Last night, in true procrastinator fashion I went out to get some last-minute things for my Halloween costume for tonight. For my costume, I needed “Hello, My Name is _____” stickers. These stickers were once a staple in every dollar store, but as I found out last night, they are a disappearing commodity.
I went to Dollar Tree, Dollarama and Superstore, and was unsuccessful in locating these seemingly ancient differentiation devices. All I could find was blank white Adobe stickers. While I was peeved that I couldn’t finish my costume properly, I couldn’t help but think about this on a symbolic level.
As people become more and more connected on the internet and in social media, we are becoming a less connected society on the true personal level. You see people’s wedding pictures on Facebook, but would never congratulate them in person. You like someone’s selfies from the bar on Instagram, and remember avoiding them when you were there.
There are plenty of people who I have met on the street, worked with, gone to school with (the list goes on) who I never bothered to ask their name. I would recognize them on the street, but would never say hello. It’s a shame, because some of them could have become good friends, but I was too interested in my business to get to know theirs.
The “Hello My Name is ____” stickers were popular at conferences, new workplaces, first days of school, but now they are mostly a memory. People these days seem to care less and less about the people around them and are more caught up in themselves, so why would they need to know their name?
KG
Phil Ade – “Different World”
lupe taught me — @kgoldstine 