Everyone who is Anyone can be Spotted on Gchat
Google Talk Network (Gchat): The socially accepted appropriate means of communication for college students, and well, any civilized member of the "real world." Put simply, it's what's in. For those of us who spearheaded the AIM generation, Gchat is nothing but a smooth transition into a more sophisticated and age-appropriate means of instant communication. Incorporating features like video messaging and switching to SMS, Gchat provides the average man with all that he needs and more. But the purpose of this entry isn't to revel in the offerings of Gchat (although a link to this entry on my job application to Google couldn't hurt...). It's not Gchat but the Gchat philosophy that I'm here to discuss.
I have been accused of having only "Gchat" relationships. While the statement was meant to be reproachful, I cannot take it in that light. A Gchat relationship is not one with a creepy 40-year old man who follows you on Twitter or stalks your Myspace. It's not a relationship with just another kid in your Facebook network. Gchat is a way for users to enhance one-dimensional relationships. I say one-dimensional because typically the contacts who are automatically added to your list are those with whom you engage in e-mail conversation. Sometimes casual, but mostly professional. Becoming involved in instant communication with an otherwise email-only contact nourishes the relationship...it makes it more personal. (And for the naysayers, FYI, you can block contacts from your list, choose for certain users to be blind to your being online, ETC.)
I will even go so far as to say that Gchat improves your relationships with already-existing friends. Let's face it, whether we walk down the same streets everyday (or live in the same house) or live across the country from one another, we are simply too busy to have physical contact with anyone who means anything to us at the drop of a hat. But we do have to check our email everyday...on the hour...on the minute...And we also have time to give a quick "hello" or "hang in there" to those names next to the green dot (okay I admit, I blatantly ignore the rules. I hit up the red dots too). Especially for us college students, it's refreshing to see the green and red dots (can't forget the yellows...I admire your willpower) at 3 am when we are hard at work. Just when you think you've hit rock bottom, your Gchat contact list assures you that you are not alone (but you still may have hit rock bottom...).
When some of my close friends are only emotionally so, when one of my friends spent this past semester skipping down the Great Wall of China, Gchat enables me to remain in constant, and might I add, daily, conversation, while I am simultaneously engaging in something productive -- read: checking or responding to emails (yes, I only send important emails). The burden of the tasks associated with email is now overshadowed by the prospect of catching a friend (or a brother), even if its just for a moment. It's better than nothing.
So yes, I do have Gchat relationships. But the relationships did not sprout via Gchat. And in an age where it seems like everyone is in a passionate relationship with his or her computer, it is comforting to know that there is a face on the other side.
I have been accused of having only "Gchat" relationships. While the statement was meant to be reproachful, I cannot take it in that light. A Gchat relationship is not one with a creepy 40-year old man who follows you on Twitter or stalks your Myspace. It's not a relationship with just another kid in your Facebook network. Gchat is a way for users to enhance one-dimensional relationships. I say one-dimensional because typically the contacts who are automatically added to your list are those with whom you engage in e-mail conversation. Sometimes casual, but mostly professional. Becoming involved in instant communication with an otherwise email-only contact nourishes the relationship...it makes it more personal. (And for the naysayers, FYI, you can block contacts from your list, choose for certain users to be blind to your being online, ETC.)
I will even go so far as to say that Gchat improves your relationships with already-existing friends. Let's face it, whether we walk down the same streets everyday (or live in the same house) or live across the country from one another, we are simply too busy to have physical contact with anyone who means anything to us at the drop of a hat. But we do have to check our email everyday...on the hour...on the minute...And we also have time to give a quick "hello" or "hang in there" to those names next to the green dot (okay I admit, I blatantly ignore the rules. I hit up the red dots too). Especially for us college students, it's refreshing to see the green and red dots (can't forget the yellows...I admire your willpower) at 3 am when we are hard at work. Just when you think you've hit rock bottom, your Gchat contact list assures you that you are not alone (but you still may have hit rock bottom...).
When some of my close friends are only emotionally so, when one of my friends spent this past semester skipping down the Great Wall of China, Gchat enables me to remain in constant, and might I add, daily, conversation, while I am simultaneously engaging in something productive -- read: checking or responding to emails (yes, I only send important emails). The burden of the tasks associated with email is now overshadowed by the prospect of catching a friend (or a brother), even if its just for a moment. It's better than nothing.
So yes, I do have Gchat relationships. But the relationships did not sprout via Gchat. And in an age where it seems like everyone is in a passionate relationship with his or her computer, it is comforting to know that there is a face on the other side.
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