In the past year, I have surrendered to the pressure of doing two things that I never thought I would: preferring a digital camera and signing up for Facebook.
My wife is the reason I took so long to change my mind about digital cameras. She used to take photography classes at MCA, develop her own film, and take great pride in how much better "real" photos looked versus digital photos. Since film is becoming more difficult to find and purchase, she finally gave in and got a digital camera. When this happened, I thought that she would hate it (which she did at first) and long for the days of film cameras; however, when she discovered how accessible and stored these digital pictures were, she saw the light. Her revelation brought on mine and now we enjoy the capabilities of her camera - mainly the ability to see the pictures immediately after they are taken. Americans love instant gratification.
Facebook has reunited me with people with whom I would never be in contact...for various reasons. The chat feature on the sight allows a quick "stop and chat" without having to have those awkward moments of a stalling conversation. Yes, it's impersonal, but I've never been a phone guy anyway. I also love the fact that you can see the changes in people's appearance and interests over the years. The trivial status updates get on my nerves (i.e. Mike Gange is going to eat at his favorite deli today), but you can put people on the "Hide Posts" list. Thank God.
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So I'm supposed to comment on your blog today Jay. I have long been a fan of digital cameras, but I think people have been dumbed down to think that prints made at home are as good as ol' fashioned film prints. There is still a need to actually print off pictures at a reputable photo developer. We're hoping that once we have the money we can invest in a nice digital camera. Ours right now is okay for a point an shoot, but not for real photography.
ReplyDeleteI have long been a fan of facebook, but Dawn won't give in. Not sure why. I enjoy even the trivial updates just to see what is on people's mind. Yes, it can be tiresome and stupid at times, but it can encourage conversation and messages from even the most random of people. And after the disaster that was myspace, I can't help but love the crisp image of facebook, the more reputable image that it portrays, and the ability I have to get in touch with literally hundreds of people I would never have talked to again or have been able to find if I wanted to.
Are you using Flickr as a place to store your photos? I like Shutterfly better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, colleagues. Dr. D, I'll take a look at Shutterfly.
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