Unconnected

The disclaimer: This blog is most decidedly colored by the mental state one can get into when one is unemployed.

I believe I’m not the first to suggest that this globally connected world is not so connected. We are losing sight of each other.

When we drive, all that metal and rubber between us makes it easy to lose sight of the fact that all the cars around us contain at least one human being each. The enclosure of the car is isolating. We get mad at others for their driving habits, and since we see ourselves as “alone,” we do and say things we wouldn’t if we were face to face with each other. We yell obscenities, call people names and make gestures. Some people feel so alone in their cars, they get dressed or undressed.

Online, we chat with each other, “connect” with each other on social media, tweet at each other, but it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there is a live person on the other side. For instance, I’m sitting here totally alone, posting some ramblings where others will be able to read them. I have to stop to think about the handful of real people who may actually read this [Hi, friends!].

In the modern job search, something I’ve been muddling through, job seekers send letters and resumes to what is now commonly called the “black hole.” Online applications systems make it easy for companies to accept resumes and easy for applicants to submit. But frequently, there’s no actual connection made between people -- sometimes a computer reads the application and decides that it is not worthy of sending on to a human.

The answer in this last example is to network. Maybe I can meet somebody online….