When I was thinking about the direction I wanted to take in covering the topic of technology in how we communicate, I was immediately taken to information overload mode. Because again, there’s just so much that I could bring out in a discussion on this subject matter. As I’ve stated in previous posts throughout the Technology series, I’ve identified mixed feelings experienced when dealing with technology in the communications realm, so the pros and cons are definitely real. They exist in every possible area of application we could think of. But, I’m not focusing on the for or against, positive vs. negative, or pros vs. cons direction for this post.
I mean I could easily go into lengthy detail on some of the more negative aspects of technology in how we communicate such as:
Technology creating a generation of young people who are far removed from the basic mechanics of writing.
Are we dumbing them down in learning how to express themselves in written form? I’m not going to spend a lot of time here, but I’m a writer who enjoys producing written content. Growing up, I was one of those somewhat grammar-loving individuals who enjoyed learning all the fundamental rules of creating appropriate text. (I’m not saying that I use all those rules correctly all of the time, but I appreciate great sentence structure when I see it and I feel good when I use it.)
But in today’s society, text is an action word used to describe a watered-down approach to forming sentence structure in written communication. (And I have to admit that I can’t stand to send a text or message others without spelling everything out with the correct punctuation included, unless I’m approaching my character limit. And in those cases, I can get pretty creative sometimes.)
Through texting and messaging on social media, it’s so easy to move into jargon where spelling, grammar, and translation of meaning can become distorted. And what happens to these young people when they’re faced with formal educational and work settings, where creating a professional email, business letter, article of publication, presentation, research paper, book, etc. come into play? Since I said I’d be brief on this matter, I’ll stop here before I write the entire post on this first point. Anyway, moving on . . .
Technology continuously exposing us to harmful emissions that can negatively affect our bodies and health over time.
I won’t elaborate on this one. It is what it is. Unfortunately, a lot of people choose to wave off the warnings in exchange for the convenience of use and entertaining aspects that technology provides.
Technology disrupting the personal interaction between individuals.
This item is more of a negative in my personal opinion, with the exception of how technology is being used today in our efforts to purposely socially distance ourselves from others. For these difficult circumstances we’re currently facing, I’m viewing technology a little differently when it comes to keeping us apart. (I’ll talk about this a little later).
Technology creating mediums in which people can easily send disturbing written, verbal, and visual content at the click of a button.
This particular aspect of technology is used waaaaaaaaaayyy too much and has negatively impacted waaaaaaaaaayyy too many lives. (Actually, using it once is one time too many.) And unfortunately, even with all the preventative measures to control such damaging content from going out to others, there’s no way to keep every type of harmful communication under lock and key in all cases. That’s where we, as sound-minded individuals, strive to mitigate (sounds like a Coronavirus briefing, doesn’t it?) the negative exposure of this type of content to ourselves and the ones we love. And, we certainly don’t seek to be the creators and distributors of such madness.
Enough with the cons to technology. I’m going to turn the mood of the discussion to a more bright side at this point.
In light of what we’re experiencing in this world in which we live, I think the rest of this post would be best served in honing in on the positive aspects of how we’re using technology to communicate in the midst of a world pandemic. So, let’s take a look at how I choose to view some of the more pleasant ways in which technology is affecting the ways in which we’re communicating today.
Technology has allowed parents/guardians and students to keep abreast of current educational options, requirements to meet expectations, and academic plans for the future.
Although I had the opportunity to homeschool my youngest child through two years of his elementary school career, he’s now attending public school. And whether you were officially homeschooling or not several weeks ago, all parents/guardians are experiencing the effects of homeschooling their children right about now.
Technology has allowed my son’s unified school district to keep in touch with me, providing step-by-step instruction on how to proceed throughout the remainder of my son’s school year. The communication they are providing has been incredibly invaluable, because I’m in need of the resources and means in which to continue to educate my child and I need to know the direction and plan for the next foreseeable weeks ahead. The main forms of weekly communications have been coming in the form of messages from the Superintendent of Schools, the principals of each of the schools to their school communities, and the individual teachers to their classes.
Our Superintendent of Schools has been proactively communicating weekly next steps and she has been doing so by way of all contact information that the parents/guardians provided to their children’s schools. So, I’m getting weekly communications through tv broadcasts and my school system’s intranet site (going out to everyone who has a tv and Internet access); but I’m also receiving those messages through my cell phone (as calls, voicemail messages, and text messages), home phone, and personal email. Let’s just say that the school system is being very thorough in making sure that parents/guardians are “in the know” and that all forms of contact info are utilized to pass information.
