...On Avoiding Meaningful Human Interaction.

...Warning, potentially useless and unneccessarily wordy drivel piece. I don't suggest that you read any further than this, unless of course you happen to be a glutton for ridiculous prattle, and, you are too bored to bother with any other form of Real Adult Interaction, which, by the way, is my reason for posting this essay in the 1st place!...If, by the way, this warning describes you, please read on and feel free to comment, if, unlike me, you can figure out how to do so within this comepletely un-navigatible site!


Just lately it's become more and more apparent to me that I find myself living in a world that chooses "back-door" communication styles rather than the more "Intimate" "Face-to-face", or even "Mouth-to-ear" variety of human interaction. Would somebody please explain to me why it has become so terribly much more important to hammer out a text or a facebook "splash" rather than to pick up a telephone and utter the same sentiment along with their useful "understood" nonverbal "cousins" like "tone-of-voice" and inflection.  Haven't we all spent so much of our lives specifically crafting  these nuances in order to make ouselves that much better understood?!

Now don't misunderstand me, I realize that there are times when a quick text, especially when we're in a hurry and literally don't have time for idle chatter, can be useful. No, what I'm witnessing is the evolution of a useful communication tool (texting) that was designed for quick "over-and-out"... "on-the-go"..."slam-bam" barrages of syllables and words into some sort of other-worldly way of escapism from each other...Yes and I Am aware of the fact that I am, just now by blathering on in this manner,  participating in what I am attempting to describe!...Yes I too am Pathetic!!

What I guess pisses me off about this current Darwinian leap is that we are excising an important part of how we have historically represented ourselves to one another by removing the nuance in our voices and replacing it with written characters that can't possibly convey the same emotion! How often have you found yourself "finger-tapping" some seemingly important idea to some obviously important person w/n your constellation of friends or relatives? Why-The-Hell would we choose to be so blatently impersonal with someone in our lives who we felt compelled to share idley-important-chattel with in the first place?!...Dammitman...

Hell I do it myself, but lately it occurs to me how ridiculous, how emotionless and just how hopelessly disinterested I must appear to be to the people whose very approval I find myself seeking. Just Sayin'.

..."tappin' one off here Boss"

"...The World is the World'

Comments

  1. I do not disagree, Tom, but I gotta' tell ya' that there is an important aspect to this depersonalized form of communication....I like to think of it as connection. I, as you have probably guessed, utilize fb as a communication tool because I don't live near most of the people I am connecting with. It is a great way to stay 'tethered' to former and, now current, friends from my past. There is, for instance, a group of us who gather monthly to wine, dine and have a good time down in G'boro. One of the really cool things is not all of us were 'all that' close during junior high and high school days and have come to know one another in a closeness that is heartening and supportive in our adult years (which is a good thing since we're all adults now, right?)

    As for the texting thing....I'm definitely with you. A quick message, "hey, call me", or "I'm lost. Turn on your GPS and call me", I can see. As for carrying on a conversation....not so much.

    I stay in 'the loop' with Facebook. I love it.

    ReplyDelete

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