Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Impact of Skype

Though I have always been a fan of the many new sites that have sprung up across the Internet over the last couple years, up until a few months ago, no particular site had a profound or drastic effect on my life. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE having a facebook! However, unlike some, I see facebook as merely a fun way to keep in touch with friends and pass the time, but nothing more. Recently I discovered a site which has impacted my life in a big way, and the lives of millions in the world. It has allowed one to maintain relationships on a level unparalleled

Skype LimitedImage via Wikipedia

by anything else. I am talking about Skype.
When my first cousin Rob (more like an older brother to me) moved to Sapitwa, Africa to research a cure for malaria, I was certain that we would never be as close again. Though we kept in touch over facebook, our once unbreakable relationship was beginning to deteriorate. Words on a page simply weren’t strong enough to uphold our friendship. In fact, the only time a felt close to him again was after watching a video he had posted of himself with friends in Africa. Seeing him come alive on my computer screen was more meaninful than any of our wall to wall posts on facebook over the past couple months. Frustrated by this, I turned to Google for help, searching something along the lines of “how to maintain friendships with those overseas WITHOUT facebook.” A few links down I came across this. There I found a string of videos, each documenting the stories of those who had begun to use Skype to maintain and uphold relationships with friends and loved ones. I discovered that in a matter of minutes anyone with a computer with a video lens could sign up for Skype for free and talk to others via live video. Several hours later, Rob and I might as well have been in the same room. We were seeing and hearing one another for the first time in months, expressing how remarkable it was that we could be doing this for free!
Some may disagree, but I am a strong believer that without the ability to see one and hear ones voice during conversation, inevitably a friendship or relationship will begin to deteriorate. Skype has not only changed my life, renewing the friendship I was beginning to lose grip of with Rob, but has also revolutionized our understanding of long distance friendships and relationships. No physical distance can ever truly keep two people apart again with Skype.
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2 comments:

  1. ArunMarch 11, 2009 at 7:56 PM

    I agree that Skype can be quite useful in maintaining long-distance relationships. I use Skype regularly to talk to family in India and as you say, it almost feels as is if you are in the same room. My uncle who travels all around the world uses Skype for a slightly different reason. He uses it to communicate with his company and teleconference. Before Skype, these possibilities virtually unheard of, but now they are not only available, they are free.

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  2. Morgane GrivelMarch 12, 2009 at 11:55 AM

    I have never used Skype, but I do agree that face-to-face interaction is better for relationships than emails or even phone calls. The opportunity that technology offers us now, is wonderful. I have often talked to my cousins (they all live in France) through video chats. And, it might feel a little strange at first to see your family member on the screen in front of you, but it makes communicating with them more personal. In all honesty, before I learned of these communication tools, I never really kept in touch with my family in France. I'm not much of a phone person and not one of them is an email person... video chats for some reason work for everyone.

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