Does the Web Mask Non-Verbal Communication? "What will he say today I wonder? I turn on my computer, waiting impatiently as it boots up. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: 'You've got mail'. I hear nothing, not even a sound on the noisy streets of New York, just the beat of my own heart. I have mail…from you." Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox’s situation in the popular movie “You’ve Got Mail,” is not an uncommon one in this day and age. The internet is rapidly becoming one of the most widely used forms of communication. It allows you to build relationships with people from all over the world. But how fulfilling are these relationships? While devices such as online dating services, chat rooms and Facebook undoubtedly help ease the awkwardness of an initial approach, they lack the intimacy that can only be achieved in face-to-face interactions. Nonverbal cues make up over 90 percent of all communication, according to several studies. Gestures such as smiles, nods and eye contact cannot be seen over the internet. Emoticons can be used to portray a few different basic facial expressions, but they represent only a small fraction of the nonverbal cues which occur in normal face-to-face interaction. Without such important nonverbal cues, information can easily be misconstrued. Misconstrued information can lead to arguments, which in turn can lead to the development of detrimental relationships. As a society, Americans tend to overload themselves with work and neglect their relationships. The internet has worsened the problem by encouraging people to find their “true love” online. This eliminates time-consuming singles mixers and prolonged trips to the bar after work. People looking for relationships online do not have to worry about searching within normal business hours. The internet is always open, unlike bars and clubs. While there are a few success stories, the chances of meeting someone online, developing a strong relationship and spending the rest of your life with them are slim to none. The internet can disrupt more than just the development of intimate relationships. People today can order clothes, books, movies and even groceries online, thus effectively cutting them off from the world. Students can send their professors instant messages during their office hours instead of actually going to meet with them in person. Emails are quickly replacing letters, and good old fashioned thank you cards are becoming obsolete. Whatever happened to meeting your neighbors, socializing with your professors or holding more than a five second conversation with your cashier at the local grocery store? Never before has society possessed a tool allowing them to be so vastly connected yet utterly isolated at the same time. The internet is making already introverted people even more anti-social. They feel safer in online interactions because they only have to reveal as much information about themselves as they feel comfortable doing. They can even pretend to be completely different people online than they actually are in real life. The resulting relationships that they build based upon their fabricated lives are not healthy. There is no doubt that the internet is a valuable tool for obtaining knowledge. It is essential to many in the workforce. However, it should not serve as a replacement for face-to-face interpersonal communication. The internet can by no means replace the smile of a stranger or the warmth of an embrace. It cannot replace the brilliance of a sunrise or the tranquility of the ocean. I encourage you to recall the days before life became high-speed; the days when getting to know someone person to person was a privilege and not a chore. |