Back in the day when you had a grievance, or issue, or opinion to share you personally went to speak to an individual who you looked in the eye and then you spoke your mind. At the end of the exchange you may have reached an agreement or simply agreed to disagree, shook hands, and went about your business. Perhaps in long distance situations you picked up the telephone and had a verbal exchange. In that case you each took turns discussing your points of view through live conversation. It may not have been the same as having to be in the person’s presence, but it still provided a human connection that could be somewhat intimidating depending upon the topic of conversation. In these cases you had to put yourself out there to make your case, or defend your position, or show your emotion, or take your lumps. It was personal even when it was business. Your word was your bond, your eye contact was your trust, and your handshake was your contract. What about in today’s world? Is it different? I think it is.
Today we can be anonymous and still communicate our thoughts, opinions, and grievances. No longer do you have to be yourself. You can create a new persona, become a new name, create a caricature of the person you may want to be, not the person you are. You can speak boldly and loudly without fear of anyone knowing who you really are, where you live, or work, or even if you are a man, woman, or child. When I look at comments on a news forum, or a social networking site I often think about whom “Batman” or “EagleEye” or “JohnnyB” really is. I wonder if they would make the same statements if they had to post their real identity. I wonder how brave they would be if they actually had to make their comments in person. It sometimes takes guts or humility to deal with someone face-to-face, however it is much easier to hide behind the monitor and keyboard.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of today’s technology and how it has transformed how we connect and communicate with each other. I just think we as people need to communicate using these tools as we would if we were face to face; with civility, with understanding, with honesty, and with the same guard and caution we would use when we are right there in the moment, in person. That’s my honest opinion.
#culture #communication