Back to Basics: Technology and Communication

A homemade birthday card. A hug from a friend. A nice, long letter. Nowadays, these simple gestures seem more and more like a thing of the past. Gone are the days where a scene like “What’s the Story, Morning Glory?” in Bye Bye Birdie would fly; instead, all the characters would be linked up on their laptops, texting the song lyrics back and forth. In this day and age, where we are all so easily connected through technology, face-to-face interaction and handwritten communication seem almost obsolete.

During my meeting with Simply D and Jules the other day, Jules mentioned that this has been on her mind lately. The world is become more and more globalized every second, and the ways that humans are able to connect to one another is continuing to advance rapidly.

Although two people may be thousands of miles across the world from one another, they can still see each other through a webcam as though they are interacting with in person. People can send messages to one another, no matter the location, with just one tap of a button. If you want to see just how far advanced we humans are when it comes to digital connection, all you have to do is look online at how powerful social media is, how the message of viral video can reach hundreds of thousands in just days.

All of us at Innermix know all about this kind of communication; as we all have our hands in all kinds of projects and have the seeming inability to say “No” to any project that excites us--a great thing, in our opinions--we have a tough go of it finding times to all sit down and meet in person. Instead, we do most of our meetings and planning in cyberspace. Whether it’s through Skype, Gchat, or even just a phone call (something that now seems old school, if you ask me! - Kat) we stay connected with the touch of a button--or a few.

But while all of these technological feats are laudable and have significantly increased the east of doing business worldwide, we at Innermix can’t help but wonder—what has happened to connecting to one another in the most basic way? Has true human interaction gone the way of the dinosaurs and come extinct?

Nowadays, when you want to see how an old friend is doing, what do you typically do? Call them up and talk on the phone for hours? Only if you want your call to get rejected and instead receive a text asking why on Earth you didn’t just do that in the first place. Or you would write on their Facebook wall, Vox them, shoot them an email, etc. While this doesn’t apply to everyone, I think you get my point. Even I’m guilty of this pretty regularly.

But why do we do this? Why has it become so much easier to type out, “Hey, how are you doing?” onto someone’s Facebook wall instead of just meeting up with an old friend over coffee and actually finding out how he or she is doing? Why do we spend hours texting e-smiley faces and winks to a potential love interest instead of getting to know one another through a phone call late at night?

It’s the vulnerability that we’ve become so accustomed to protecting ourselves from. This barrier that technology has given us enables us to hide behind our cell phone and our laptops, deleting, backspacing, and rewriting our thoughts and desires to connect once again, until ultimately, we become totally disconnected.

The most important thing to realize in our techno-connected world is to strike a balance. Yes, we at Innermix do a lot of our inner Innermix (what a mouthful!) meetings in the virtual space, but we put a lot of effort into building our relationships in person, too. In fact, one of biggest Innermix’s mottos is “doing business with a good old-fashioned handshake”. Not just with business, but just with life in general, Simply D and Jules always make it a point to emphasize the importance of building an genuine relationship with every individual who they help, whether it’s through business, entertainment or just friendship, and maintaining that relationship, no matter how far away they may be.

So if you’re ever having one of those days where you find yourself thinking about an old friend or acquaintance who you haven’t spoken to in a long time, call. Write a letter. Meet up for coffe.  I know it may be tempting to just take a second and send them a text or e-mail, but between a series of exchanged one-liners and a face-to-face conversation, I think you know which one will give the both of you happiness and satisfaction in the end.

And besides, there’s nothing like hugging an old friend after not seeing them for a long time. I may be stating the obvious here, but come on, hugs are awesome. That instant connection, that warmth of familiarity? Those are things that the Internet will never give you the same way a face-to-face meeting can. 


Until next time, 


Tiffany
Editor’s Note: I agree with Tiff 100%! And I can’t help but wonder, with all of this technology, how far away are we from getting holograms sent to us? What will the first hologram say? “Help me, Obi-wan Kenobe. You’re my only hope.” Duh. -Kat

We Are Family: Shine Factory Radio and The Reese Patterson Show

Now ya’ll* may or may not know this, but our Innermix family is part of an even bigger one: Shine Factory Radio, which produces a variety of shows for BlogTalkRadio. It just so happens that this lovely month of June is the one year anniversary for Shine Factory Radio, the--surprise--radio arm of the still-bigger Shine Factory family. To celebrate, we thought we would introduce you so some other members of this creative, innovative, exciting family tree. Think of it as our little blogosphere family reunion! First up? Reese Patterson. 

I sat down virtually--thanks, Internet!--with Deon and Reese Patterson, host of The Reese Patterson Show. Reese’s show is the variety show of Shine Factory; if Innermix is there to give you advice on life, love, and relationships, Patterson is there to be a chameleon. He’ll cover everything under the sun and then some--plus a little more.Deon said it best: “Reese will talk about everything from tennis shoes to rocket ships and you’ll be entertained the whole time.”

Patterson didn’t just sit back and wait for the opportunity to entertain to fall into his lap. His success with Internet radio comes from sheer force of will, desire, and drive. To hear him tell it, one day he decided he wanted to do a radio show and simply refused to quit until he got one.  And the attitude that got him on the air was obvious from the first question I asked:

If there was a piece of advice that applies to everyone, everywhere, all the time, what would it be?
Never give up. If something is going wrong, doing the same thing—that’s insanity. Don’t do the same thing over and over again, but don’t just give up on your dream.

That may not sound too unique of an experience at first pass, but to be clear, he just knew he wanted to be on the radio and be himself. When The Reese Patterson Show first started, there was no real plan to it. Reese just felt a burning need to share his point of view and take a risk, and he showed real tenacity in making that happen. It was a calling, an intrinsic understanding: “I just had the feeling that if you just set me in front of a mic, something great is going to come out.

