I love my iPhone just as much as the next person, but does an increase in texting and social media use mean a decrease in honest, face-to-face communication?
Growing up, I was always told to take responsibility for my actions no matter how badly I wanted to avoid doing so. I learned to deal with problems by speaking about them in person, and to form relationships face-to-face. What my childhood did not prepare me for was the impact technology would have on the way my generation communicates. Has it become the norm to confront others through text message?
Many disagreements between friends can be easily simplified to a sequence of screen-shotted messages with convenient read receipts to mark the end of conversations. Though texting may seem more painless than sitting down to sort out issues, hiding behind a phone screen can make it easy for people to forget the feelings of the person on the other end of the argument. Texting creates room for misunderstandings because conversational cues like tone of voice, facial expression, and body language are left out.
Technology has changed communication in the dating game, as well. With apps like Tinder and the added influence of social media and texting, relationships often begin and end with some form of online messaging.
This is the age of the non-committal, unlabeled relationship. People meet and add each other on Snapchat, Facebook, or whatever chosen platform and proceed with minimal effort and maximum caution.
We've minimized the risk of rejection or embarrassment even more by using our phones to define relationships. Who doesn't love contemplating whether to text someone first or wasting time decoding how someone feels based on emoji use? We have reached a point where simply not replying to a text is an acceptable way to let someone know you've lost interest in them.
Our generation has also created a culture of subtle Twitter and Instagram moves. Our definition of flirting involves ‘sliding into’ someone’s direct messages or double tapping a selfie. No wonder people are constantly being accused of sending mixed signals. All online signals are pretty mixed because they do not have clear meanings or intent.
I love the entertainment and creative aspects of social media and will admit to being attached to my phone, but making connections with people in person will always be a better alternative than using technology to do so for me. True Affection by Father John Misty says it best with the lyrics, "When can we talk with the face? Instead of using all these strange devices. Seems like you and I need to have a crazy conversation."
The world is filled with real, live people with raw emotions and interesting stories to tell. Would you rather hear them in person or read about them in less than 140 characters on your phone screen?
