Have you ever stopped to think about the meaning of touch in your life? How it is embedded in your daily social life at different levels? You shake hands with strangers, hug your friends, caress your children, kiss your partner. You might even miss the warm hug of someone from your past or remember how soothing it was when your parents caressed your hair after a scary nightmare. You know all this, but you might not think about it much because it is so deeply ingrained in our day-to-day activities. But it is for sure that you would notice if all that was gone.
Touch is a very interesting and versatile means of communication. We use it to emphasize what we say, but we might also use it to emphasize that we absolutely do not mean what we say. We can also use touch to communicate something we do not know how to put down in words. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a hug is worth all the words ever uttered by the humankind.
But what is the core to touch, is its ability to convey and share feelings. What does a football team do when they win the game? They form a big bundle of joyous chants and celebratory hugs. They could all celebrate alone but they don’t because it just would not feel the same. This our team, our win, this is us together. How about when you are taking care of a feverish child? You gently caress their head to show that everything is ok and you are there. At that moment, you both feel safe and connected.
Simply put, touch is key to our social existence. But there are also times when you cannot be physically close to your friends and family. You can call, video chat and text, but you can’t touch. Or you used not to be able to touch, but now you can.
This is exactly why we decided to bring iXu alive. We want people to be able to create those emotional and social bonds in a globalized world where friends and families live miles apart.