Talking to Reese, you hear not only the drive that quite literally pulled a radio show out of thin air, but also the humility and gratitude that earned him the trust of Shine Factory. To put a radio show on the air with no real direction takes guts and good will, and Reese Patterson has both of those in spades. He ended almost every interview question by thanking Shine Factory for the support, trust, and opportunity to pursue his now-successful show, demonstrating why someone would be willing to take such a huge risk.

The Reese Patterson Show has been on the Internet airwaves for a full year now, and both the show and its host show no signs of slowing down. Ask Reese what he wants to do next, and you’ll get an earful or five. From diversifying show topics (mentioned as potential topics: deserts, divorce, cherry pie) to bringing on more guests, The Reese Patterson Show is going to be capitalizing on the blank check written to him to explore his creativity.

Besides addressing the fun and varietal stuff, Patterson is looking to venture into more socially conscious show topics. He gives 100% raw truth on a lot of topics already, but he’s really itching to cover what really matters in today’s world. I, for one, am a huge advocate of this—not only because we definitely need more awareness of social issues, but because Reese is so articulate and passionate about them. To hear him talk about the Trayvon Martin case—not only the injustice of it, but how it demonstrates the need for more education and acceptance in this country—is a truly staggering experience.

But one thing you can consistently expect, even as the show fluctuates between silliness and seriousness? In Reese’s own perfect words, “Expect emotion. I want you to feel something, to get a reaction. I want that reaction, whether it’s anger, whether you agree or disagree, I want you to feel something when you listen to the show.”



*I’ve been at home in Texas; sorry if the Ragin' Cajun cowgirl comes out in my writing!


**Be sure to check out The Reese Patterson Show on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10pm-12am, and to follow on Facebook and Twitter.**

You Say It's Your Birthday?

Hey guys!

Long time no write? I know, I know. Fret not, we are still all happy, healthy, and alive over here at InnerScoops! As I'm sure you saw--or, at least, I hope you saw; if not, see it now!--I personally just graduated from school and, well, let's just say that life has gotten real real, real fast. Like I mentioned before, early summer is a time of change for a lot of us, and I hope that this next installation in my version of The Real World helps you know that change is scary, but change is good and, most importantly, you are not alone.

So I've graduated. Next step? Turning 22.

I've never really been one for birthdays. Well, actually, let me rephrase that. I've never been one for my *own* birthday. I love other people's birthdays, planning parties and baking cupcakes and the like. And I truly love organizing surprise parties, taking people out, singing horribly off key, and trying to make people feel as special as possible on a day that celebrates them and, well let's be honest, their mother for one helluva labor. ::Applause::

But when it's my turn? Well, I kind just shrug it off when I can. For one, I don't love the attention*. Strange thing for a blogger to say, I realize, but the spotlight of birthday affection makes me very uncomfortable. Plus, not to sound all Debbie Downer on ya'll, but my birthdays of recent memory have not exactly been winners. Not bad or anything, just uneventful and normal. I actually tried to fully take myself out of the game this season, purposely scheduling my 20k car check up and lots of work on the actual day of to pre-empt any shenanigans that could take a turn for the worse. I thought I had a nice quiet birthday followed by a normal weekend made. In the bag. Signed, sealed, delivered.

Pictured: Me. Or Rachel Dratch, whatever you want to call it. 

So imagine my surprise when, the morning of my birthday, my car started emitting a strange sound.

::tuba sounds, of course::

I was heading out to grab breakfast, and 30 seconds into my drive, I heard a scraping sound. I thought nothing of it because, hey, if you live in LA you know that our streets are pretty much paved with gravel and everything sounds scratchy. But after a few blocks I pulled over to look under my car and--oh hey there dangling heap of plastic dragging under my car.

I slogged my poor Phoebe (the name of my precious little sky blue Beetle) over to VW and had them check it out. After an hour of inspection, they concluded that--SURPRISE!--my engine cover was hanging on by a thread. Or rather, whatever the equivalent of thread is to plastic. How exactly remains a mystery: Was it old age? Something bounced up and I didn't notice it the evening before? The Keebler elves have diversified from cookie-making to car-mischief? Who knows, but it was going to cost $400 and two hours. Happy birthday to me...

I left the dealership and then went into work. My mood ring would have said--well, it would have said blue-ish because those things NEVER work! But, to illustrate my point, it would have been at least reddish. Maybe purple, trying to get red. Anyways, stop rambling and move on with it Katherine! Am I right?**

During the week, I work afternoons tutoring K-12 kids at an after school center. I have to say, regardless of the car trouble and the exhaustion later on, this was maybe the best birthday present I could've asked for. The students that I work with put such a smile on my face. I know, I know, that's such a cliché thing for a teacher to say, but things like that are clichéd for a reason. Kids, even if they sometimes make you want to tear your hair out, make your heart feel fuller and your day shine brighter than anyone else. I was greeted by bear--or should I say cub?--hugs from the kids I tutor, and was told "Happy Birthday" so many times that I felt like I was at Disneyland wearing one of those buttons that contractually obligates all workers to wish you a happy uterine expulsion. The car forgotten, that will probably be my greatest birthday memory for a long time. To be clear, that's not a low ball deal. There isn't much that can top the unconditional adoration you feel from a six year old wrapping their arms around your knees and wishing you happy birthday.

Well, maybe a house. But that's...next year??

Next time on Katherine Becomes an Adult: Moving, or How I Single-Handedly Moved Myself Out of a Third-and-a-Half (Yes, Half) Story Walk Up.

*No false modesty, I'm totally serious.

**My internal monologue is legendarily rambling, sorry ya'll.