Communication: The Battle of Quality vs Quantity

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Is Privacy and Interaction really a Price for Efficiency?

Theres Absolutely No Doubt
Cell phones, have become a godsend, letting us place calls no matter where we are -- Elizabeth Blackburn

Communication is how we and interact with each other every single day. Its how we find out news about connect something or someone or how we learn things. As times and eras change, so does
the process of communicating. From the innovative printing press of the 1440s that eased the process of letter and book creating, to the skeptical social media of today, the ways humans connect and interact with each other have gone through very different stages. But for the most part, those interactions carry emotions and feelings that help form certain relationships and have the power to alter situations. With advances in technology and social norms changing every day, we as human beings are growing farther and farther away from these feelings and emotions and are settling for technology or robots to do the interacting for us. Now we must realize that these advances are not fully at blame. Cars, cell phones, the Internet, all that stuff has definitely increased efficiency and made our lives much easier. No longer do we have to travel for three days by horse and buggy to deliver a simple message. And no longer do we have to pause everything we are

Transforming Our Lives Forever

Throughout our lives, were constantly told and reminded through various acts and situations, that we cannot have our cake and eat it too. But when the wave of the electronic generation came storming in, it seemed as if the cake was being cut and passed around. Email was created and the fact that we could send messages to several people across the nation in just a couple seconds was fantastic. It took time-costing processes and cut them in half, for example, a manager can send a meeting agenda to the whole office with one e-mail, a process that once would have required typing a memo, making copies, and distributing them to each desk (Blackwell). But the efficiency train didnt end at virtual mailboxes. Social media has opened a door to a parallel universe where reality is placed on hold and all of your friends and family are literally a click away. Outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even dating websites give everyone the chance to voice their expressions and opinions without the nervous pressure of being in front of people, Problems such as conversing with a friend overseas or exchanging pictures with separated family members no longer exist. Cell phones had the biggest impact by bringing the entire world to a new level and releasing us from the burdens and restrictions of landline phones. This in turn moved us from a time where pay phones were the only option to call home if our car broke down on the side of the road, or if we had to stay after school (DeLeo). Theres absolutely no doubt that cell phones have become a godsend, letting us place calls no matter where we are on the way to work, at the beach, at school, etc. (DeLeo) and over time, have progressed into communicational masterminds along with more advancements such as internet surfing and video chats. But along with these fabulous features comes certain expectations and possible stress, According to a 2008 survey by

For Every Action, Theres a Reaction

And Cue in the Reaction
Yes, theses innovative advancements in technology have proven to be efficient in almost every way possible, but with a costly price tag; human communication. Elizabeth Blackwell, a contributing blogger for the Discovery Channel speaks of the change of communication as a triumph of quantity over quality, meaning that there is now more importance toward the amount of communicating rather than the meaning and purpose behind these messages. The blame lies in the lack of discipline when using these inventions. Wed rather message someone that is down the hall from us instead of exerting energy and walking over to hold an actual conversation. Take social media for example. Facebook was made for communicating and staying in touch with friends and family many miles away. But these days, the screens of computer monitors and cell phones receive more face time and in some instances, more conversations than actual people. From our homes to the workplace, we

constantly depend on either our phones or the Internet to retrieve information and communicate. Through a TED Talk presentation, Sherry Turkle stresses that this new technology superpower has gotten psychologically powerful and states that the term conversation has transformed into an entirely new meaning, now referring to sips of tweets, texts or social media messages all strung together(Turkle). Speaking of a past interview, Turkle reminisces of a past discussion where she discovered that young adults today are gaining certain skills pertaining to different technological advances, but at the same time losing the basic skill of conversing with one another,(young adults saying) someday, someday but certainly not now, I would like to learn how to have a conversation ( Turkle). Social media is also a meeting ground for people to interact with others that may lead to strong relationships relationships that remain online. Online, we have the power to enhance ourselves and create somewhat of an avatar or alter ego, where we can say what we want to say and be who we want

to be while also hiding or rejecting certain flaws and features that may define us. Online, identity and emotions hardly matter opposed to in person, where conversations and experiences can be influenced by different variables such as nerves

opened. But the show must go on. MTVs Catfish, a show that unites online relationships and unveils false personas, sheds light on the world of online communication and reveals the thousands of situations that occur everyday. People form a deep, emotional relationship with someone online and portray themselves as this faade that can costly change the course of the situation. As MTV can prove, most of these relationships end with shock and betrayal when the online relationship is united in the real world. The situation and conversations suddenly change and the feelings of comfort and safeness are gone due to the fact that we are exposed and cant hide our assumed imperfections. Entrusting a complete stranger with deep emotion and sentiment seems strange all on its own, and expressing all this over some keys and a screen just doesnt seem normal let alone right right? Amongst colleagues, friends and family, we carry ourselves in a more relaxed and casual manner, one that differentiates our personalities from everyone else.

Someday, Someday but certainly not now, I would like to learn how to have a conversation
- young adults (Turkle)
and emotion. Your online profile could say that youre an all-accomplishing athlete with godlike looks and acceptance letters to seven division-I schools. But in reality, you are some 27-year old average Joe with a GED living in your parents basement wasting away your life playing Call of Duty. See, we create these with the confidence that we can hide behind this curtain of false pretenses without it ever being

So when an office employee feels uncomfortable because he no longer knows how to speak to his younger co-workers or when a parent has to text and Facebook chat the kids to come down for dinner, we as a society must come to the realization that quality must prevail over quantity. The interaction between people plays a vital role in the progression of society, but its that personal, face-toface interaction that truly creates a REAL connection. That REAL connection is what the battle of quality vs. quantity is referring to. With the new technology being created everyday, its not just easy, but also convenient to get lost in the efficient features being offered. But is it appropriate to substitute emojis for actual human faces? Are lols really better than actual laughs? The answer is definitively no. Yes our lives would be filled with more stress and work than imaginable without the technology we have today, but must not let it take over. Along with the gadgets must come with discipline.