Commuting back and forth to work everyday, you tend to see a lot of different people. Everybody’s different in there own way. There’s one thing that everybody has these days: a cell phone. 9/10 people are either looking down at their cell phone, scrolling through the Facebook news feed or talking with somebody on a call.
This new technology has completely changed the way we communicate. It’s changed just about everything about us, altering our very culture; it’s changed the way we engage with one another, the way we market brands and ourselves. To all of us it seems like these applications have been around for quite some time, but they’re still fairly new. We’ve become so wrapped up with new technology that we’ve pretty much forgot how to engage and interact with each other face-to-face. This is a growing fact in the world today that we simply can’t ignore.
Its a little scary if you ask me. Why? Well, most of these large networks and communities won’t just stop growing; Facebook is a prime example. Communication has gone from human contact to technological contact in no time flat. People now feel comfortable messaging a friend across the room when they can easily speak out load to communicate with them. Out of convenience? I’m not so sure, but it’s a notable trend. I’ve been taking some steps to keep face-to-face communication alive for myself. I urge you to do the same. This will be beneficial for more than one reason. You will be able to speak your mind a lot easier, feel more comfortable in front of an audience, and express your feelings in a better way than through text. The true way genuine relationships are made is from face to face contact. Verbal instead of written. Expressing and feeling someone else’s emotions is nothing like reading it on your cell phone. Speak your mind out loud, you’ll find more people tend to listen and remember you.
Of course using social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family; we can attach media, use emoticons and more. It adds communication where we’d normally be without it; where we’d be without the human contact we prefer at the moment in time. It’s great for following your interests and hobbies, keeping track of the newest products and trends. But If these people really mean a lot to you, you’ll take the extra effort to see them and communicate with them in person.
This especially true for the newest generation of kids. All they see and want is technology; newest iPhone: check. The fastest, thinnest tablet: check. If parents don’t start teaching them how to connect and communicate with people, then there’s little hope of a future with intimate, natural contact. We will be communicating through technology and that’s it. Using video calls instead of meeting somebody to talk. Should we call it lazy way to communicate? That lies in the eye of the beholder, but let’s be serious and honest with ourselves: social media and digital communications amplify the human experience, but we need to remind ourselves that balance is important and so are real life conversations.
Lets make eye contact, share emotion and thought. Lets do it through face-to-face communication and ensure we treasure personal, intimate conversation.
