Same old, yet new thing

A couple of weeks ago, our class went through 57 boxes of archives from the former London Asylum for the Insane to gather more research material for our project. Going through numerous boxes full of letters and communications, it made me think how little human behaviour has changed, even as we muddle through the digital age. There were lots of really interesting documents, but there were also many that reflected the ordinary, and even mundane activities of everyday life. Going through some of these physical boxes was pretty much the paper equivalent of going through someone's email inbox. Sure, there's the occasional juicy and interesting bit, but there's also a whole lot of stuff, that while relevant at the time, is not at all worth saving, and is of no interest or use to anyone in the future (ie. "Hey, Did you get my email about the meeting today?" or "Do you want to meet for lunch tomorrow?"). I was struck by how little the communication itself has changed, and that the only real difference is that technology has provided us with more accessible, fast, and convenient methods with which to communicate.