Conversation vs Communication
I'm sure many of you have come across topics like this before, and relatively so, with many different forms of social media and technology advances, it's hard not to wonder what has our communication come to?
This topic sparked from a conversation we had with a friend. Now, when we refer to conversation, we are using it in a literal sense of actually talking amongst each other. This friend asked us if we recently spoke to another friend. Our response was yes, we just text them the other day. Our friend asked the question again. No, I asked you if you talked to them? We again said yes, just the other day through texting. Our friend was baffled by this and didn't see texting as having a conversation. That then started the conversation about how we as a society communicate with one other.
In a society where facebook, instagram, texting, and yes, blogging, has become the norm, we can't help but think are we losing touch with one another or gaining it? We know when it comes to blogging that it has opened up a form of information and communication that we otherwise might not have come across in just talking with our friends. But that's just the thing, are we losing the "talking" conversation piece of communication?
This also made us think about a time we ran into an old friend. It's sad to admit but we knew almost everything that was going on in their life because they are an avid status updater. We already knew where they went for their Birthday, the food they ate on their last date, the promotion they got at work, and barely anything left to the imagination. It was an odd moment to realize we don't even have to "talk" to people to know how they are doing. Has it all become too much or is it a benefit? Are future generations going to know about the value of a meaningful conversation or are words on a screen going to be sufficient?
Different people may choose to communicate differently but let's all stop and think for a minute about a person we haven't contacted in awhile. If you are up for the challenge, we urge you to pick up the phone and call. You might be surprised by the outcome and really enjoy your conversation.
This post is sad and true. In so many ways, technology is a wonderful tool. But in other ways, it can make things even more impersonal and so much less special. I have a love/hate relationship with it!
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