Communication: The Benefits Of Face To Face Communication

Advancements in technology have forever changed the way we connect with one another. Starting with the most primitive cave paintings during the Paleolithic era, onto the development of the letter press by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1400s, and now to today’s increasing availability of the Internet, communication is at a record high. Even with the growing capability to correspond, some individuals feel that scores of people may forget the advantages of face-to-face communication or even over the phone conversations, while others may argue that the ability to communicate sans physical interaction closes the gaps caused by distance, therefore making people feel closer than before. In, “No Need to Call,” by Sherry Turkle, the author writes about

Email is equal to texting. In an email, we only have words to convey and receive a message. An email misses the tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions. People use those particular details to decode the message. Emails also can delay the delivery of a message. Delayed receipt of a message can keep a conversation from forming. Tara could have received a message from Alice directly after her sister’s death, but by the time Tara responded to the email Alice could have been in another state of mind or receipt of the message could have been delayed. A delay in correspondence could make anything that Tara responds with irrelevant. Turkle writes that Tara “was ashamed of her reaction,” but “defensive as well” (384). Even if it was over email, Tara had made the effort to coordinate dinner. Tara tells Turkle that if she had called instead of emailed to arrange dinner, “I would have heard something in her voice. I would have suspected. I could have drawn her out” (384). Because a phone call lacks body language and facial expressions a person would typically witness in a face-to-face conversation, a person must hone in

A person was allowed to pick up two pieces of V-mail stationary a day at their post office for free or they could purchase stationary packages at a local store. Once a letter was written, it would be sent to one of three facilities, reviewed, photographed, shrunk down in size to microfilm, and sent overseas. Nowadays a person can simply pick up a phone, tablet, or computer and with a swipe, tap, or click and can connected to anyone, anywhere. Jenna Wortham writes in her essay, “I Had a Nice Time with You Tonight, On the App,” that she was able to spend “a lazy afternoon” with her boyfriend regardless of the 3,000 miles between them (393). Wortham was able to conquer such a feat by way of technology and smart phone applications, or apps. She states that, “Because this kind of communication is less formal than a phone call or email, it feels more like the kind of casual conversation you might have over a meal or while watching television together” (Wortham 394). Use of these apps, according to Worthham, provide more than what a simple text message would offer because a person can add his or her own flair to a message with “digital doodles to video messages…virtual kisses, or cartoon characters” (394). In the essay, Wortham references Sherry Turkle and Turkle’s worry that people are forgetting the benefits of face-to-face communication when they