had a major life changing event happen immediately after it happens I think is the way this group reaches out to their support network. It's not second nature for this group to pick up the phone, or go to someone's house. They log in instead.

Is it bad? No, I don't think so. It's just different, and different than what maybe some people are accustomed to. Change isn't all bad- my guess is that with a little digging I could find some of the same opinions that came out when the telephone became more commonplace. (What do you MEAN people can just call each other with news and not do it face to face??!)

Just think, in 40 years when we're 500 new versions of these sites down the road this generation will be grumbeling about how impersonal it is that all 300 of your Thoughtbook friends can hear your thoughts as soon as you think them. :) Yep, these things go in cycles. I bet, if you're thinking about how much you disagree with this post you can think of something you did as a teenager that was commonplace to you that your parents would have been shocked at!