I just watched a video on YouTube about texting. It seems to me that it has pertinence in the political arena and most definitely where the first amendment is concerned, as texting is now a dominant form of communication.
The "personal touch" as Patricia put is the key to great communication. When we use technology as a substitute for it our communications often times devolve into contextual chatter that loses it’s meaning outside of the moment and ultimately can contribute to a deeper feeling of isolation.
Where ever possible I maintain a clean well written text message, because it enables my meaning to be more easily transferred. If possible even in twitter postings I avoid using U in place of you, for clarity. I may not be as “hip” or whatever the cool lingo is nowadays however, I am less likely to be misunderstood; which is after all the point of communication to transfer knowledge intelligently.
I believe this is the primary challenge that stands before us as a society struggling to find its equilibrium in the digital age. The answer to how we facilitate the art of communication in the next generation isn’t set in stone; and as the father of six children, I can tell you that that I believe it starts at home. Yet as a public speaker, I have observed just how rare it is that this art is taught and I marvel at how scarcely it is applied.
The next time you are dining in a crowded restaurant, look around the room. I am certain you find more than one table at which all conversation is directed into the digital device rather than toward the live person who is sitting across from them.
I believe we are indeed rapidly losing our ability to interact with people at a personal level. The digital world allows us to substitute a faceless avatar for the living breathing intelligent and emotional being. This enables us to more easily ignore the content of our communications with an individual who can all too easily be spammed, blocked, or otherwise disregarded. Is it really so hard to understand why our nation’s political discourse has also become more and more shrill to the left and to the right over this same time period?
The answer is in Patricia’s “personal touch”, it is the key to great communication, in every aspect of our lives.
