Have We Lost the Art of Conversation in This World of Emails and Cellphones?
Introduction
The dawn of the age of WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Email and emojis has completely redefined the meaning of communication. This new era might as well bring about the death of conversation, individuals are addicted to smartphones and are repelled by the idea of having a face to face conversation. Conversations are delightful but the rules for how and when it happens have been established collectively over the past decade. People are constantly embracing the art of multitasking, whether be it emailing during meetings or texting back during queueing, this behavior is extensively affecting the way individuals relate with each other. Kids fade into the background as parents’ text on the dinner table and during school meetings. It has become extremely hard to stay away from phones and as a result, individuals are constantly trying to juggle between the real world and the online world. The world has arrived at an extraordinary position where individuals are having more digital conversations compared to the real ones.
In the article, “The Flight from Conversation “by Sherry Turkle. Turkle argues that human beings exist in a technological world in which they are constantly communicating, “in today’s workplace, young people who have grown up fearing conversation show up on the job wearing earphones” (Turkle, n.d). Conversations have become irrelevant in the era of keyboards and touchscreen smartphones; Individuals are constantly together but each one of them in their bubble. Turkle makes a valid point on things such as parents are the reason why the younger generation is losing the art of conversation. For instance, how are teenagers not expected not to text while doing their homework while they watch their parents’ text while cooking and while waiting for the red light in traffic? Turkle has proved that mere connections are responsible for making individuals lose connection with the people around them, a mere connection is harmful and changes what individuals do and who they are, Turkle says “ A sixteen-year-old boy who relies on texting for almost everything says almost wistfully, “ Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation” (Turkle, n.d). This proves that mere connections are harmful and are distracting the younger generation from the events happening in the real world.
Emailing has become the modern equivalent of 19th-century letter exchanging. A face to face conversation is arguably the most sophisticated exchange two human beings can ever share, however, meaningful conversations are no longer taking place. A recent survey has confirmed that seven out of ten individuals prefer to text or email instead of taking part in what is meant to be an everyday component of civilized human life (Blyth, 2008). Conversations are now regarded as stressful and members of society prefer to avoid them altogether; as a result, individuals are typing and texting their way towards a disaster (Blyth, 2008). Connecting with others improves the wellbeing of an individual, to connect with others an individual ought to be active, curious, keep learning and give to others and a good face to face conversation fulfills all these. Conversations that helped individuals ease their way into the day such as conversations with the mailman, the chit chat with the girl behind the counter in a bank and the exchange in the bus or the train are long dead, today human being seems to be too busy and too rushed to generally have time to enjoy these conversations.
According to professor Turkle being on the phone has completely killed the small talks colleagues have at work, “A businessman laments that he no longer has colleagues at work, he doesn’t stop to talk: he doesn’t call, he says that he doesn’t want to interrupt them. He says they’re too busy on their emails.” (Turkle, n.d). Individuals are enclosed in a personal cocoon that is insulated from those around them. The power of small talks involving subjects such as weather and politics should not be underestimated, small talk puts individuals at ease and acts as a doorway to more substantive subjects. People are constantly using phones as a way of bringing them together, these phones are doing the opposite of that. What these gadgets are doing is keeping individuals away from one another. Real conversations are more multifaced and more subtle than digital communication. Face to face conversations involves judging intonation assessing facial expression and the magnitude of the conversation (Catherall, 2019). The reward of utilizing the art of face to face conversations are considerable. Individuals who are good at making conversations get dates, successfully negotiate and secure contracts and are offered jobs simply because they exercise and appreciate the importance of listening and good conversation.
Inconclusion, individuals are becoming more and more disconnected from the real world. The art of face to face conversations has been replaced by emailing and texting on cellphones. More than ever human beings are more withdrawn from each other, each individual residing in a cocoon that seems insulated from the outside world.
References
Blyth, C., (2008). “We’re so addicted to text and email we're losing the delicate art of conversation. So do we need to learn to talk again” Retrieved from; https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1084344/Were-addicted-text-email-losing-art- conversation-So-need-learn-talk-again.html
Catherall, S., (2019). “Are we losing the art of conversation?” Retrieved from; https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/117014573/are-we-losing-the-art-of-conversation
Turkle, S., (n.d). “The Flight from Conversation”
