The Tolls of Technology on Communication: In Response to Hector Carral

The world of communication has changed drastically many times throughout history. From the development of language, to the development of print, to the development of modern technology, communication has been adapted into many different forms. In today’s society the idea of communication has many different meanings. It could mean talking to someone face-to-face, sending an e-mail, calling someone on the phone, or texting. Because of the modern technology some people are finding it more and more difficult to develop the natural communication skill necessary to build relationships and function in today’s society. Hector Carral argues that we “should be able to interact with whomever [we] please without being judged for using a smartphone to do so.” I disagree with his statement because using a smartphone hides you in a way. This causes certain social skills to become underdeveloped. In an article on opposingviews.com the author claims that communication through technology “lacks intimacy and completely removes the contextual information provided by tone of voice and body language.” They continue to explain how the one-sidedness of technological communication makes it difficult for some to engage in day-to-day conversation because they might have difficulty understanding the “non-verbal cues due to lack of practice.” From this you can gather that human interaction is necessary on many levels and that Carral is wrong in saying that preferring to talk over the phone should not be a bad thing. Although it is not meaningless to talk on the phone, it causes some to lose the social skills that might be necessary to maintain normal conversation. It is almost unhealthy to not have the ability to interact face-to-face so some would find it imperative to communicate through true human interaction.