Furthermore, my son’s fourth-grade teacher has been “on-it” in providing emails that focus directly on providing information that the adults should be aware of, specifically regarding where the children are in their instruction and what they should be working on each week. The additional information that she adds in addition to what we’re receiving from the public school administration office provides an even clearer picture as to where the children were before school was disrupted as well as where they’re headed.
Now, your particular scenario may be similar to mine or have its distinct differences. In fact, I do know of school systems that are checking out equipment (technology) to their students to aid them in educational instruction at home. And, I’m sure there are some school systems that may have video conferencing abilities to provide more of that in-person classroom feel. But whatever situations, opportunities, and challenges we face, let’s take it day-by-day and do the best we can with what we’ve got.
Technology has allowed the world to stay connected outside of school, too.
For instance, let’s take a look at video conferencing. Video conferencing is being used by schools as well as in all arenas and industries where groups congregate. This medium provides a way for individuals and groups to meet while the stay-at-home mandate is in effect. And, it’s the next best thing to face-to-face meetings, allowing you to be in someone’s presence without physically being in someone’s presence.
And video and audio calling systems work wonders for individual connection. Here’s a medium that allows us to check in on family and friends, keeping the lines of communication open. And while many people are feeling isolated and alone right now, a good old-fashioned phone call or video chatting session will do wonders for a loved one’s mental health, especially when it’s so easy to overwhelm our minds with all things Coronavirus.
Now, I don’t want to devalue all the other communication mediums such as:
written word communicators in the form of blogging platforms, all the social media platforms, online reports and articles.
visual content communicators in the form of YouTube, Facebook, blogging platforms, live streaming, tv.
verbal communicators in the form of radio, podcasting, audio books and presentations, live streaming, tv.
There are more platforms, but I listed enough of the heavy hitters to give you a clear picture of how prevalent technology is in communicating to us day-in and day-out.
Technology creates social distancing.
One of images I’ve seen (that really irks me to no end) is the one in which you have two people sitting or standing side-by-side or across from one another and they’re both on their cell phones texting. And in your mind, you’re thinking that what they’re texting must be really important, because it caused them to stop interacting with one another to send out a message to someone else. Then, you find out that the other person they were separately texting was the one sitting/standing next to or across from them.
I think technology can take you to a realm of disconnecting from the reality (or escaping from the reality) that’s right before your very eyes. You’d rather communicate to the person, whose presence you’re in, by way of technology instead of directly facing that person and talking to him or her. In fact, this is a prime example of how you lose the personal experience and intimacy in interacting with others because of technology.
As I stated previously, I would normally view technology in a more negative light when considering the fact that it creates social distancing. But social distancing is the very thing that we’re aspiring to these days. Crazy, isn’t? So, I would say that technology is currently working in cooperation for what the times are calling for.
I’ll be the first one to admit that there are moments when I need to communicate something to someone and I really would prefer not to do so in-person (or over-the-phone even). And, guess what? Texting, emailing, instant messaging, leaving voicemail messages, phone calling, video and audio calling applications, and video conferencing provide those convenient options to get your message out there easily and quickly.
And when thinking about written communication, who sends letters by USPS mail anymore? We’ve even gotten further and further away from sending out physical greeting cards (handwritten message and signature included). Why would you have to when you can send an email or text or email an e-card to someone? And, don’t forget the fact that you can just email or text a video message. (I’m guilty of excitedly using this form of communication very recently.) Ease and convenience are the operative words here. And as long as you’re getting your message out there, the medium in which you choose to do so doesn’t really matter, does it?
Conclusion
Well, I personally think the way in which a person chooses to communicate (or the medium they utilize to communicate) can speak volumes, but I’m willing to view technology as rising to the occasion in a time where it’s not in our best interests to be up-close-and-personal. For such a time as this, technology is doing its thing and it’s doing it in a way that’s keeping the communities, the regions, the nations, and the world connected long distance.
In conclusion, I’m officially ending the technology series with this post and will be moving on to other topics for The Art of People Business installments. But, I enjoyed it while it lasted. And although I feel like I’ve been on this topic for quite a while, I only pinky touched the tip of the iceberg in topics of discussion that could have been covered. I simply chose some topics that were relatable to experiences I’ve personally had or witnessed.
If nothing else, I’m sure you can take away the fact that technology has its good points and its bad points. And the way in which we view and utilize technology has a lot to do with who we are as individuals. I just pray that, as human beings who rely on various forms of technology in our daily living, we remember to use it responsibly and in ways that won’t hurt ourselves or the others around us. If we do that, we do well.
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