I believe that one of the most effective ways to communicate would be through the internet. As we grow more interconnected, geographical boundaries no longer become an issue. I can be an average Singaporean but be connected with people from London, America, Africa, Korean, Malaysia, China and practically anywhere in the world. It still amazes me how big yet small the world is.
It's probably due to this increasing need to stay connected that social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Blogs and Myspace are thriving!
CNN MONEY - Feb 21 - According to The Nielsen Company, time spent on social networking sites by internet users worldwide has increased from 3 hours per month to 5.5 hours per month. This is an impressive 82% increase. Nielsen also concluded that people spend the most Internet time overall on social networks and blogs, and that social web sites such as Facebook are now the most common homepages for users. "This Nielsen report establishes social media as a trend that is not only here to stay, but one that is growing at a mind-boggling magnitude," stated Bloggerwave Director Ulrik Thomsen.
Hence, this leads me to wonder. Will this computer mediated communication ever replace the face to face medium?
With the invention of web cams, it pretty much eliminates the problem of not being able to see the other party. Just like in face to face communication, we get to see and hear the other party so what makes face to face communication differ from it? Why can't we just coop ourselves up in our houses and Skype one another? Wouldn't that be more convenient?
As said by Charles Dickens "Electric Communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true"
As said by Charles Dickens "Electric Communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true"
I believe that is the key why this form of face to face communication is so important to us. Computer mediated communication can never replicate the experience of being together with another person in the same space. It's that experience that makes us feel love. Makes us move on. It's what makes life worthwhile.
Take for example, proposing to someone online and in person. Would you be moved and touched to give your life to this person who merely types a "Will you marry me?" or someone who gets down on their knees, looks you in the eyes and says "Will you marry me?" Any girl in the right mind would agree the 2nd one is so much more romantic and possibly sincere?
Even something as trival as telling your friends what's bugging you or even just sitting next to each other is therapeutic. The light pat on the back and embrace or even the soft look of care and concern in the other parties eyes sure beats a million of those meaningless colons and brackets supposedly representing a smile. :)
So my question for you is, do you feel that in this current age where technology is advancing so rapidly, do you subscribe to the "old school" of human communication or belong to the technology era? Probably the solution to overcoming the issue of being in the same space is to create holograms. Or better yet - Create our own avatar! I think Mr Bean is on to something!
18 comments:
I like how concise your argument is presented in your blog post!
Anyway i think that regardless of which technology is invented to aid communication, nothing will win the sponatnueity of face to face communication. Even if something funny happens on the net. One will only type "lol" and move on. However if something funny happens in real life, we will not only laugh at the matter but more importantly, laugh together at the matter. This is what makes Face to face communication so valuable.
Moreover, i think the incraese in hours is very well uncounted. Because there are still a hjuge amount of people who are not online. Just take China for example, 62% of her poulation are still not connected. In fact there is such a diproportion of richer people using internet for as long as up to 10 hours per day, that 5.5hours per month is so not accounted for.
Lastly, communication technology opens up a whole new dimension for people who lives so far apart. I think one of the most direct benefit for singaporean is how parents can now safely send their children overseas for education, knowing how they can stillc ommmunicate with them through skype and msn, instead of having to wiat for the snail mails or for the coews to come home. Now isn't that liberating?
Computers are just a tool for communication, will never ever replace face to face communication.
Why? because certain feelings and emotions cannot be captured via videos, pictures or text.
The language of the heart is never seen nor heard, but felt.
I believe computers might replace face to face communication in the decades to come because of the increasingly hectic schedules us students and working adults are facing. They are the most CONVENIENT way in which we can utilize to meet up with friends (skype) or have heart to heart chats through (msn) anytime and anywhere. Yes, technology may not replace human interaction entirely because human interaction satisfies all our 5 senses, however, they are the next best alternative to human interaction and might even strengthen the relationship between two people through the variety of interactive softwares such as photo albums, games and quizes (facebook).
I am speaking for those who are especially busy and have little time to physically be there with friends.
I agree that the internet has provided us with much more channels to interact and communicate with one another than in the past. However, will people subscribe to it? Yes, but only to a certain extent. I believe Man knows well when to use face-to-face communication and when for online communication. This is because technology tools can never replace the human touch we get from human communication. To add-on, human communication may also help build greater trust and understanding to one another as it eliminates the possibility of the deception. Evident from many cases of online cheaters; people have a tendency to lie and fake about themselves when they are able to hide their facial expressions and esp in a medium where there is no establishment of eye-contact. Eye- contacts established during human communication allows the detection of liars easier than by online communication. Perhaps that speaks for why till now, despite the advancement in technology and virtual spaces, we still dont see a virtual 'court'! Human communication is able to provide a more accurate judgment, better and fairer decision-making process. Therefore, no matter how good it is, people do recognise the limitations of communication technology.
