iExamen 1: Life Beyond The Web

Having many forms of communication, different messages come across in various ways.  Talking with someone face to face is definitely the best form of communication because there are no assumptions or misunderstandings.  With all electronic forms of communication, there is almost always a lack of clarity in conversation.  One can never know the tone in which someone is speaking and that causes a lot of misunderstanding.  In person, a response is expected at that moment in time whereas online, a response is not required immediately, one can take as long as they want to come up with a response or answer.  Personal conversations are the best because there is more engagement and there is also that physical aspect.  Talking to my friends from home electronically just makes me miss them more because the conversations are not as fun and interesting. 

One thing I notice about electronic usage is when I am in a group of people, there is always at least one person checking their phone for something.  There is always a text message, a call, an email, a Facebook notification, a tweet, or snapchat that needs to be checked.  This generation feels the need to take themselves from their present state and company just to check those messages.  Being in the presence of people is something quite precious and it should not be interrupted.  I remember the other day when I had my music playing in through my headphones and I couldn’t hear my friend when she was trying to catch my attention, making it seem like I was ignoring her.  So before my hour with no technology-assisted communication, I assumed I would be able to fully hear my surroundings and appreciate such noise, and I sure did.  It was nice not being in tuned to my music for once and walking around without looking at my cell phone all the time to change the song or see who has contacted me.  Being able to fully see and hear my surroundings allowed me to become more aware of my presence and existence.  Not having something in my hand to look at every so often enabled me to really observe and appreciate the ambiance of where I was.  I have always loved the outdoors and this exercise allowed me to recognize the true connection human beings have with the environment.  This exercise showed how much electronics interrupt the essence of personal contact.