"Forget Twitter, I'm on the CB!"

Those were the hilarious words shouted Monday night by the actor Will Ferrell during a silly bit on Conan O'Brien's debut as host of NBC's The Tonight Show (which was a solidly funny and successful debut, btw). But it got me thinking: how cool would it be if instead of typing away in such an impersonal manner on Facebook and Twitter, millions of people used CB radio's and even the phone!

For those of you young people out there who are a bit confused right now, CB radios were a big fad in the 1970's. We had 'em in cars and in our homes, and people would actually shape their lips and tongues into various positions to form words in an effort to communicate through actual spoken language. I know, I know, crazy, right? And that other piece of equipment I mentioned, the phone, is also used for verbal communication purposes. Think of it as sort of a Facebook or Twitter with sound. All those silly "status" comments you make to each other--and to no one in particular--can actually be made live...and get this, the other person on the phone can actually respond right back to you in, like, a conversation! It's really cool! You don't even have to make any additional purchases either. That little gadget you carry around for all that texting, picture-taking, web browsing and music downloads? It has a frickin' phone in it too! I'm serious, you can actually talk on that damned thing. I know...it's insane. It's like getting a whole other "app" for free!

Seriously, kids, talking to someone is actually a lot of fun. You'll get to hear tone, inflection, humor, sarcasm...and can have a solid back and forth which you might just find quite engaging. Now go ahead and try it, and let me know what ya think!

Comments

[Indra]

What is Twitter?

[Indra]

It's so cool! I gotta try it.

[Extrovertic]

Tweeting actually reminds me more of the Ham radio operators when I was a kid.
They'd collect a card from everyone they connected with, much like users collect friends on Twitter and Facebook today. Oddly, I just wrote a piece about this on my blog, http://www.extrovertic.com earlier this week.

[Srkdqltr]

My Husband and his friends chat on the CB every day. They start the day with chat. it's real time, immediate and personal. Some chat in the evenings. They go out for breakfast several times a month. There are probably 10 to 15 in the group. They don't all talk at one time but from day to day there are groups of them chatting. CB or sideband and Ham are alive and well and in the REAL world.

[OtayPanky]

If God wanted us to talk, She would have given us mouths...otay?

[Edward Current]

That reminds me of a line I heard recently in an actual commercial for a cell phone:
"And now, you can *chat* on your phone!"

[johnie2xs]

You also take me back to the days of walking out of the house, and being blissfully off the grid.

Pre-answering machines; pre-beepers; pre-caller-ID.

AHHHH!!! Listen to the silence.

[Steve Wright]

Plus, the phone feature is real time, an important "new" technology sweeping the internets. Speed dialing technology allows for "one click" convenience. And conference calling allows you to set up groups, unlike Twitter.

[BlackJAC]

I remember when you had to be of sufficient professional importance to rate a cellphone. Now eight-year-olds have them, as if they needed quick access to a phone to reschedule that playdate in the sandbox.

[progressivegreg]

Andy, you opened up a hole can of memories! I'm old enough to remember the C.B. fad, songs were written about it (Convoy) it played a key role in lot's of movies (the Smokey series) and people would add "linear amplifiers" and bounce their signal several states. Yup, the good old days when people actually "talked" to each other. Thanks for bringing back the memories.