Social Media & the Revival of Old-School Communication
…seriously, writing physical letters is back and it’s here to stay.
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s the fact that the pandemic has broken every expectation we may have had about what 2020 was going to be (oh how naive we were.) It has caused life-altering implications that will continue to play out long into the future. I often think how my generation, gen-z/millennial cusp, is this century’s equivalent of the Silent Generation. We are facing so much rapid change, whilst also inheriting a world with which we are supposed to change or save from climate and geopolitical catastrophe. It’s a lot without the pandemic, and seems insurmountable when you factor in the political unrest, religious persecution, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and the awareness of conditioning that we’ve grown up with. There’s a lot to “fix” and to cement a new foundation for the future generations. To create one where culture and individual identity isn’t divisive, but celebrated. Where caring for the world and each other is second nature. Not a utopia by any means, because that’s idealistic and frankly impossible and not good for humans as a whole, but one where sanitation needs are met, people are fed, and most disease is wiped out. These are achievable in our lifetimes, and give me hope for what’s to come.
This feeds into the reason I’ve made this post - to touch on how communication has changed since the pandemic was recognized within the U.S.
At the beginning, we saw a lot of solidarity in people banding together and choosing to be kind and have empathy. I feel like this is human nature at its core as Rousseau described in his practices, but that society causes the corruption of man and break down of this nature through conditioning. We are born tabula rasa into the world but leave far from it. Quickly people grew tired and weary of the lockdowns and the solidarity faded - this has much to do with the lack of support offered and the uncertainty of life faced by people on a day-to-day basis that wasn’t just brought to light, but that couldn’t be willfully ignored anymore. It is one thing to create your own narrative and bubble throughout life, it is another to be confronted at every turn by the travesties and adversities faced by your fellow man and to maintain that constructed willful ignorance. I digress. The uptick in people at home led to more mobile communication through social media, but it also led to a revival in practices I feared people would stop all together - getting together for picnics, going to the drive-ins, having lawn gatherings, sending care packages, letters, and notes to let the other know “you are not alone.” It brought the truth of community and its importance to society to a head, and helped to denounce the busy culture we had become so used to consuming. People began to bake and break bread, to talk about the weird hobbies that they had, and to buy way too many plants - hoping the green would offset the moray of grey seeping in.
I think we began to see ourselves as having TIME again - time that hasn’t been taken in by the throws of capitalism. We began to see ourselves as people and to try and develop better boundaries where we could. This is not said to negate any of the bad that has come from this time - the mental health crisis, the rise in relapse and addiction, unemployment, broken systems, etc. - but to highlight some of the ways things reverted to a time BEFORE media existed. It has exploited the ways in which people needed to learn how to connect and reconnect. This year has been in the top two worst of my life, but it took me back to a time in the mid-2000’s when people just self-governed and sent letters and brought meals over just “to see how you are.” I had continued those practices throughout adulthood (and still do!) but had nigh met another human who did. I have received more cards this year, and made more meaningful connections than in many years prior. It highlights what being human is, and how we can be there for one another. I find it fascinating to see the progression of communication and how older practices are incorporated into new means. Throw in the idea of canceling the USPS and one finds that people are eager to step in, buy stamps, contribute to a larger conversation of connection and find out the rhythms of the new normal.
This leads to another topic that has gotten a lot of attention during this time, which is the mental health crisis silently occurring throughout the world. While we have, as a whole, been able to connect and build stronger friendships, we have also been lonelier than ever and seeking a way to understand our identity within this mess. Anxiety, depression, OCD, agoraphobia, and all around mental instability is at a high, and it has to do with the copious amount of change occurring within our society today. Nothing feels certain externally and so our internal functions mimic that. Pair this with the undercurrent of social change and we have a cocktail for long nights, no sleep, irregular eating patterns, and a NEED for more media content on platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
Especially for the Black and trans communities, this year has been tumultuous to say the least. The amount of racism and toxicity that can exist in the undercurrents of so many peoples’ hearts is not surprising, but it IS disappointing, and it points to the need for people to communicate more and have tough conversations. Which is why I’ve partnered with AsmythCo. to create lines of cards that are meant to START tough conversations. Our first series centers around the LGBTQ+ community and how to come out. It’s not just about coming out to your family, but friends, workplace, or even yourself. Coming out doesn’t have to be a grand or nerve-wracking event, it is merely you inviting your community to be a part of your story. The key here is connection and growth - to provide an outlet that takes the guessing out of how someone will react in real time, and leaves room for you to find the words to tell your story. We all matter, are worthy of love, and deserve to be able to express and illustrate who we are. We are living art. Here are some of the cards, which you can see on the AsmythCo. website :
The thing I’m most proud of within this line is the identity pack. It has all of the alphabet soup we call the LGBTQ+ community and what each letter means so that you don’t have to keep explaining what “Queer” or “Trans” means. You can just focus on being you and sharing your truths, not on the intricacies of each term. The act of coming out is never just one moment, it’s a series of moments that one has to constantly talk about who they are, and these cards can help. You can easily keep your card on you and just hand to people when they have questions. It’s easy but also takes the anxiety out of it.
I hope to continue to work with Amy and develop cards around mental health and ableism as well, but a lot of that depends upon how many people sign up for the email list and purchase a card. I think these can seriously make a HUGE impact in how we see ourselves and the world around us. Together, we can start Toughersations that will change the world.
