My two younger sisters are part of generation z, not only by age, but also through their actions. They are rarely seen without cell phones in hand, and when I find myself looking for one of them I usually look no farther than the computer room. Whenever I hear from my sisters it is through a text message or through email, never over the phone. I find myself wondering if my sisters will grow up with the same communications skills that I have, given that they are growing up in a different era filled with technology. It seems like children are now receiving cell phones, iPods, and computers at a very young age and I believe that this must contribute to their conversation skills. The advancements in technology have brought our civilization from strictly face-to-face contact to many different modes of communicating with others. This technology has made communication much easier, but is it really helping? Or could it also be hurting my sisters’ generation because of the decrease in personal interactions? It is strange to think, that I am less than a decade older than my sisters, but yet their lives have been so different from my own at their ages. It is interesting to wonder what new technology will arrive in the next five years after looking at all the progress that has been accomplished in the past five years. Will this new technology limit the use of in-person communication even more? Or will our society find that this could be harmful to valuable verbal communication skills?
I believe that the reliance that the youth of today places on technology could be potentially harmful. An interpersonal conversation evokes more feelings and personality than a conversation over email, or via text message. Even a smile or :) is different, and I personally value an in-person conversation with real smiles, real emotion, and a real voice.
My daughter is 10 years old and has a cell phone. Interesting that the first observation when a young person has a cell phone is the constent use and the way it is used ie. text messaging. I witness this overuse daily and agree, but, too there is the security and piece of mind that I can contact my daughter whenever I need to and she can contact me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 14, my mom forgot me at the movies and I ended up walking home with a friend and stayed the night because I had no way to contact my mom.
So, what's the balance and how do we obtain it?
I recently had a problem with my bank account. After calling and waiting on hold for twenty minutes with no end in sight I decided to just e-mail them thinking I could wait until they got around to it. Two hours later everything was solved. My younger sister, part of generation Z and just like you characterize, would have written the email first which turned out to be the quickest, hassle free solution.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can see how a loss in face to face communication could come about, I have to question if these new technologies actually cause a decrease in personal interaction. I think the lack of presence makes it easier to be personal. My sister and her friends share all sorts of intimate, embarrassing, or revealing tales about themselves constantly on their facebook and myspace pages.
They are communicating with so many more people on so many levels it is hard to weigh who might be better off. How much of an edge will we have with our face-to-face experience if the whole world is turning in their direction anyways? Shopping, school, banking, jobs can all be done without seeing or talking to a person in several ways and this its only catching on.
To: Orange Rock, yes I agree that there is a sense of security that comes along with the cell phone, but it is also interesting that most of the new cell phones that are coming out feature text-messaging one of the most important. My sister's new phone has the keyboard making it much easier for her to text. This is one example of how technology is evolving to the needs of the new generation, but this could prove to be very bad for my sister with her interpersonal communication.
ReplyDeleteTo: Dan, it is interesting that most companies are taking a more technologically advanced method for communication. Your comment reminds me of the article in "Text Messaging" that documented the reasons a business will use social networking sites to hire their employees. I also wonder if it is easier for your sister and her friends to share secrets over MySpace because it is a much less personal encounter. There is less intimacy involved in using the computer instead of interpersonal communication. Maybe the social networking sites serve as an icebreaker for later face-to-face conversations.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea of an ice-breaker. That's what match.com was for my fiancee and I. I had met her in person a couple times briefly and obviously didn't make much of an impression. However, my profile (and my writing!) impressed her enough to initiate a conversation. However, it was just a tool to get to the real, face-to-face relationship.
ReplyDeleteShe even got a little mad after we got together "officially" because she still had 4 months left on her subscription and didn't need it anymore!