technology is good?

I love technology. And I hate technology.  It allows me instant access to any information I desire, which is also the reason I detest it... it allows my CHILDREN instant access to any information they desire.  It is utterly addicting. I admit, even I get addicted from time to time. This past weekend, however, it struck me that technology - and social networking - can be GOOD.

Colton spent last night with friends.  Not his "go to" guys, whose group text conversation literally never ends.  Not his group of friends with whom he's grown up with at church.  No, the friends he hung out with on Saturday were friends from middle school - friends he hasn't been in school with since 8th grade.  He has never even lived in the same neighborhood as these boys.  But technology has kept them connected.  Texting, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat.

This 17-year old son of mine has friends from everywhere.  Friends from elementary and middle schools who now live all over the greater Nashville area; friends he has met at track meets, football and basketball games, dances, parties, etc; friends he met while attending Boys' State this past summer, who live in cities around the state of Tennessee; friends from all over the country he has met through a spiritual leadership camp he attends in Texas every summer; and even friends from all over the world he met on solo airplane trips, family vacations, school trips and visits overseas.  Colton is definitely outgoing and has no problem talking to a stranger. In fact, he loves going out of his way to get to know someone new.  For this reason, he always requests to "go potluck" on a roommate at camp each summer - just so he can get to know someone new.  I love that about him.  And then the really cool part? He keeps in touch with most of them - through technology.

They text. They tweet. They instagram. They stay in touch.  So when Colton visits Texas or Louisiana or New York or Honduras or Israel, he almost always knows someone from the area - and will let them know he's there.  And if we are in the city his friend lives in, he contacts them to see if they can get together.

Still friends with most of these boys.
Picture taken Spring 2011.

They played school ball together in '09
and '10, and still go to each other's
games whenever possible.

Saturday night, six friends who haven't all been in school together since May 2011, got together for dinner, sports watching and just hanging out.  Technology makes our world a smaller place.  And I think I like that.