I appreciate hearing a real voice. I appreciate a random phone call from a friend simply asking, “what’s up”. I appreciate a stop by a familiar face in public for a quick 30-second interaction to discuss “how our days have been”. I appreciate real communication, but it shames me to say, we are killing it.
Growing up in a generation where texting and social media is becoming the prime outlet of communication, every so often, I feel isolated. The amounts of "real" and "meaningful" conversations I have are declining. I enjoy sending random, nonsensical emojis back and fourth to my group chats just as much as the next person, but I feel the current millennial generation is losing the importance and value of true verbal communication. As I walk through my college campus, I see people everywhere, heads down, consumed by their pocket-sized mobile devices not being present, not even bothering to acknowledge the face next to them. It is common that I find myself in a group setting where everyone is dead silent, completely occupied by their phones “talking” to other people.
The amount of authentic day-to-day verbal conversations is becoming extinct. Our generation has found other ways to communicate faster and easier with much less effort. From Twitter and Facebook to Snapchat and Instagram, social media outlets are debatably one of the greatest human advancements for our time as they provide inspiration, allow people to connect with others, make outstanding ways for businesses to engage with consumers, and let individuals create an online presence. This is all great. And don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad with allowing yourself time to unwind and mindlessly scroll through your Twitter feed, but social media and texting shouldn’t replace meaningful conversations. When we use these interactive websites and text as the main source of communicating, communication can easily be altered and misunderstood. There is an erase button that real life communication does not allow for. There is room to change, rearrange and delete your words to make it exactly how you would like to be perceived. That is not what “real” communication should be. A cellphone can’t give you emotion. I have a problem when someone tries to genuinely form a relationship or friendship over “sliding” into twitter DMs, Instagram DMs, Facebook messaging or whatever else it may be.
A good morning text has now become a satisfying sign of a healthy relationship. Before you even begin to catch up with friends in person, you probably already know everything because you have been texting about it all night long. If a guy and girl are texting all day every day, this often means they are “talking” and may lead to a relationship. Texting has replaced many of the steps in forming a relationship. We are starting to base relationships from meaningless words on a screen. I have had many encounters where someone asks me to “tell them about myself” through some sort of technology source. Like anyone would do, I am just going to type up a strategically planned out message on exactly how I want you to perceive me based on words on a lifeless screen. Get my number, cool, but then lets actually hang out… In person…where we can have real face-to-face conversations and you can “get to know me” in REAL life.
There is such a higher gratification when you get to hear your friend say out loud, in person, that he/she had the most incredible weekend. The emotion and detail of who, what, when, where, or why something happened to someone or something is actually understood versus receiving a lifeless text stating, “it was so good”. Media outlets and text messaging have made it easier for our generation to spark friendships and relationships; however, can you really get to know someone through a pixelated screen?
The value and experience of having a conversation verbally or face-to-face cannot be mimicked by any form of technology and it scares me that my generation is forgetting this. There is real emotion and real substance that verbal communication creates. I want to see a face apart from the light of a dim phone screen. I, for one, appreciate hearing a real voice.
What do you think? Are we killing communication?
