Nonverbal Communication and Texting

Today, the most popular medium of communication is all done through texting.  Face-to-face communication and even simply calling someone is less utilized and almost unheard of now.  The article I chose to read is from the Huffington Post “Is Texting Ruining The Art Of Conversation?” by Martha Irvine.  The article talks about how the younger generations immediately turn to texting even for the most simple of communication settings.  For example, a 13-year-old girl who texted her mom from her bed to make her breakfast.  Also, how college students use email to communicate with professors instead of going into the professors’ office hours.  After reading this article I’ve realized how much texting and other computer mediated communication has affected people’s nonverbal behaviors, which are all behaviors except the actual words.  For example proxemics the space and territory between people. Kinesics, an individuals movements including body language, facial expressions or eye contact.  Also paralanguage, which is everything in the voice channel except the actual words (tone, pitch, inflection, accent). I have observed all of these behaviors in my own life as well.  When I was younger (pre-cellphone era) I used to walk over to my friend’s house and knock on the door to see if he wanted to hangout.  If he wasn’t home I’d go on to my other friends houses.  Nowadays it is one text “What are you doin? Wanna hangout?” all done without even getting up.  When I go out to eat with friends, we all sit down at the table but I’ve notice everyone is always on their phone the entire time or a large portion of the meal.  When I try to start a conversation I find myself repeating myself multiple times because nobody is paying attention.  None of them could maintain eye contact with me when talking because every time their phone buzzed they would quickly get distracted and ignore me. It is very rude and very obvious when they aren’t paying attention or interested in what I’m saying even when they say they are.  Also texting can also lead to misinterpretations because it is impossible to detect someone’s tone, pitch, inflection, or accent.  A person could send a text making a joke using sarcasm but the person receiving the text must understand this persons sense of humor or could take the joke literally and be offended or hurt by the joke. 

            I agree with this article that texting is ruining the “art of conversation”. People are losing the skill of communicating face-to-face.  Conversations can’t be deep or personal when it is over text because neither party can detect the emotion or tone of the other.  How are we supposed to know how someone else feels about whatever the topic of conversation is?  I think those who rely on texting too much and those who lose the skill of face-to-face communication will be affected greatly in the real world especially, in the field of business where negotiations, sales pitches, presentations, and meetings are frequent modes of communication.  Also, this will affect and test how people listen effectively in the workplace.  Effectively listening cannot take place if someone’s phone is controlling his or her attention.