Social Planes: Soar Into New Communication Heights

Too often I find myself reaching out to people via the internet. It’s easy, convenient, and when you want to talk about something uncomfortable, it makes it more comfortable. The problem is that I’ve started to miss good old fashioned communication, preferring to write letters rather than type them or email them.

I discovered this great new project: Social Planes, through one of my favorite sites, Gizmodo. I fell in love with it. Social Planes are paper airplanes with a social theme that allow you to connect in the real world with people around you, without using your phone. For those who were born after the year 2000, this might seem a bit archaic, but believe me, it’s as fun as it sounds.

All you have to do is download the planes via Social Planes website, cut them out, and start having fun. Since I have a Facebook and Twitter account, I downloaded the corresponding planes and took them for a test ride. My first question when I saw the video online was “how well do they really fly?” I made the mistake of testing my first plane in my office at work. Why was this a mistake? Because it flew a little to well and thankfully hit a wall before my boss realized I was playing with a paper airplane.

As an introvert, this gives me a way to interact in good old fashioned writing and still keep a distance from the person I’m communicating with. For kids, this will be a great way to remind them that written communication is still a great tool and can be fun.