Sunday, January 09, 2005
When Technology Fails Us
I'm sitting in front of my computer in an absolute panic. My email is down. Earthlink has no eta on when it will be back up. They do, however, thank me for my patience. Instead or replying "Patience my ass . . ." I started thinking about how technology has changed communications and relationships.
I recall that when I started practicing law, there was no email. Facsimile was relatively new and my letterhead actually still had a teletype address. Perhaps it is simply the old guy mis-remembering, but there seemed to be a little more civility in the practice of law. There was more face to face, there was less of a "do it now" "24/7" mentality.
I went to lunch with a friend recently. He is a partner at a mid sized firm here in Los Angeles. He has a blackberry. Half of lunch was spent watching him respond to emails with his thumbs. Looking around, I realized that this has become the norm - most of the people at other tables were doing the same thing. The inherent rudeness of this seemed to have been lost on the participants.
I have also noticed that clients with whom I have never met face to face are more demanding of my time. This is similar to my days in "big firms" where I worked with attorneys across the country. They, cut off from face to face contact, assumed that I should be there when they were and when I was not, the complaints were loud and immediate. However, those times when I met these attorneys or stayed in New York for an extended period of time and worked side by side with them, the missing element of humanity was found and the subsequent email relationship went much more smoothly.
On the other hand, email has allowed me to expand my friendships. I regularly communicate with poets and writers whom I have never met. Email has allowed me to redevelope a relationship with a dear friend with whom I had lost touch.
So, in the end, I'm still wondering - has email made for a more or less civilized society?
Random thoughts while watching Los Angeles float into the sea. Apologies if this fails to amuse.
I recall that when I started practicing law, there was no email. Facsimile was relatively new and my letterhead actually still had a teletype address. Perhaps it is simply the old guy mis-remembering, but there seemed to be a little more civility in the practice of law. There was more face to face, there was less of a "do it now" "24/7" mentality.
I went to lunch with a friend recently. He is a partner at a mid sized firm here in Los Angeles. He has a blackberry. Half of lunch was spent watching him respond to emails with his thumbs. Looking around, I realized that this has become the norm - most of the people at other tables were doing the same thing. The inherent rudeness of this seemed to have been lost on the participants.
I have also noticed that clients with whom I have never met face to face are more demanding of my time. This is similar to my days in "big firms" where I worked with attorneys across the country. They, cut off from face to face contact, assumed that I should be there when they were and when I was not, the complaints were loud and immediate. However, those times when I met these attorneys or stayed in New York for an extended period of time and worked side by side with them, the missing element of humanity was found and the subsequent email relationship went much more smoothly.
On the other hand, email has allowed me to expand my friendships. I regularly communicate with poets and writers whom I have never met. Email has allowed me to redevelope a relationship with a dear friend with whom I had lost touch.
So, in the end, I'm still wondering - has email made for a more or less civilized society?
Random thoughts while watching Los Angeles float into the sea. Apologies if this fails to amuse.
