Will verbal communication ever die out, or come close to it?
IzzyS
Posts: 11,045 Forum Member
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I realise that's quite an extreme thing to suggest but I thought of it after watching a TV show tonight, in which someone talked about social networking - 'the impending death of oral communication and the evolution of massive thumbs' (or words to that effect).
I suppose I'm curious about how much of an impact people perceive technology to have had, in terms of lessening face to face contact.
I know its similar to this thread:- http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1894793
but slightly different, in as much as I'm posing the question of what the end game may be, so to speak.
Do you believe there will ever be a day when people don't talk to other people in the first instance and would have to sit and think through how to communicate verbally, rather than learning to use a new gadget and have to look for the right key on a keyboard etc?.
I suppose I'm curious about how much of an impact people perceive technology to have had, in terms of lessening face to face contact.
I know its similar to this thread:- http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1894793
but slightly different, in as much as I'm posing the question of what the end game may be, so to speak.
Do you believe there will ever be a day when people don't talk to other people in the first instance and would have to sit and think through how to communicate verbally, rather than learning to use a new gadget and have to look for the right key on a keyboard etc?.
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Its funny you mention that - I gave someone at work our IT helpdesk email address the other day, only to be informed they couldn't log in, so couldn't access email to send the message *doh* phone number it is then(!). With out IT system, we're told/taught to report faults via the intranet and not to phone the on site technician because they have to log and track all the jobs to be done etc.
It is a bit ironic but I like it since I avoid phone calls and chasing people about things face to face. I don't like hassling people and you never know for sure if they'll remember what you asked them to look at or do, if you catch them in the middle of the corridor or something, especially when their so busy.
I find it very hard to imagine what the future will be like but there is no doubt that lots of face-to-face and verbal communication has declined. Internationally I guess some things have been made easier via Skype and cheaper phone calls, but equally non-verbal communication such as email has increased so much more (and is often at a much lower cost) so is still the preferred method.
In another sense, meeting people (to actually spend time with them, talking!) is now much easier - most people have cars, there is loads of public transport, international travel, opportunities to socialise (e.g the number of pubs, hobby clubs etc available everywhere now must be massive compared to years ago), people are actively encouraged to be out of the house (e.g in cafes). Yet we seem to be less willing to talk to someone. So it's all a bit odd.
This is true and the next logical big step in social media applications such as FB and Twitter is video and voice. That kind of thing is already bubbling away and will emerge properly.
Yes but then I suppose if you look back in time, people have adapted to many different things and have changed because of it - people evolve throughout many generations, so, who knows?.
There are people, like me, who tend to avoid talking face to face at times.
That must hark back to caveman days? lol I'm guilty of that at times, especially if im interrupted while reading or watching something, I tend to mumble alot(!).
I love, love, love Skype. Video calls are free, even when international. My husband, kids and I keep in touch via Skype video every day when my husband or I are on a work trip, no matter where we are in the world.
When the connection is crap, we resort to using Gtalk via Gmail, which offers fee-based video calls. We don't use this often, though. We just use instant messaging through Skype when we can't use video.
You do have to pay for phone calls through Skype, but instant messaging and video calls are free.
I used to do that as teenager, especially when people working in shops used to ask me 'can I help you?' For me, it was a shyness problem.
He he!
Well it's died in my house hold since Virgin Multitoom and the PS4 turned up!
I think sensible people will continue to communicate verbally. It's not so bad communicating with people digitally, but I think there needs to be a limit to how much digital communication you have with people. It is true that there seems to be an increase in how much digital information is being transferred these days. A lot of the communication between people on Facebook is just stupid and daft, really. I think of these days as the information or the digital age.