Just_Add_Me_Up

“Just add me up” As modern technology continues to evolve on these days, different forms of communication seem to pave way for breaking language barriers and crossing long distances. Earliest forms of communication ever recorded are through the letters being sent through doves, hand signals with the use of flags and the smoke from the bonfire. Next to these is the snail mail referring to mails being sent from one person to another through post offices. This form of communication shares its names with a snail because it takes a while before it can finally reach its destination. Telegram is another way of sending messages, compared to snail mail it is much faster because it contains messages that are meant to be sent fight away. For the longest time the above mentioned forms of communication ruled the whole world. But this domination started to fade away as modern technology made its debut in the market with its gadgets such as pagers, telephones, computers and cell phones. Nowadays, it is a lot easier to communicate someone who is on the other side of the world despite long distances, for miles and kilometers are no longer issues as long as you have with you your cell phones and laptops. As modern technology takes its fast yet innovative phasing, the need to communicate with other people also changes along the way. Before, we only communicate with persons whom you really know for quite a long time but now, we would even confess everything and anything about ourselves with someone whom we don’t even see in real person. Before, people became friends after a consistent communication, seeing each other more often than usual but at these days being friends with someone only takes a single click here and a single click there. Almost all of us know about “social networking websites”, as IT people calls it, and for others it would be as simple as Friendster, Facebook and the like. You might hear and say this phrases for so many times “Add mo ako ha!”, “What e-add mo'”, “Comment naman dyan”. Most people are now being hook with these websites, including the youth. It’s because teenagers of today are being exposed to a wide variation of not only communication arts as well as multimedia arts. Nowadays communication does not only covers letters and conversation; it now reached the online community. I asked some of the students of LPL from the different colleges about what they do during their free time and what are their opinion regarding these social networking websites which are now gaining popularity all over the world. For Kat, from the College of Engineering, texting, watching movies and playing PS2 makes her busy on her spare time. She also surfs the net and check for updates on her account in FS, FB, Multiply and YM. For Arjay, for the College of Computer Studies, said that he usually surfs the net and admitted that he’s an active member of FS. For May, from College of International Hospitality Management, surfing the net is what she do in her vacant time and usually visits her account in FS, FB and YM. And from the College of Business and Accountancy, drawing and texting make her busy on her free time. She also has an account in FS and YM. In addition to their answers, they have been members of those websites since their high school years. And when asked if being a member of such websites affects their opinion about the real meaning of friends and friendships, all of them said that those websites such as FS and FB are just ways of communicating with people whom you haven’t seen for a long time. I have nothing against these social networking websites and the modern technology which is the primary responsible for the evolution of communication, in fact I am an IT student and I do have an account in FS and YM. What I want to emphasize in this article is that, though we are getting a lot of benefits from the modern technology we still shall never forget the traditional ones for this is where we have started. Just like books and the online encyclopedias. It is always easy to access to modern ones but at the end of the day we will still look for a book wherein every words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs were carefully put together to make it more understandable and useful to its readers. As a saying goes “No man is an island” so we need friends to guide us along our way. You can establish friendships with other people in so many ways but the sweetest and most memorable are the ones which started with a stare, a smile and a simple “hi” and “hello” and from then on you know you have that special connection, you know that you have one thing in common. So what are you waiting for, extend your network of friends. On this way you may find your sweetest buddies.