A teenager in contemporary American society can surly be found with their cell phone glued to their hand; anxiously awaiting a "ding" as a symbol of engagement in conversation. We are in a time when this is the norm, and because of the comfort in knowing virtual conversation is always available, we fail to pursue face-to-face interactions. I find myself just as guilty of this as the next person; when I am walking around campus, to escape from the awkwardness of the being alone, I absentmindedly pull out my phone and text my friends, opposed to striking up a conversation with someone new. In failing to introduce myself to another person in the same awkward conundrum, I potentially lose the opportunity to begin a long lasting relationship. Losing the chance to make connections is just one of the downfalls of today's technology based world.
Think way back to the beginning of the semester when we had just begun to delve into "Rhetoric and Civic Life." We were met with terms such as shared enterprise and civic infrastructure, neither of which seemed particularly interesting to me personally. However, in chapter two one sentence in particular stuck out to me with a hint of relevance: "our flight from conversation can mean diminished chances to learn skills of self-reflection." From this sentence I began to recognize that the contemporary reliance on virtual communication is not only lazy, but essentially self-destructive. Being raised in a time when communication via the internet or phone is constantly available, I failed to accept the repercussions of primarily non face-to-face contact.
Conversation with another person, in a sense, also requires dialogue with oneself. In-person communication requires investment in what the other person has to say while simultaneously self-checking and developing responses: a complexity that virtual communication lacks. Without this extra level of complexity, conversations can only be so deep. In a society in which conversations remain and the surface level and do not require self reflection, I believe what the texts refers to as a "flight from conversation" is more of a "plunge."
I appreciate your connecting the article we read to your own life, and really pulling the central point out of the article to emphasize its importance. Despite my own highly opinionated view on the subject, the post is well-written and thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteI believe physical interaction between people are very important for acquiring several social skills as well. this was a great way to describe the topic at hand. There is a great video I would recommend for you, its called, "Look Up!" it is very moving and fits very well with your statements.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where you are coming from in your reflection on the chapter you chose from the RCL book. I like how you said we are missing the depth of conversation when we speak from behind a screen. I know many people who come off as beautiful conversationalists over email, but can barely communicate in person. Great reflection!
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