The
method in which we communicate with one another goes much deeper than words. In
today’s world, many people are not as comfortable communicating face-to-face
with others. This is due to an increase in the use of technology. Cell phones
have become an integral part of society, and many people are more comfortable sending
a text message or speaking on the phone than engaging in direct conversation.
This Friday, September 29th, I conducted my iExamen and paid great attention to
the various methods we use to communicate every day.
When I woke up that Friday the first
thing I did was check my phone. I checked my text messages and Twitter, making
sure I was up to date on all news. I noticed the grammar I use while texting is
much more informal than when I am emailing a professor. I then ate breakfast
with my roommates, paying attention to the little details in how we communicate.
My roommates and I are all best friends, so we feel very comfortable expressing
ourselves around each other. I noticed we would always look each other in the
eye when speaking, and used a lot of body language when communicating. Looking
someone in the eye when speaking with them is very important as it shows
respect, and paying attention to body language allows to further understand
what someone is saying. I noticed we rarely checked our phones when talking,
which I thought was interesting because of how reliant many people are on their
cellphones. I believe this is a sign of good communication.
The next part of my day was
attending class, and I noticed many interesting things on the short walk from
Campion Towers to Knott Hall. To begin with, many students are not even interested
in direct communication on their walk to class. I observed countless students
with their eyes locked on phones, headphones in ears, oblivious to the outside
world. However, when I am walking to class I always make sure to stop and say
hello to friends on the way. In addition, I took notice to the different ways
students dress. Some like to express comfort in the way they dress, athletic
shorts, t-shirts and sneakers, while others dress more formally with khaki
pants and button down shirts. What we wear affects our communication with one
another because it is what we first observe about somebody, which sets our
expectations. When in class I observed there are few people actually
participating in the conversation. Many students seem content sitting at their
desk for 50 minutes without contributing to the conversation. I thought this
was interesting because it showed how some students value conversation more
than others.
As the day went on I began to learn
the true value in face-to-face conversation. It is so much more valuable than
just sending a text message. Through direct conversation you can observe
emotion and body language. It allows you to learn so much about a person. This
revelation come to me during the hour I turned off all technology. Rather than
texting a friend to ask about homework, I actually walked to his room. The
first question he asked me was “why did you just text me?” I believe this one
question sums up our society perfectly. We have become so reliant on technology
we have lost the ability to communicate face-to-face. In addition to this, when
I put my phone away I was more aware of my surroundings. I took notice to the
beauty of nature, the birds chirping and tress blowing in the wind. During this
hour, I become an observant person, engaging in more direct conversation rather
than hiding in my phone.
Through this iExamen I learned the
value in direct conversation. It is a skill our society no longer values due to
the influx of technology in recent years. You cannot express emotion and body
language in a text message, which are just as important to communicating as
dialogue. The hour away from my phone was a very relaxing and engaging hour and
I hope to replicate communication like this in the future.
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