Mark Twain put it best when he was quoted as saying, “Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.” His words emphasize just how powerful personal communiqué is against technology’s inability to properly convey our own complex sentiments and passions.
Electronic modes of communication such as email and texting take away from the intimacy of a conversation, and often the lack of inflection and meaning behind these methods can lead to miscommunication.
Clifford I. Nass, a professor of communication at Stanford, looked into just how the further use of such face-to-face-less, long distance communication methods would affect individuals in the future. In a New York Times article of November 4, 2013, it was stated that, “Without basic day-to-day interaction, [Nass] theorized, people would begin to lose their ability to deal ably with challenging situations, big and small.”
According to KTAR.com, a Phoenix, Arizona news network, interpersonal communication was affected positively after Hurricane Sandy. On Oct. 29, 2013 they informed that, “Those who spent time talking with neighbors during the storm noticed: 81 percent said they felt the storm brought out the best in their neighbors, compared with 67 percent among those who did not have face-to-face interactions with neighbors.”
In the midst of a tragic event, those who actually talked and held conversations with those around them were more emotionally in-tune with those around them versus the more anti-social persons.
Unassuming actions like taking time to say hello to other people can bring out our more humble and caring traits.
Why, then, are we so drawn to instant messages when conversing and having face-to-face interactions can make us, in a sense, better people? Pewinternet.org speculates that “Texting allows for asynchronous interaction and it is more discrete than making voice calls.”
While this is one reason, the same article goes on to say, “The fact that texting is slower than calling means there is not as much a need for spontaneity.” Calling is an excellent mode for staying in touch, but texting allows users to contemplate their answers or questions thoroughly without any sort of awkward silence in between responses. Convenient as this is, elimination of impulse within conversation leaves something to be desired, as naturalness and even honesty can be cut from the equation.
Technology is such a vital part of our lives, especially in the interaction process. With this in mind, we are left to wonder what will be left of actual talking and confrontational discussion. Some modes of conversing like Skype and FaceTime are trying to bring back the visual aspect, yet even within that we have to realize the lack of realism in these.
So what is the solution?
We don’t have to throw out our phones and forget emails. Every now and again, though, we can’t forget to simply say hey whenever possible to the real faces of those we associate with and care about. Skype is nice, but nothing can beat the actual face that lies behind the screen.
