Awkward Tech Moments

New advances in technology can prove extremely useful. It's interesting how you lived without certain services and can't imagine living without them today. They become integrated in your life. Things like email, voice mail, social network sites, the Internet, search engines, caller ID, access to hundreds of TV channels, etc. It wasn't that long ago we didn't carry phones with us everywhere. Growing up, my house had one phone, located in a central location. There was no caller ID, no call waiting. We couldn't even imagine the convenience of email and search engines. All these service are part and parcel of our day to day life now. We've adapted quickly and as new technology arrives, it's hard to keep up. Seems just when I accept and master one thing, something new comes along.

While we come to depend on and accept these services as part of our lives, they can present opportunities to screw up. I don't know how many stories I've heard where new technologies have put people in awkward situations, broken up relationships, caused work stress or were just flat embarrassing.

I still cringe when I remember the time I left a work related message on a client's voice mail and ended the call with "Amen!" It's nauseating to hang up and know you can't take it back. What's been done is done. Worse yet was the time I was in heavy city traffic leaving a message for a coworker when a semi almost sideswiped me. Forgetting I was still on the phone I said "Thanks Dumbshit" and then a split second later realized the phone was still to my ear and my expletive was included in my message. Thank God it was to a friendly coworker. Later when we listened to the message, she had so thoughtfully saved, you could clearly hear the expletive followed by the inhale of my breath as I realized what I had just done. This particular coworker found it so funny, she saved it and when she was having a bad day or someone else in the office needed a lift, she would play it for them!

A couple weeks ago a former coworker asked if I'd heard about the email another former coworker had sent to their boss. Apparently this person vents via email... emails she never intends to send. But... you guessed it, somehow she pushed send and off it went to her boss. In this email she spouted every issue (past and present) she had with him. Oops! I can only imagine the sick feeling that came over her when she realized what she had done. The aforementioned email was followed by an "I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to send that..." visit to his office. Her boss forgave her but won't soon forget.

One of the funniest stories I recall happened years ago, when answering machines were just becoming commonplace. Another past coworker had a crush on a supporter of the organization he worked for. She was married, he was not. Never would this young man consider hitting on her. She was just his fantasy. One day he left her a work related message at her home. He ended it with "Love You." Again... sick feeling in the pit of your stomach.

My oldest daughter learned her boyfriend of two years was seeing someone else. How? via this young woman's myspace page. She was alerted to the fact by a mutual friend. Checking it out she saw this young woman's relationship status was "in a relationship". Pretty painful to see who it was with and the pictures that were posted as further proof. In days past she would have eventually found out the old fashioned way- word of mouth or a confession from her BF. Seeing it written in black and white, with photos was painful to say the least.

Daughter number two recently had a really sweet message left on her phone by a stranger. Ali had been fruitlessly trying to connect with a local minister to schedule pre-marital counseling for her and her fiance. After no responses via email, she left a message on the women's phone, explaining her situation and what it was she needed. A couple days later Ali receives a message on her phone. "Hi, this is so and so. You left a message for a Rev. Wilson on my phone. I am not Rev. Wilson. You have the wrong number but I do want to tell you that I am glad you are doing pre-marital counseling!!!" Funny!

In our harried lives, filled with lists and deadlines and crazy multi-tasking, it's no wonder we push send when we shouldn't, leave crazy messages we can't take back or share pictures of betrayal. I know embarrassing social mistakes were made back in the day but the chances of them being forever recorded to a phone or a computer are just one of the drawbacks of the these high tech times.