Heady discussions, the uncontrollable laughter, or the whispered secrets in hushed tones, the art of conversation, of exchanging thoughts, sharing emotions and the satisfaction of connecting is slowly disappearing.
Texting, chatting, has taken precedence over verbal conversation. As our list of "friends" and accessibility to rapid communication increases, it seems our effort to stay away from any genuine form of contact is increasing too. Is it because the expectations has increased and there is less filtration in our social life? Or is the defense mechanism to the invasion of excessive and ready availability to all?
I believe because our communication is so widespread, and invades into all the aspects of life, we have started to conserve our energy by limited and safer means of expressions. A smiley face or an LOL has replaced the sound of laughter or the subtle changes in our voice tonality.
We have adapted to this one-dimensional form of communication - it is after all convenient and it is our way to protect our privacy. A text can be ignored, a smiley face can be keyed while watching T.V. or spending time with your family. More technology invades our lives, more we are going to defend our private life, in our own peculiar passive ways by implementing selective attention span.
Before now, I found it very hard to text - but I do appreciate the protective barrier this form of communication provides me. I don't have to use all my faculties, creating a mechanism to evade or delay. Although it might seem we are giving out more information about our private times considering the effect of instant communication, social media, we have to remember all these media give us the power to control what we show. Unlike face to face conversations where it is difficult to hide your real feelings and where unspoken words are vocal and loud, words and emoticons are robotic and basically expressionless.
No comments:
Post a Comment