Life Changing Technology

Life Changing Technology
Today, many people might say that since a great percentage of the general public own both cellphones and computers, interacting as well as communicating have deteriorated because they spend more time conversating through a screen rather than face to face. I believe, in the contrary, that communication has improved immensely. Technology has just brought a new form of communication which is much more complex than any other.
I have had the privilege of communicating with my family and friends from my home town, Maracaibo, Venezuela, on a daily basis. Without these technological improvements I would not have the chance to do so. It is a great feeling knowing that even though I do not get to see them for most of the time, I still have the chance to keep in touch through phone calls and text messages. For instance, I had a best friend since I was in kindergarten, his name is Gustavo. When I moved to the United States, I had no idea what was going on since I was only eight years old, and I did not get the chance to give him the proper goodbyes he deserved. I had no way of communicating with him because I did not own a cellphone nor had and internet account such as Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, etc. After probably a year or so, I figured out how to create an account in Messenger through my father’s new unbelievably modern phone and got the chance to talk to him. I remember his first words, “Por que no regresaste?” which means “why did you not return?”. I almost cried. It was hard for me to explain that the United States was my new home. I was just a child and I barely understood the reason to these drastic changes in my life, new country, new house, new people, and new language. The first year was tough because I could not find a way of talking with any of my friends specially Gustavo.
All of that changed once these internet accessed cellphones and computers came out to the public. I talked to every single friend I had for many weeks straight, just trying to catch up on what I had missed. I know my life was not the only one that changed when long distance communication came out. I could not understand how I could just talk or type through a device and almost instantaneously the person on the other side of the phone, thousands of miles away, would hear my voice or receive my text.
I also had some friends in my school of course. Even with the language barrier I managed to find friends. Through mimics, pointing, and sounds we would communicate and enjoy recess time. When I got home I would text them which was easier than speaking English. I did need the help of the dictionary on many occasions but at the end it helped me improve my English. This way I also became closer to my new friends without forgetting about my old ones. I have always been known as the joker or the guy who is always happy around my friends and family. I also like to interact with new people. I do not know why I am like that, it is just the way I was born. I feel that people are born with the ability to interact easily, when others are more reserved or shy. People can become more interactive and self-confident as the years and experiences pass by; however, there always has to be the will of that person to come up to people without hesitation. Back in high school I had a friend that was really nervous around girls. However, when it came time to talking to girls by text, he helped me out many times on the right thing to say. When I noticed this, I asked the girl that he had liked for a while to talk to him through text. She thought he was attractive so she gave him a chance. They talked almost daily for a whole month without seeing each other in school because my friend would hide every time he saw her. She started liking him more and more every day because as we say today, he has “game” when he texts. He was not shy or embarrassed at all. After he figured that out himself he started interacting with her little by little in school. They became boyfriend and girlfriend after some time and the smile on his face went from ear to ear. He would thank me every day. They did brake up about a year after but now he is not afraid to talk to girls anymore. I also have a cousin who is not shy, but he is not outgoing either and does not like to meet new people or cope with the ones he already knows. Going out to find jobs was not anywhere in his schedule so he lived with his parents for a long time. His parents found him a job where he could work at home on his computer and make phone calls. Since he is really smart, he has brought the company great revenue so they have offered him a better job with much more money than he gets paid. He has declined every opportunity because he loves staying at home by himself. He talks to his clients through email or text, no phone calls or personally. It is funny because when I grab his phone, there are millions of missed calls and he never calls back. He just texts back. He does not get fired because of how good he does his job. Today colleges, companies, associations and teams are ran electronically. For instance, Professor Palacios, our ENC 1101 Professor, sends out a reminder of the assignments that are due for the next class. That means that even if I was absent in class, I would still have the chance to complete the assignment in time. Now this is helpful to me because I will miss some classes because I will be traveling with the baseball team, so I still have the chance to complete the assignment. And if I have any questions I could ask her via email, and I am sure she will help me out. I might not have the personal interaction but I could still communicate with her with no problem. In the baseball team we receive text messages that tell us practice and meeting times. Companies and associations do the same via text or email. Since I have experienced people with different types of personality, I feel that interacting and communicating with people is within you. You can decide to fix it or stay with it. Communicating through text messages and online chats has helped me and some of the people I know, bypass obstacles that have opened new doors in life.