Ann Althouse notes a letter to the NYT which bemoans the lack of face-to-face communication in modern society
How about if all those who spend much of their time chattering on their cellphones stow them somewhere, and actually talk to the living, breathing human beings right in front of them? Then maybe they wouldn’t have to spend so much time blogging us all senseless.
To which I would say:
This kind of thing strikes me as part of a need to simply bemoan some aspect of modern society (a variation of the “back in the good ole days…”).
Indeed, is it not the case that there has been ongoing bemoaning about the fact that in the modern era the written word is fading (usually along the lines of “people don’t write letters like they used to…”).
Quite honestly, blogging has made me more communicative than I used to be (not that I was shy about talking, being a professor and all…).
However, I have found that I may talk more about a subject because not only have I given it more thought because I blogged on it, but since I have blogged about it and it is in the public domain, why not just talk about it too?
I have also found that because of blogging I have likely read more news and commentary on a subject than most people, even my peers. Because, if I am going to argue in public about something, I need to be informed—not to mention that I am often looking for stuff to blog about.
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Pingback by A Knight’s Blog » Pros and Cons of Modern Communication — Tuesday, August 9, 2024 @ 11:41 am
I certainly see your point and agree with it in the most part. There is one woman that I used to talk to alot at a message board that was painfully shy about talking to people face to face but was fine with talking online. It does allow people opportunities to communicate that they didn’t have before, including the opportunity to meet people (electronically) that they would never meet in person.
However, the whole cellphone thing can be annoying. I see people who will talk on their cellphones in situations that, to me, just seem rude. I may have some of my own tendencies to long for the good ole days, but in this particular case, I just long for common curtesy. And I think Dr. “Turn-off-your-cellphone-in-my-class” will agree with me on that one.
Comment by Jan — Wednesday, August 10, 2024 @ 7:36 am
I concur in re: rudeness and cell phones. However, I am not sure that was the letter-writer’s main point, but rather that people should communicate face-to-face.
Still, you are certainly correct: people seem utterly unware of how to be polite with the darn things.
Comment by Dr. Steven Taylor — Wednesday, August 10, 2024 @ 8:15 am
The type of rudeness I was thinking of that did seem to tie in with his theme was when people will try to carry on a store transaction or the like while continuing to talk on the phone. One could at least pause from the cellphone conversation long enough to acknowledge the presence of the person they are doing business with.
Comment by Jan — Wednesday, August 10, 2024 @ 12:16 pm
I take your point–I stand corrected.
Comment by Dr. Steven Taylor — Wednesday, August 10, 2024 @ 12:25 pm
Hey it could have been the school calling!!!
Comment by lisa — Wednesday, August 10, 2024 @ 1:44 pm
Lisa, I said they should pause for a moment, not hang up on the person. lol
Comment by Jan — Thursday, August 11, 2024 @ 7:41 am