This style of writing, which essentially is our voice, is rewarded by RTs, comments, and the "Bob Smith likes this" acceptance system, so I feel like we're being conditioned into shortening our thoughts and the way we express ourselves.
Some of you are thinking, "...and this is a bad thing?"
It's fine for online communication, but for face-to-face I feel like people are generally losing their ability to carry on an interesting convo.
How we communicate online is starting to bleed over to how we communicate in "real" life. Speaking in soundbites, referencing online resources instead of trying to explain something yourself, and just generally cutting back on the playfulness of language is starting to bother me. I feel like people think they're "talking too long" or think "why should I say more when this person can just go look it up online..."
I know some people are long winded and you wish they'd get cut off at 140 characters, but that's another conversation.
If you're talking to me, then please say more. Unless you truly don't know what the F you're talking about, then don't take the easy road by cutting yourself off and telling me to Google something. Use your brain. Dig that petrified info out of your head and try to express your thoughts, ideas, and opinions about x, y, & z. I won't get mad or think you're an idiot if you say something wrong or that doesn't make sense. In fact, mistakes while speaking usually turn into inside jokes and who doesn't love an inside joke!?!?
One of the best examples of this is my best friend telling me to write a book that wins a "grammy". Even better was the time she meant to say tentacles and said testicles--the context of that conversation really heightened the humor!
This post is about missing long, rambling--but entertaining--conversations that start off discussing Maslow's hierarchy of needs and end with a story about how you went streaking after a Green Day concert. You're not sure how you got there, but the journey from topic A to Z is all that matters. No one broke the flow to verify info online or to check how many comments they got on their latest status update.
Now don't get me wrong. I love how we can communicate online and enjoy the sassy updates and tweets just as much as anyone else. But I am missing REAL conversations, intellectual stimulation, pondering hypothetical situations, and just flat out LMAO moments with other people IN PERSON (not at a computer screen).
I've always been the type of person who likes to hang out 1-on-1 with others, mainly because I've always felt its the best way to really talk and get to know another person. I enjoy going out in groups, but its definitely more difficult to get into deep conversations in that setting unless you "break off" from the others and try to converse on the side.
My favorite thing to do with friends has always been to get a cup of coffee/dinner/drinks and just talk...
Now it's like we're all these hyper communicators who are tweeting, updating, talking, commenting, texting and checking email simultaneously because it's so damn important to let everyone know exactly what you're doing and thinking every minute of the day. Because if you don't then...what?
I really try to put the cell phone down when I'm with other people so I can just "be in the moment" and get back to the basics of human interaction: to share, react, & connect. Fundamentally, that's what all these social sites aim to do. But I've been noticing that the way people write and present themselves online is not always inline with how they speak and present themselves in person!
Why?
I think it's because we're becoming so dependent on written words/thoughts/ideas and having extra time to put together what we express that we're struggling with just speaking off the top of our heads!
What do you think?
