Techsgiving

November 28^th finally, and that means a ton of turkey and other foods that we, as Americans have associated with Thanksgiving.  As a hard working college student, I took the liberty this Thanksgiving to sleep in until 11 am, then wake up and start my annual ritual of eating everything in sight.  But this year, I noticed something strange everywhere I went; everyone was on a phone or tablet for the majority of the day.

I woke up on Thursday to a multitude of text messages from people wishing myself and my family a Happy Thanksgiving.  Even one of my friends studying abroad in London managed to wish me well on this special day.  After responding to the messages, and reading a few e-mails and tweets, I went downstairs to find my sister and my mother both talking on their phones, catching up with people.  As the day progressed and food came and went, the food coma set in and we all ended up on a computer or some device.  We were not stuck in our own worlds however, we were still communicating, but with a glowing box in our face.

After a quick cleanup, I decided to visit a few friends because the best way to spend the holidays is by driving around.  Once I arrived at a friend’s house, I said hi to their family and watched as many of them broke in and out of conversations with their phones or tablets.  The TV was on in the background, streaming the various football games that were being played, as is tradition on Thanksgiving.  One family member (who is less knowledgeable in the computer field) even engaged me in a question about ISPs and routers.

Perhaps it was just me noticing much more of a prevalence of technology present this year, but almost everyone, young or old, was on a personal electronic device.  Whether these devices brought these people together or not is still up for debate.  Many of the distractions that were caused came from buzzing phones and beeping tablets.  But I would like to think that technology brings everyone together on the holidays.  As a challenge, I give you this: On New Year’s Eve, as you party with the people around you, when the ball drops and the New Year starts see how many people you end up messaging, or how many phone calls you get.  Even check a social medial site or two and just read how so many people are excited for the New Year.  Technology has quickly brought us together as a people, especially on the holidays.