Analog In A Digital World...

The other day, my husband was cleaning his office and came up with a road atlas, asking if I thought we should keep it.  My heart screamed “Yes, maps are very important, keep it!” but my head said “We live in a world of GPS, wi-fi and Google Maps, we’ll never use that again.” so I had to go with the brain and let him release it to the recycle bin.  I had to walk away quickly before I changed my answer and grabbed it from his hands.  Then I retreated to my bedroom to salve my wounds with the real paper pages of a book from the library. 

I’m fighting a losing battle with the rest of the world but I’m not prepared to concede to defeat.  You see, I’m analog in a digital world.  Yes, I know that my family’s probably sick of hearing it and I realize that it’s pretty hypocritical of me to blog about this subject on electronic media, but there it is.  I recognize that there are definite perks to all this technology that surrounds me.  I appreciate many of the new-fangled abilities we have.  I just don’t want them to replace everything.

When I learned to drive, I swore I’d only ever choose a manual transmission because I felt like I was in control.  It only took a few years of Atlanta rush hour traffic to accept that maybe an automatic that allowed my clutch leg to rest wasn’t such a terrible thing.  The cell phone has proven itself to be a vital tool in daily communication and the fact that one can fit in my pocket is pretty sweet.  I absolutely appreciate my DVR’s ability to keep me caught up on favorite shows while fast-forwarding through commercials, and welcome the 4 million channels I have to choose. 

I’m not a total Luddite.  I just don’t adapt easily and I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.  I like cars that use real metal keys (that could be copied at the local hardware store) to open doors and start engines.  I listen to the radio over old-fashioned FM airwaves through the ionosphere and prefer CDs with cover art to mp3 files.  I like my landline telephone and old-fashioned answering machine that allows me to screen calls. I like newspapers and magazines.  I like actual mail.

When I bought my most recent new-to-me car, I was bothered that it came with an electronic key.  Sure, the automatic door opener thing is cool, but why can’t I have a regular key?  That car is now considered old and it’s hard to find a vehicle that requires keys at all.  All one needs is the ability to push a button.  At the doctor for a checkup recently, I was handed a computer tablet for check in.  What happened to the clipboards with pens attached to strings?!?  And why, when I go to the store, are my checkout options ONE over-crowded cashier lane or a dozen “check out your damn self” stations?

I know I had plenty of lazy, time-sucking activities as a kid.  That frog wasn’t going to get across the river and the planet was not going to be saved from alien invasion if I didn’t spend hours in front of the Atari!  I get it.  Video games can be fun.  What I don’t get is my kids’ obsession with watching OTHER people play video games on YouTube.   I don’t understand Music.ly.  I don’t really get the need for Kik and I’m really bothered by how few of my 11 year old’s friends know their own phone numbers and addresses.

I’m old.  I’m square.  I know.  I accept that.  And I accept that technology isn’t going away and I understand that it’s necessary to be flexible and adapt.  My grandmother did.  My mother did – she has an iphone, for crying out loud, and can text quickly while I’m still trying to find that screen on my phone! 

I truly do appreciate the amazing minds behind all of the technological wonders we have.  I absolutely recognize that many of the people I love wouldn’t have been here without modern miracles.  I’m grateful for the ability to communicate with so many people across so many miles and, without technology, there would be no place for me to vent about it.  Ah, sweet irony!

I can, and will adapt.  As much as I have to, anyway.  Meanwhile, I mourn the atlas, embrace the books, and hope that my kids will maintain at least a little bit of interest in the way things were and the way they can still sometimes be.

I’ll do what I can.  But I think I’ll always be analog in a digital world.