Handwritten letters, packages, or phone calls are still very prevalent among communication methods( Merolla, 2010). In the study by Merolla (2010), email ranks third below phone and letters. Most computers or areas with internet connection are in commonareas, which leaves limited time for more intimate conversations. Also with regulations within social media policy, soldiers and spouses must be prepared to communicate with all forms and set designated times in order to maintain healthy communication (Merolla, 2010). Is the immediacy and easy good for healthy communication within the military? Is it possible that casually typing an email that says "the kids are driving me crazy at home today, wish you were home" can cause MORE stress to the deployed solider?
Along with family communication, another way to look at the military and new media is through websites. The National Military Family Association website provides countless amounts of information for everyone involved. It appears to give spouses an outlet to look for information about being part of a military family. The site offers information such as : where to look for blogs or support groups; a way to share stories directly to site; or help with legal matters. After thinking about some serious topics, it might be nice to remember that deployed soldiers are having fun with social media. Take for instance Sgt. Scott Moore asking out Mila Kunis. Click on his picture to watch a very suave soldier.
I must say that I'm happy to see that old forms of communicating are still prevalent, respected and appreciated. I believe that the intimacy of a letter or package is something that email or Facebook will never be able to compete with. For some reason, a hand written letter just has a more personal and thoughtful effect than an electronic message. After all, handwritten letters and some small packages could be kept close to soldiers at all times (even in war) unlike desktops and laptops. While soldiers such as Sgt. Scott Moore can utilize social networking tools to communicate, I think it is important that previous methods of communication are not forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine how comforting it must be for soldiers to be able to see their families in real time over Skype or G-Chat. - I never once thought that the ease of communication through the use of social media could actually cause stress for those stationed away from their families, though!
ReplyDeleteIt makes perfect sense. It's just natural to vent to your spouse about life's daily stresses. I assume the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" intimacy and courtesies fade away when communication is somewhat regular. That negative piece of home has to be quite the conundrum for military officers.
Now what I really want to know is - did Mila Kunis ever respond to that dude?
I can only imagine how hard it must be for soldiers to be deployed and have limited availability to talk to their loved ones, but it seems that social media has made that a lot easier for them. Personally, I would like having the ability to see my family in real time and not just in pictures. That way you are able to see your family grow up, especially in the case of those who have children back home.
ReplyDeleteEven if you have to set designated times to communicate, I think most people would agree that it is still better than waiting by the mail for a letter or only being able to talk once every few weeks instead of more often.
The video of Sgt. Scott Moore also brings forth the thought that soldiers can do so much with social media, not only in asking out celebrities, but also in communicating with their loved ones in unique ways.
I have some personal experience with this actually. My younger brother, now finished with two full years of his stint as a Marine, enrolled in Nov of 2009. The hardest part for the entire family, but not most terrifying, was when he was in bootcamp.
ReplyDeleteSending letters to him in bootcamp was tough. Although he rarely had time to send them back, he told us that it was the only thing keeping him going. I can believe it. But not having the ability to communicate with him, in any way, was so hard.
But once boot camp was over, it was like the floodgates of social media opened up! Between Facebook, Twitter and Skype, it was like he was still living at home! And from a family's perspective, it was amazing. It was amazing hearing from him in so many facets! Although he couldn't call us, we always knew what he was up to and it was incredibly relieving.
At the same time, while he was on deployment, and we didn't see and update or get a ring for Skype for weeks, it was torture. Who knew what was happening? There were multiple times he was in Afghanistan when we didn't hear from him for weeks at a time and were scared out of our minds.
I think social media can be, as I said, incredibly relieving to families with military overseas or on base. It can provide comfort and the opportunity to see they're, scarily, alive. But at the same time, when loved ones aren't heard from, it can provide for room to scare and create anxiety. But in this case, which is the lesser of two evils?
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I had an experience similar to Sam's with one of my best friends for nearly four years. Through the Army, he was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other spots around the globe from 2000 - 2007. He wasn't big on (or often wasn't allowed to) using the internet for communications. Quite often we had to wait weeks (which felt like years) to speak with him over a choppy and uber-delayed phone call. Skype has to be such a blessing for families with loved-ones currently overseas.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question Jessica, Mila said she will go. http://youtu.be/u5Y6hvGYt9M. I am not sure if anything has progressed beyond the initial acceptance!
ReplyDeleteChris- I also felt relieved when I saw letters and packages were still highest forms of communication. Something about being able to hold a letter or picture while so far away is somewhat comforting. I do think being able to immediately send an email may be more beneficial for the family members than soldiers. My dad was in Vietnam and I asked him a few questions about his communication experiences. Without being too pushy, I really tried to get him to think of his time their with email and skyp and if it would have been helpful or not. His big point was it would have been better for his family and his girlfriend (my mom!) to email and know he was doing ok. He said he was so focused on his job that communication to the outside world was put second on the list, first being survival. We all seem to agree with that statement, the family is the one that really likes real face time technology with family members in the military.