Communication Improved Through the Use of Texting
Communication Improved Through the use of Texting and Facebook What is communication? Communication can be defined as the process of exchanging information, ideas and messages from one person to another. An important factor in communication is the existence of a medium through which the message is being communicated; this may include the use of letters, emails, texts, word of mouth as well as social networks such as Facebook. One of the communication mediums that are now being used widely is the use of the social network site Facebook, which was introduced in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg.
Subscribers to Facebook create a profile which can have personal and general information about themselves to be seen by other subscribers. Cellular texting was introduced in the 1990s as a written form of communication that would work alongside verbal or voice calls, a service provided by cellular phones. This was through the introduction of Short Messaging Service (SMS) which makes use of the twenty six letters of the alphabet and the ten numerical to create a display that allows for at least one hundred and sixty characters.
Through the use of cellular texting and the social networking site Facebook, the communication between people has improved the efficiently and the effectively. Facebook is a form of communication medium that encourages universalism as it breaks down barriers across all ages, continents, gender, race, religion and thus helps to eliminate discrimination. Facebook is a worldwide network, it brings together families as they are able to remain friends and often communicate with others. One of the ideas of communication is to spread information, and Facebook helps to achieve this, “states Professor Sethi, who teaches at MIT about business communication. The social network’s ability to be accessed through the internet, by mobile handsets as well as through computers, has increased its usage. Facebook, provides better access to information, this is because it portrays information in a fun and lively manner that is appealing to most people.
A subscriber can have friends from all over the world, which one can interact with. The use of Facebook in communication has helped to create long lasting relationships that have at times led to marriages, partnerships, and even at times business deals, according to a study done in California on the effects social networks. The ability to interact with different people provides an opportunity for interaction that can create good relations. Facebook allows one to pass information or exchange ideas any time or place across any time period.
Facebook allows for privacy, in that the user can setup their account profiles to show as much personal information as the person wants an anonymous profile. A survey done on the connections made through a social networking site shows that by setting up ones profile to only show information that one desires, it will help many who may have otherwise been social outcasts, to interact with others and share ideas. Communication is meant to positively impact and by creating friends one is able to share and relieve stress.
Effective communication is at times very difficult to achieve and maintain. This is because there are several barriers or obstacles that prevent the conversation; however the use of cellular texting has helped to reduce the case of interruptions such as noise which would have otherwise affected the communicating of information. An article on The Social Construction and Usage of Communication Technologies discusses how one can send and receive a message even in an area that is very noisy, when it is raining as well when driving, without necessarily disrupting their work. Texting also allows for a faster transfer of information as it only takes less than one minute to spread information,” states Richard Ling an associate for Version Wireless. Texting is simply an easier way to communicate with many different people all at the same time. Ling also gives the example of having to call six different friends individually, people are now able to get on their cell phones and ask all six friends the same question at once with ease. Someone can text what they are feeling just as easily as saying something aloud.
Some would even go as far as to say that it is easier to get all your feelings out through a text rather than fumble your way through talking to someone in person; with texting, one is able to first read ones thoughts before sending them out. Texting is a new and beneficial way to communicate with others in a faster and easier way. Cellular texting also allows for the storage of records which can be used later as a reference. Since texting is a written form of communication it tends to be longer lasting and more valuable.
According to Doctor Marquez a professor at the University of Southern California, texting also helps to maintain consistency between the two parties that are communicating in continuing their last conversation. Communicating through texting allows for a personal and private form of communication since the message is only received by the intended recipient and not any other person. The use of texting allows for confidentiality and encourages communication to continue, therefore creating long lasting relationships.
Some people might argue there are disadvantages to the use of Facebook and cellular texting, because communication is designed to overcome all barriers and pass the information to all. “The use of Facebook in most countries tends to block out some disabled people and especially those who are visually impaired,” Jonathan Fiske an advocate for the visual impaired discuses. Since most phones and computers favour those who can see, this discriminates the blind. Facebook has developed recently; many people of the older generation cannot use it effectively. This means that they will be blocked from the information that is being passed to others.
Effective communication does not discriminate; even those who are illiterate or not technology savvy should be able to communicate. Since the increase in the use of Facebook and cellular texting, most people have avoided face to face communication. Not only does it affect a person’s listening skills, it also encourages laziness therefore breaking the connection of information and possibly causing wrong feedback. There are also the increased chances of misinterpretation that causes several conflicts; this is because most texts and Facebook posts are sent by people who are far away.
This means that there is nobody observing the non verbal messages that the information is presenting. However, despite the disadvantages in communicating information through the use of Facebook and texting, it is more productive and popular. The use of acronyms and shortened language in most of the mobile texts and Facebook posts, written communication has been greatly affected. This is because, many people especially the younger generations are addicted to this form of writing, therefore are not able to differentiate between social messaging and school work.
Professor Aleman, an English professor, lectures about how the use of shortened language in texts has also affected language and grammar use of many people, and also affecting their verbal communication techniques. If one is not able to communicate effectively then one may become a social loner as he or she may have less friends to talk to. This reduces the proper form of written communication. The use of cellular texting and the social network site Facebook has improved the effectiveness and efficiency of communication in today’s society.
The barriers that communication faces on a daily biases are eliminated through the use of texting and Facebook, and therefore the transfer of a message or conversation is properly communicated. Proper communication acts as a tool, as information is well communicated so that any form of misinterpretation can be avoided. Even though the creation of social networks such as Facebook and the introduction of cellular texting may be viewed by some as a negative advancement in technology, it has become the best way to pass information.
