When Friends are Separated by Miles: Using Technology as a Bridge Over Troubled Times

Abstract

This is a performative collaboration between two friends: Dave and Lisa. When Dave moved from Florida to Washington state, it made the lively in-person conversations and shared lamentations about common family dynamics between us difficult to continue. When Trump was voted into office, we needed each other. Reaching out across the miles that seem insurmountable, a new connection was made. We needed to try to make sense of the election of 2016. It was perfect timing for both of us as we became a sounding board for each other to just explode upon each other. The day after the election, we were both in Philadelphia for the National Communication Association (NCA) conference and we were able to have our in-person conversation about our reactions to Trump. We continued our lamentation of events, but needed to get out of the hotel space and find a place of quietness. We needed to breathe and regroup. This in-person connection made our future digital communications more embodied with the face-to-face spirit in which we began this exchange. What follows is how our long distant conversation and support for each other played out.