Dialogue

Yesterday I talked about my views on the way communication had evolved, especially as it is used by the "next generation." Today I am pondering the ways that is different from the way MY generation learned to communicate.

I grew up in an age where letter writing, phone calls and yes, Face-To-Face communication, was all that was available. I grew up in an era where communication came in 2 flavors - either it was a monologue and intended to educate and inform (TV, Radio, magazines) or it was relational.

Relational communication involves depth. Oh, the fluff, light-hearted sharing and surface interactions are there as well (ala FB, MySpace and texting) but it definitely involves getting into the other persons' life. Tapping into the superficial communication net is trivial once you are comfortable with the relational. My relationships with my friends and neighbors is based on spending time with them. Adding the FaceBook and other communication channels enhances that relationship.

The reverse is, in my opinion, substantially less trivial. When relationships are established on using the superficial networks it is a lot more difficult to become comfortable with the deeper, more meaningful styles. Many of our children have abandoned using mobile phones for actually making calls. I have seen statements where over 10K text messages have been sent and only 100 minutes (or less) used for actual voice communications in a month.

(to be continued....)