-Hui Xin-
For myself I would prefer face-to-face communication as compared to the various social networking sites. When I can see the people I am talking to, I tend to interpret the cues that they give me. Take for instance, if I am talking about a particular topic, and I realise the person or people I am talking to are showing facial or physical signs of being disinterested, I would change the topic. Furthermore, when a person can see and feel someone's physical presence, they are more able to feel the warmth and things would seem more realistic to them than just happening through a virtual space. A hug wouldn't be complete when it is an idea; it is real only when experienced. A smile looks happier when it comes with the cheeks of another person.
I feel that face to face communication must be retained. Reason being emotions cannot be felt that strong unlike typing emoticons in your conversations through a chat online. Like what you said, proposing to someone online is really ridiculous! It's not sincere, the lady can't feel that strong feeling from the man through typing from the keyboard. The couple may even quarrel. I believe that in everything that are advantages and disadvantages. It's always the question: Which angle are you seeing from?
The increase of the time spent on social networking sites may be a future problem that is to occur on the next generation. As more time spend on it, it's like an addiction sucking people into it. There might even be problems children ignoring parents while they're using facebook or there might be communication problems with the older generation. Any problems may occur, who knows?
I think this issue is really relevant in this day and age. There has been a boom of social networking programs since 2007 and I am encouraged and warmed that there are people in this world who still value face to face communication.
And as the Charles Dickens comment goes,"Electric Communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true"
In this day and age, I believe that it is very easy for us to forget what it means to see a person, what it means to hear his/her sound, what it means to hear that warm laughter or just to enjoy the presence of great company. No doubt social networking programs enable us to be more connected but we have to realise that this connection is not the same thing as face to face communication. Social networking programs enable us to keep updated with friends photos and status but it can never replace the connection that one shares with another. Just as in the example of the comparison of an online proposal compared to a face to face proposal, social networking programs will never be able to replace the connection that binds people, the connection that binds friends.
The problems that social networking programs cause are also quite a few. We see that increasingly, the "online language" is becoming more and more prevalent and at what cost? Are we willing to sacrifice our linguistic capabilities at the expense of being hip and cool? How can we account ourselves to the next generation.
However, I am not against social networking programs as I know how much it helps me keep in touch with friends, especially those that are overseas for studies.
Rather, I believe that we all should have a good blend of both.
Just like everything in life, we need to strike a balance.
I believe that both channels, whether is it through the internet or face-to-face communications are equally important in our day to day life. There is no way we can subscribe to only one of the channel to communicate.
In this current age where technology is advancing rapidly, it is inevitable that we have to communicate many times through the use of internet and social networking website. The reason is obvious. There is an increasingly need to send messages across quickly and effectively and that's only through the use of internet that enable us to do so. The use of internet also has another added advantage. And that's for people who are not very good in expressing themselves face-to-face. The alternative channel used would therefore be an online platform for them to express their views, opinions and feelings.
I do agree that sometimes the message that could really be felt with the greatest impact actually comes from a face-to-face contact with another person. We can know the feelings of the speaker through his/her facial expression, tone and body languages. It is true that when you are proposing to someone or consoling someone, a face-to-face contact would be preferred. However, when we talk face-toface, it means that time has to be arranged for meet-ups. Sometimes, it will be difficult to do so if both parties are busy and are incontactable.
Therefore, the type of communications channel chosen would still be dependable on the person and the situation. There is no right or wrong form of communication. I think its just a matter of which form is more effective in whichever situation.
I think that both channels of communication, be it online or face to face, are important in today's society.
While it is convenient to simply lie in bed and chat with ten friends at one go, nothing beats sitting together having a conversation. An example is when you're laughing. Do you genuinely laugh when you type "haha"? Nowadays its rare for someone to laugh out loud for real. Doesn't that somewhat affect the sincerity of our conversations?
However, the internet has aided communication in many ways as well. Take for example a shy boy who wants to ask a pretty girl out. Sometimes the computer screen gives someone the boost of courage they need when talking to another person. It is not always ideal to display your emotions for the other person to see immediately, and therefore hiding behind a computer screen is the solution for many when it comes to being discreet about their emotions.
A balance of both is essential and knowing where to draw the line is important.
Technology aids businesses, with emails flying to and fro from all corners of the earth-information is communicated efficiently and effectively. A face to face conversation is sometimes not economical in the business sense, especially if the other person is in london or alaska.
