Topic: Communication Technology
Source: Chp. 8/9 Conformity and Conflict readings, also recalled on experiences with topic
Relation: While considering what led to my social transition
after I graduated high school, I could attribute many of the effects to
adjustments in my communication methods I made around the same time.
Description: Advances in technology are generally created
for the effect of making our lives more fulfilling. In one area of technological
progression, communication, we see a decreasing in association through face to
face socialization. People now get to enjoy the anonymity of communicating
through technology and tend to say things in text that they would never in a
'real-life' social environment. A known problem is people's growing reliance on
cell phones; everyone who is up-to-date has a cell phone, yet we do not rely on
them for being stranded - we rely on them as our main form of widespread
communication. The majority of cell phone users (including me) feel lost
without their phone, as if it were a vital element to their daily success.
However those who integrate work into their cell phones actually have something
to be worried about. So texting can be necessary, and no doubt I'm a fan, I
just think that a lot of people need to put forward more effort to communicate
in person. Those who use texting as their only form of articulation, like kids
in class texting non-stop, are clicking and tapping away the life that is right
in front of them. We don't see this in college as much, but in high school I
can remember plenty of kids who would text their days away, unaware of what was
going on around them. Conversations require many communication techniques to
flow correctly; body language and facial expressions contribute much to
meaning; as well as help the listener remember the point you made or story
you've told. There are many complications that can arise from texts as well:
the content of the message may be conceived differently than you intended, a
message may fail to send, or simple misspellings can quickly lead to a problem
with the receiver (having an iPhone with autocorrect has proven to be a regular
problem in changing meaning). Having the freedom to text is valuable, no doubt
more beneficial than if it had not existed; we just need to moderate our use
correctly, otherwise text messaging will replace talking, hindering the ability
to form a complex face-to-face relationship.
Commentary/Analysis: The first time I noticed my ability to
communicate had lost confidence was already 2 months too late to regain my
confidence in speaking. When I graduated High School, I made a promise to myself
that I would erase contact with anyone besides my group of best friends (which seemed
to be increasingly common for graduates). Like I said, I later found out after
it was too late that I made a huge, life-altering mistake. It's a reasonably
logical outlook; to cut off communication with those who would just add dead
weight to your future, to only sustain the beneficial relationships acquired
through high school. My decision was rash, and didn't really assess my high
school experience compared to others with similar goals, more importantly I
didn't account for my summer of work that would take place after my graduation.
By severing communications with people I enjoyed talking to every day, and by
limiting my communication to a small group of friends, I learned to only
communicate effectively with the few I spoke with over the summer. My summers
are all work, so I rarely got to see anyone besides my two co-workers on the
construction jobs. By August I found myself having trouble responding with
correct meaning, I avoided people I knew so I wouldn't have to talk, and I
became increasingly aware I was uncomfortable with face to face interactions
with anyone besides my co-workers and immediate family. I even made sure to
deposit my paycheck into the bank so at gas stations I could just fill up with
a card at the pump, instead of having to interact with whoever was working
inside. When it came time for college to begin, my lack of confidence in
communication made it difficult to collaborate with classmates, ask questions,
go to the teacher for help, adding many what should be avoidable problems to my
life. I thought my regular texting with friends would be enough for me through
the summer, while I could work and save up for upcoming college expenses. I had
no idea that my communication skills would regress. Replacing my daily face to
face relations with text messages definitely caused a setback, one that I'm
still in the process of getting passed.
