The Digital Age & The Loss Of Friendship
Voicingmy concern about the impact of digital and online communication on physical or face-to face-interactions, a therapist friend, from whom i was expecting better under standing, surprised me by cynically asking: "So, you are 'into relationships"?" Another friend hardly ever responds to calls these days, only to texting. His message is: get to the point. As if there are no times when-in dialogue-one needs inputs to gradually articulate thought and feelings. This get-to-the point syndrome indicates patience-fatigue, where engagement with others feels exceedingly exhausting. Genuine contacts are being replaced by instant messaging and texting. Yet, such unavailability takes its toll on relationships; many of these same people complaining that though there is so much 'contact'there is too little 'connection'. Shouldn't this indicate that something is not right? A good thing about this 24/7 hyper connected space is that it addresses the tyranny of distance; now you can easily contact anyone anywhere at little or no cost. But it has also affected those living in the same city or even in the same locality who would rather message than meet, rather state than listen. Driven by a succession of preoccupations, people do promise to meet for a relaxed time together, but that doesn't happen for weeks or months-or It was not long ago that one met over a cup of tea or coffee, chatted and parted feeling fulfilled. In such face-to-face encounters one could observe nuances of feeling and respond, or even be contradicted for having misread the situation; a single glance could encompass an entire canvas of feelings. while true that 'all things must change to something new, to something strange’, the strangeness now is sadly estranging. Often communication is through a set of 'emoticons'; cute but devoid of any real emotive resonance, leaving one at best clueless, at worst cold or simply irritated. More and more people are finding this trend quite acceptable and are unaware of the resulting contracting sense of relatedness, or the understanding that somethingis receding from us. And when one raises concern over this, the answer, stated or not, is 'who has time for talking?" or 'this is how things are-like it or not' In hectic times like ours, it is vital to slow down, create pauses in one's busyness and encourage a saner pace of life by being present and spending an hour or two of quality time, sharingand relating and savouring togetherness. These exchanges and deep relating are known to enrich understanding, and can help intoning dovnegativity. Sherry Turkle, psychologist andsociologist at MIT who has for 30 yeast died how people react and adaptnew technologies thatchange thew communicate, in her book, 'ReclaimConversation: The Power of Talk in Digital Age', argues that over-reliarnew modes of communication is nevely affectingour abilityto have facface conversation, "the most humarthing we do", by splittingour attentand "diminishing our capacity for ehy". Philosopher Seneca's words renus: Nothing delights the mind so mufond and loyalfriendship... wheredless afraid to share knowledge of sohing thanto keep it to oneself. We AL those "whose advice helps you mayors mind, whose cheerfulness dissyour sorrow, whose very appearangcheers you up"..
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Shantum Seth personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Shantum Seth and Speaking Tree,Times of India
The Digital Age & The Loss Of Friendship
Voicingmy concern about the impact of digital and online communication on physical or face-to face-interactions, a therapist friend, from whom i was expecting better under standing, surprised me by cynically asking: "So, you are 'into relationships"?" Another friend hardly ever responds to calls these days, only to texting. His message is: get to the point. As if there are no times when-in dialogue-one needs inputs to gradually articulate thought and feelings. This get-to-the point syndrome indicates patience-fatigue, where engagement with others feels exceedingly exhausting. Genuine contacts are being replaced by instant messaging and texting. Yet, such unavailability takes its toll on relationships; many of these same people complaining that though there is so much 'contact'there is too little 'connection'. Shouldn't this indicate that something is not right? A good thing about this 24/7 hyper connected space is that it addresses the tyranny of distance; now you can easily contact anyone anywhere at little or no cost. But it has also affected those living in the same city or even in the same locality who would rather message than meet, rather state than listen. Driven by a succession of preoccupations, people do promise to meet for a relaxed time together, but that doesn't happen for weeks or months-or It was not long ago that one met over a cup of tea or coffee, chatted and parted feeling fulfilled. In such face-to-face encounters one could observe nuances of feeling and respond, or even be contradicted for having misread the situation; a single glance could encompass an entire canvas of feelings. while true that 'all things must change to something new, to something strange’, the strangeness now is sadly estranging. Often communication is through a set of 'emoticons'; cute but devoid of any real emotive resonance, leaving one at best clueless, at worst cold or simply irritated. More and more people are finding this trend quite acceptable and are unaware of the resulting contracting sense of relatedness, or the understanding that somethingis receding from us. And when one raises concern over this, the answer, stated or not, is 'who has time for talking?" or 'this is how things are-like it or not' In hectic times like ours, it is vital to slow down, create pauses in one's busyness and encourage a saner pace of life by being present and spending an hour or two of quality time, sharingand relating and savouring togetherness. These exchanges and deep relating are known to enrich understanding, and can help intoning dovnegativity. Sherry Turkle, psychologist andsociologist at MIT who has for 30 yeast died how people react and adaptnew technologies thatchange thew communicate, in her book, 'ReclaimConversation: The Power of Talk in Digital Age', argues that over-reliarnew modes of communication is nevely affectingour abilityto have facface conversation, "the most humarthing we do", by splittingour attentand "diminishing our capacity for ehy". Philosopher Seneca's words renus: Nothing delights the mind so mufond and loyalfriendship... wheredless afraid to share knowledge of sohing thanto keep it to oneself. We AL those "whose advice helps you mayors mind, whose cheerfulness dissyour sorrow, whose very appearangcheers you up"..
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Shantum Seth personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Shantum Seth and Speaking Tree,Times of India