MISSING THE SNAIL MAIL?

It was in 1980’s when I enjoy receiving mails from my pen pals, high school crushes, but now living with the age modern technology only Philhealth check money order mail and credit cards notices or billing statements I usually received from the post offices as registered mail.

"Snail mail" is a term used to refer to mail that is sent in the traditional way — through the postal service - rather than by fax or email, or other electronic means of communication. It is given this name because it can be very slow, as is a snail. Postal mail generally takes two or three days to go from origin to destination, if not many more, whereas email can be sent instantly from a user's mail program to another person's email address. Though many email messages simply contain words, they may also include photos or other digital files, such as songs, or links to websites.

 Surely, snail mail or normal post I really miss. Why? Postal service has gone through a lot of changes in the last several years. I can't help but think that email and technology have played a big part in that case. Our delivery service is also quite slow and some days we don't receive our snail mail due to inefficient services aside from the fact that the cost of postal stamp increases with time.

 What I really miss with the snail mail is that the personal touch of the handwritten mail of loves ones, family and friends from the different part of the world. But I think email is more efficient, especially in our daily works for we send email communications from offices to different agencies concerned. Just like in my studies, applications, and important documents are now sent online. The use of something like email to keep everyone up to date and sharing a good joke with everyone would have been a lot of fun for me too.

Just like the assignment or requirements of professors, tutorial, or advises of a mentor, friend or classmates, and  keeping the relationship or bonding of relatives   where it is sent thru email really is quite economical and efficient. But, seldom had I made a birthday greetings, cards on special occasion where I sent through email but I still prefer to send it through snail mail because of the personalized notes attached so it will be a touching gesture of love for our love ones. Would you agree too?  

On Virtual Socialization

On Virtual Socialization

 Filipinos have been characterized as culturally sociable and as frequently keeping in touch with family and friends (Salazar, 2007). The   Great Soviet Encyclopedia definition of socialization is that it is a process by which an individual acquires specific knowledge and values and accepts standards that enable him to function as a full and equal member of society.” With the present technology generated in our society, virtual socialization is the trends of the times.

Virtual socialization is an interaction with an individual or group of people through the use of media or social media such as the internet, not only is it an important part of socialization within peer groups but now it is used to market and motivate people to become a part of a larger community.  It is undeniably changing the way one communicates and how one finds and shares information.

Most websites offer communication through the use of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and many various blog formats. With new apps on smart phones and photography and video made digital, media can be created, edited and shared quickly and once it is in this new digital cloud it is not yours anymore.  Through these new advances in technology one can share things about themselves to the world to view, and prior to social media one would have to communicate and share physically.  These social media site offer adolescence new ways to access communication and entertainment and the long-term effects are still unknown.  For this reason, it is imperative for parents to be more aware of this new media and what it offers both good and bad for our children.

There are positive and negative effects of virtual socialization. Some of the positive effects are as follows: an avenue for socializing; kids and adolescents that can be creative, interact, and learn (Chau, 2010).  An alternative way to get students interested in learning with a new and previously unconventional medium (Rosen, 2011).  It can also help with “homework and group projects” (Clark-Pearson, O’Keeffe, 2011), and provides an avenue for them to stay connected with peers they have met through school, sports teams, church, etc (Ito, 2008), a place for adolescents to share their interests in art, music, games and blogs with others (Clark-Pearson, O’Keeffe, 2011). It can be   places for teens to turn to for support and advice when going through challenging experiences (Nielsen, 2009). Adolescents who use Facebook have been shown to demonstrate more “virtual empathy” (Rosen, 2011).Likewise , it  also provide medical support.  Adolescents can easily and anonymously seek medical advice (Clark-Pearson, O’Keeffe, 2011).

However, with   the negative effects of virtual socializations such as it affect the mental health of teens.   Their level of contentment can decrease, and their likelihood of getting into trouble or being depressed can increase (Rideout, 2010).  Also, teens who use Facebook tend to be more narcissistic, antisocial, and aggrssive (Rosen, 2011). Many forms of cyberbullying are also a problem and can lead to the victims experiencing depression and anxiety and the cause of many suicides in young people (Kowalski, 2009).

As concerned parent, with these good and bad effects virtual socialization should be used in moderation.  Studies have shown that adolescents and even college students who are on Face book too much have lower grades (Rosen, 2011).