I have appreciated the modern conveniences provided by the internet. Communication is simpler now than when I was a child. I remember the days of writing letters by hand and waiting a week for a response to come by mail. These days, thanks to the internet, I can make a post and everyone in my inner circle knows what is currently going on in my life in a matter of seconds. Convenient, right?
The convenience of posting on Facebook recently lead to a major inconvenience for me. Last month, I took a road trip to New York City with my girlfriend. We were engaged when we left Tennessee, and decided we should get married while we were in NYC. On the last day of our trip, we got married in Manhattan. Running low on time following the ceremony at the city clerk, we had to rush back to the hotel in order to check out on time.
We were in such a rush to hit the road that we didn't take the time to think of making phone calls to family. I wanted to tell my family face-to-face, so that they could understand how wonderful the day truly was. During the drive home, my wife posted the news on Facebook to let all of our friends know the big news. As fate would have it, my mother just so happened to make her once-a-month Facebook visit that morning. She was crushed that she found out about the wedding in such a fashion.
Initially I was upset that she was offended. I learn the vast majority of life's happenings amongst my friends through the internet. How can someone get mad about something that should be celebrated? It's easy to lose sight of the impact that modern conveniences can have on older generations. There is a personal touch that's lacking in the expression of personal news delivered on the internet. Moving forward, I will not be posting big news on Facebook. It's not worth the headache!
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