Thank you to BING Social Search for sponsoring my post about social media. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.
The ten-year age gap between my husband and I usually goes unnoticed until someone else brings it up. It’s usually a friend and it’s usually in reference to why I had children so “young” and that’s when I remember, “Ah, yes. That’s right. I AM a trophy wife.”
I really didn’t and I’m really not, but you know how people like to comment on all manner of child-bearing-related topics… And I think it’s funny to refer to myself as trophy wife.
(I’m more like the ribbon you get for perfect attendance. Not as flashy, but probably much more daily effort.)
There are other distinct moments when our age seems to make a difference—tastes in music, pop culture references (What the hell was H.R. Pufnstuf and why did anyone think this was okay?), and the ability to speak in 140 characters or less.
I came of age in time of ICQ and AIM. I’m addicted to Twitter and find myself at a loss when someone smugly says they don’t “do Facebook”. I expect the exchange of information to be fast and direct. I prefer it to occur at my convenience. If I happen to be in the middle of something, I like the freedom of “letting it go to voice mail” or reading it as a text.
Meanwhile, my husband was raised with impeccable phone manners… because that was important back when dialing a phone number required an actual dial.
It took years to convince my husband of the need for an unlimited text plan. He’s a late adapter of Facebook and refuses to have anything to do with Twitter. More recently, I’ve been pestering him to find a chat client that HE WOULD ACTUALLY USE in order for us to have quick exchanges during the day.
My husband, a man who writes code for a living and is a bit of an online sensation in his own right, is just as tech savvy as me, yet prefers the phone and the quaint familiarity of a well-worn structure that it brings.
Greeting and Polite Inquiry. “How are you? Are you busy?”
Statement. Statement. Statement.
Question?
Statement. Statement. Statement.
Conclusions.
Recap of Statements and Conclusions.
Salutation. “Love you. Have a good rest of the day. See you soon.”
Why on Earth a three word text- “train running late”- needs to be draw out into a ten minute conversation is beyond me, but this is how the man operates.
Out of irritation, I often wonder what would really be lost if we just went purely digital. Would I feel less assured and loved if I heard his voice less? Would I miss the comfort of his ridiculously long good-byes?
Or…
Would I actually be able to make dinner uninterrupted?
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How has social media changed your life in significant ways?
Has it made you consider things you may have otherwise taken for granted? Do you think it’s made your life better or worse?
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I’m married to a similar man. We both are the same age, but I’ve adapted to modern times. I can’t text him though. He never answers. I have to call his work cell phone if I need him. And my favorite is like you, he’ll talk my ear off when I’m really really busy doing something and then he’s surprised I’m not so chatty then.
This made me smile. But more because I’m the 30 sentence “train running late” person and his emails of “train late” and “yes” drive me crazy.
“Ribbon Wife.” LOVE IT.
I love social media, but I’m not a texter! I love “Ribbon Wife”!
That was really cute to read. My husband is opposite, he does not like to talk on the phone, at all. Whether it be me, his parents or friends. BUT he also isn’t a fan of texting either. He is like a hermit crab and just likes to hide away LOL
Me on the other hand I have become a lot more social & less shy. I used to get anxiety just over meeting someone new but not so much anymore.
I’m 8 years older than my trophy husband, yet I’m the one on social media and he’s the one who prefers so-called old fashioned communication. *shrug*