Technology in daily life is essential as well. To remind your dad to buy some milk requires a simple sms, and not you going down to his workplace, tell him to buy milk, and then go back to wherever you were from.
However, technology cannot replace a real smile, real laughter or touch. Humans are still primal creatures in which we respond to intimacy. Therefore conversations with friends and family need to be "face to face" if possible. The other party can appreciate it, and everybody wants to be loved and appreciated. Writing an email to a friend is fast and effective, but nothing touches the heart like a well written letter. With kindles and ebooks, nothing beats the smell of a library book, or the turning of the pages.
Therefore, each form of communication has its pros and cons and we as people must balance both out and determine which to use in the right situation.
with the rise of internet and advance technology, one cannot deny that it is a powerful tool to reach out to the other parts of the world. like what kenichi ohmae had stated, our world is now a "borderless world", where boundaries no longer hold much constraints to us. therefore, social networking has definitely replaced part of our face to face communication where we are constrained by time and space.
as a regular user of Facebook, i find it useful for me to keep in touch with my friends from different parts of the world, especially with time differences, as it allows me to know what is going on with their lives without compromising my sleep or work while my friends can do the same.
however, can it replace face to face communication? my answer is no. like what you had written, the ability to feel and touch is different from just visually communicate. there are 5 languages of love and one of them is physical touch. as couples, you kiss and hold hands, as friends, you hug each other, as families, you feel their warmth as you lay beside them on the couch - all of these can never be replaced by the realm of internet or social networking. there is a reason why even managers have to conduct airport meetings instead of doing it over webcams and internet and that is to do with our senses. our lives is not just about seeing and hearing but also being able to feel, taste and smell.
Remember the movie Wall-E?
How the humans have degenerated in the distant future to mindless creature on a moving pod which has a computer. Everything was done with the computer, even when talking to someone beside. How we laughed at how ridicoulus the scene seemed but is it really?
Technology has really advanced to a stage that I believed something like that could happen. We are already knee deep in this sea of technology, and very soon, we will be drowning in it.
Why waste time to meet up when you can have a group conversation on MSN. Happy Birthday greeting, New year greeting? No more letters or flowers, a click on Facebook gets everything done, you can even set it to automatic. So much for that personal touch huh?
That being said, using these commuication platforms do help us to still be in touch with one another irregardless of distance or time. No more worrying about calling someone from another country only to walk them up in the middle of the night, want to share the photos of yourself to your family when you are studying overseas, there are many photo uploading software to be used, your family will never have to miss a momemnt.
Technology, what a double-edged sword.
I will love to enjoy the best of both world and that is to make use of technology for communication while not forgetting to embarce the goodness of face to face communication!
How can anyboday even think of replacing face to face communication with technology? It is an antire different thing and there should not be any comparison as to which is the better choice since face to face communication has existed for almost of the human history while techonology only pervails lately. Moreover technology communication have results in so much problem such as alienating and people hooking onto msn and chatroom for far too long that results in addiction. Therefore this only goes to show that technology need not neccesarily aid in commnication and face to face is still the best method!
Without doubt i am a old-school person! Even commenting like this seem too "new" for me. I prefer face to face communication and i do find that any other form of communication, be it through phone skype or even twitter, all of them seem superficial and you wouldn't really know what exactly is the person doing and whether the person really cares about the coonversation you are having with him.
However this is not the case for face to face communication as you will be able to see their actions behavior and jydge their feeling. Moreover during times when your friend is sad, you can also offer them a hug and hugs are something that technology can never replace. As stated in your post, if someone were to ask me to marry him through tcehnollogy, i will just tell him to look for another girlfriend instead causehe don't even understand me well enough to know that i am a old schoool person.
Hey Natalie!
I personally think that i am a technology person when it come sto communication as i have been so actively using technology such as facebook and twitter in my way of communication that i sometimes have been lamentd by my friend for leaving them alone for far too long. SOmetime si even communiate with my sister who is in thye next room through msn instead of looking for her. This just goes to show how much i treasure the technology!
Well on the method on communication, i would think that both are neccesary in th world we are living in. Using technology, we can communicate with friends that we don't get to see everyday and that is the good part of tecnology a in comunicaation. As for friends which i get to see evreyday, i still think that these freindship shouyld not be replaced by echnology and this is when i feeln that afce to face interaction will help so much more. Aftera ll human are not robots and w ehave emotions. therefore only through proper human connectnedness of face to face communication can we bring out the humanistic character within ourself.
That is also why WE SHOULD BMEET UP SOON! Ha Ciya around!
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