The Times they are a Changin’

[slideshow] by AC Johnson Photography

Gone are the days of typewriters, rotary phones and snail mail…of dial-up, phone books and dusty dictionaries. Enter – Digital Correspondence. Smartphones, emails in rapid succession, texts, DMs, status updates, push updates, check-ins, incessant email checking…

It is APPsolutely time to embrace these new tools of communication, because before we know if they will be gone and the next newfangled gadget will be even more cutting edge and innovative than we can even imagine! Although it seems as if these new technologies and platforms are crowding our daily lives, when we stop and think about it, they are truly saving us time and energy – making us more efficient and productive than ever before. That us, unless you are part of the 80%* of people who waste time on Facbeook, YouTube, Pinterest or Email daily…

*Indicates a fabricated statistic.

The Social Lights are part of that crowd. We love social media, smartphones and daily digital rituals. It is currently our key to both education and entertainment (not to mention news, our networks and our social calendars). In addition to the latest and greatest apps and gadgets, we also love vintage, antique and timeless tools of communication.
We are intrigued and constantly awed by communication channels and gadgets of the illustrious past. They were the vehicles that carried stories, traditions, fact and fiction that was passed down generation to generation. There is something extremely romantic and nostalgic about the beautiful curves of handwritten prose, calligraphic ink on paper, tiny photographs-once crisp, now time-warped, the MadMen-esque click and clack of typewriter keys – antiques are awesome!
The Social Lights enjoy a blend of the old and the new – digital invites and handwritten thank-yous. Multimedia presentations and in-person explanations. When we are communicating by way of digital devices – we try to add humanizing elements whenever possible – voice, video, photos, quotes – elements that reflect the fact that there is a person behind that status update, that email, that newsletter…not just a monotonous robot or lifeless, lackluster laptop spewing out social media posts.
Although we have no crystal ball, we predict that the times are bound to change even more. But we are far from apprehensive. We will stay up-to-date on advances in technology (especially when it comes to communication) and we’ll be sure to share them with you!