On Technology

So the strangest thing happens today when I signed on to tokbox (app that combines gchat, msn, aim, etc). I get an IM from a friend that I haven't spoken to in ages. Now I find out we're living in the same town.

Although many people swear by facebook and AIM, I got on the facebook wagon way late. I spent way too much time on AIM in high school so I vowed to skip AIM all together in college. It may sound weird but on my college campus in DC, most of us lived rather close to each other and frequently had campus events to go to. I didn't start using AIM again until I was working on my thesis. O if only I saved those late night IM sessions where I was complaining about life. Good old days.

Then once I started working, I noticed that many of my friends have gotten too busy to write/IM/etc. In turn I also checked facebook and AIM less. Granted, most people now have smartphones and are "always online". But it's disappointing when I message them: they never respond.

The one thing that connected my friends and I after graduation is actually meeting in person. We would grab food or drinks, or go to events around NYC together. As for my friends in DC, if I visited DC or they visited me, we would always arrange outings to catch up.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, even with all the social networking sites such as facebook, linkedin, and apps like AIM and gchat, sometimes it really takes a few meetings in person to really catch up with friends. I can passively read blogs or browse photos on facebook, but they can't replace talking to a real person.