Face to face communication is important in any community, whether in the workplace or in families. It is so unfortunate that the society today is losing its personal touch which is being replaced with screens. Screens of phones, computers, and even televisions. It is a pressing matter that if not addressed will give birth to a society of many people who will not see the need to communicate face to face. Mediate communication, where communication is carried out by the use of information communication technology devices such as mobile phones, is important for long distance communication. Social media which is one of the products of technology has given rise to a new era. It has numerous benefits such as instant updates on events happening in various parts of the world and it has led to instant communication between individuals who are worlds apart.
It, however, has had a negative impact on the personal lives of individuals. One of which is the decline in face to face communication between individuals. Face to face communication is crucial especially with individuals who can see each other on a daily basis. This document seeks to discuss why face to face communication has lost its significance, the importance of face to face communication, the effect of lack of this type of communication and how to remedy the situation at hand.
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Face to face communication has lost its touch majorly because of social media. Other factors include living a busy life. Individuals are determined to make ends meet at the expense of their social life because they can get it through social media. The presence of social media has made it possible for individuals to not see the need for face to face communication. Successful relationships are characterized by the presence of interpersonal outcomes that are positive such as liking and closeness (Brandon, 1). Such is not found in mediated communication. It is disheartening that today parents use technology to occupy their children. Rarely do children get to play with their parents or interact with them. This has given rise to parents who do not know their children personally. Children, on the other hand, feel left out and find company in social media. This is sad because children will not have the opportunity to make mistakes and get corrected by their parents instead they will take their mistakes with them to the outside world. This shows that parents have chosen to leave the development of their children in the hands of their teachers.
The other effect of lack of face to face communication is the lack of self-disclosure between individuals. Self-disclosure is defined as the act of sharing a purposeful verbal statement that reveals information about an individual to other people (Brandon, 2). Mediated communication rarely allows individuals to be open about information about themselves. This is because social media gives room for individuals to use names and create profiles that are fake. This fake information allows even individuals with bad intentions to hide in plain sight. Many individuals have ended up dead because of the fake profiles. People do not disclose accurate information about themselves and because of the lack of face to face contact individuals are not able to decipher correct information as there are no verbal cues to read. Social media has allowed dishonesty and lack of integrity to be a norm. People have welcomed the idea of dishonesty based on the reason of privacy.
Face to face communication allows people to embrace honesty. This is because if a person is physically present many people can vouch for him or her. Self-disclosure leads to perceived similarity and responsiveness. Responsiveness allows an individual to know whether the information he or she is sharing is well understood and can be validated. It allows the people talking to take a keen interest in one another. This also fosters honesty and encourages openness. If there is an increased responsiveness, this is an indication of increased closeness between individuals. In mediated communication, individuals are not able to know whether the people they are chatting with are completely interested in their lives or if they are not. This is major contributed by the lack of non-verbal cues. Non-verbal cues are critical in any face to face communication. This is because nonverbal cues convey the messages not said. Boredom, displeasure, and lack of concentration can be conveyed through nonverbal cues.
Mediated communication has allowed individuals who are shy and introverted to be more open online. This has led to people who seem to have double personalities. When they are online they are more open, talkative, confident and generally seem to have a high self-esteem. When they are face to face with other people, they are shy, quiet, less courageous and generally not social. This had led to shy people being more addicted to social media because they can be people who they want to be online. They enjoy quality time online compared to with the people around them. Quality face to face interaction has been affected as well.
People do not get to talk often with each other physically but they do virtually and individuals have chosen to have intimate and personal conversations when they are online. This shows how much people are getting uncomfortable with each other. The fear of being judged has overpowered the urge for people to be comfortable around each other. This has also led to a decrease in the amount of relationships. Parents do not have good relationships with their children and children with their peers. As one enters a subway it is not common to notice people talking to one another. Individuals are either having their headphones and earphones glued to their ears or their eyes glued to their tech devices. People should be allowed to develop their communication skills. Shy individuals have to take the initiative to work on their shyness rather than hiding behind the screens of their devices. Children should be allowed to grow while appreciating the importance of face to face communication (Tardanico).
Presently millennials value quantity of quality. Using technology, they are able to interact with many people at the same time compared to face to face communication. One person is able to converse with ten people when chatting without the ten knowing it. In face to face communication, it is impossible to interact with ten people without the ten knowing it because a group will be formed and the eleven talk to each other involving one another. Valuing quantity over quality has led to poor relationships.
In spite of the evidence showing how social media has affected face to face communication, researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia believe mediated communication does not affect face to face communication. The researchers believe that people must be responsible for maintaining and sustaining their relationships whether it is through social media or any other means such as face to face communication. They argue that the use of social media does not take away individuals from social interactions. They use media to meet virtually and face to face communication to physically meet. Social media is a tool that is encouraged by the researches and should not be blamed for causing a strain on the relationships of individuals (Jeffery et al.).
Their argument is, however, flawed because social does take the time that would have otherwise been used in face to face communication. There are individuals who have become addicted to their devices that they do not see a life without them. Others have founded their careers on social media and will be nobodies with it hence spend a great percentage of their time on social media. Social media is slowly taking the place of face to face interactions and will soon take over if not addressed and moderation is done. Moderation will ensure there is ample time to interact face to face with other people and also maintain an active social life. It will also ensure that social media takes the second place and not the first when it comes to the formation of relationships and interactions.
Face to face communication has numerous benefits as stated above. Even in ancient days, individuals would have a reason to travel long distances to meet with relatives just to see and interact with them. In the current society, family members can go years without seeing each other but maintaining online communication. Social media has led to some form of “laziness” where people are feeling too “lazy” to go out and actually meet people. Individuals prefer using buttons and screens where they get to meet people and get to know them. The presence of dating sites has made the dating world easier but it has come at a price. People meet and fall in love without actually seeing the individual they are loving. This has led to early deaths when individuals meet and expectations are not met and one of the parties decides to end a life.
Individuals are encouraged to keep communication basic. This way, they are able to see sense in talking to one another face to face. They are also able to appreciate non-verbal cues and value physical encounters with other people. Mediated communication may be common but it is face to face communication that is valuable.
Works Cited
Brandon, Nicole Rae. "The Effect of Face-to-Face versus Computer-Mediated Communication on Interpersonal Outcomes in Getting-Acquainted Situations." (2016).
Jeffrey A. Hall, Michael W. Kearney, Chong Xing. Two tests of social displacement through social media use. Information, Communication & Society, 2018; 1 DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2018.1430162
Tardanico, Susan. “Is Social Media Sabotaging Real Communication.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 6 Dec. 2015. Retrieved from <http://www.forbes.com/sites/ susantardanico/2012/04/30/is-social-media-sabotaging-real-communication/>
