Distance in the World of Constant Connection

[Lori Whitman]

I currently find myself an university junior forced to return to my parents home in the arena of my former communities. My high school is only a 30 minute walk from my home, or a 10 minute drive taking stop lights into consideration if I had a car and could legally do so. But, there are none of my high school friends to be found. Most of them are away at their own colleges, working full time or already settled down into a family. Far away at my university friends are still continuing on without me.

I live in suburbia. Streets of houses closely placed beside one another but as distant as can be from each other's consciousnesses.There are no jobs near me to build a relationship between coworkers and my classes are nothing more than poorly programmed forums where posts are kept to the bare minimum necessary for maintaining a passing grade. I am falling into a cycle of boredom. Wake up. Eat. T.V. School work. Internet. 

Internet. It has captivated my imagination and fed my hunger for knowledge for years. Since the first computer my parents purchased so long ago. But, even it has lost my interest. My posts go unanswered, videos unwatched, comments unrecognized. I find myself the passive user that I have long connected to the television  I feel as lost in the world of constant connection through media as I do in the physical world, boxed in by poor public transport, growing social indifference and short-minded urban planning. 

I am compelled to contribute to a community but am unable to find one. I have tried YouTube for years, Invisionfree for much longer, Tumblr, and even this site many times. The boredom is over taking me.