Making plans has changed since phones have enabled instant communication. Before, plans were made in person, and one would agree to meet at a prescribed time. They were made with the seriousness that they could not be canceled. You genuinely wanted to spend time with the person. After the plan was set, the other party was only reachable by traversing space and physically finding them or by traversing time with a letter. Standing someone up meant seriously disturbing their day. Even their week. The etiquette of punctuality socially encoded the weight of that commitment.
Now, the suggestion of plans no longer requires foresight or chance encounters. Time is offered as carelessly as a wave to a stranger across the street: "We should hang out!" With the excess supply comes a scarcity in commitment. Once a meeting is arranged, there's the constant anxiety of a cancellation or reschedule. A single text message can say: "I offered to be nice, but I don't actually want to spend time with you." With the effortlessness of sharing one's geolocation, the expectation of punctuality is removed and converted into a matter of fate. Since everyone is a text away, we can reach out when we think of someone. This gesture may seem to make friends closer, however, no one wants to read a multi-paragraph text. These interactions usually boil down to being tagged in memes, sent an article, or asked to hang out. In my case, I waited for confirmation from everyone before heading out. Their simple responses carried more weight in my state of involuntary silence: "I'm coming, I promise."
Trying to publish artefacts from the things I work on. Mostly design and software, focused on interfaces that are practical and flexible.
Also a reading log.
By Judah, one of the creators of streams.place.