Philippides
Modern day technology has significantly impacted the way we communicate.? Looking back to 440 BC, Philippides, an Athenian day-runner, was sent to Sparta to request aid against a Persian invasion.? He ran 150 miles in two days, and collapsed and died after he delivered the message.? Fortunately, in today?s day and age, we just have to send a text.? While electronics have made keeping communication in relationships easier, there is a ?method to the madness? to initiating, developing, symbolizing intimacy, and successfully maintaining relationships electronically.
A relationship is made through getting to know someone, and then forming a close bond with that person.? There are numerous ideas and theories as to how today?s relationships are forged.? Social Penetration Theory (SPT) is one idea about developing a relationship.? The idea represents making a deeper rapport with someone.? In Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters by Julia T. Wood, Chapter 11 mentions SPT and explains how it develops a level of intimacy through interpersonal communication using verbal and nonverbal communication.? For example, if I meet someone that I will be working with, I would exchange email or phone numbers, and message that person later saying something like, ?I really appreciated meeting with you today,? or just a message that implies sincerity.? One way that technology helps this is through the different ways of communicating.? A person in a relationship can text, email, Skype or some kind of video chat, or even just make a phone call.? An article from the Herald Net talked about how Facebook technology has changed relationship communication.? It stated, ?That using social-networking sites makes them feel more confident, popular and sympathetic to others,? (Kang, 2012).? These uses of technology can initiate and develop a relationship.
When a relationship becomes deeper than just a friendship, there is a level of loyalty that must be attained.? Long-distance relationships for example, can easily attract many different conflicts.? Commitment to a relationship builds loyalty and the relationship.? I learned through an Interpersonal Communication course that certain kinds of conflicts can occur.? One kind of conflict response that involves a couple?s reliability is the loyalty response.? This is about keeping a commitment to a relationship and dealing with conflicts.? The loyalty response is both constructive and passive according to Chapter 9 Wood?s book.? Coming back to the long-distance relationship example, one conflict could be about keeping in touch.? Because of all the technology in today?s day and age, electronics can help a couple keep in touch and solve their differences without having to send a carrier pigeon or run an extreme distance.? It is electronics that can keep a relationship going, and build the relationship as long as the right language is used.
Language used while maintaining a relationship has been dramatically influenced by today?s pop culture.? The internet has reshaped and redefined our English and grammar.? A text message can be interpreted in many ways since emotion or tone of voice is absent.? According to The University of Alabama?s Technology Program, text messaging has given our society a quick means through which to communicate, taking out the need for capitalization, punctuation, the use and knowledge of sentence structure and the detail that make good statements great,? (Ring 2009). ?The symbolism used in a simple text message or short messaging service (SMS) can imply formal or informal conversations.? A formal conversation means proper English with correct grammar.? The formal conversations should have no shortcuts, internet language, or text message lingo like, TTYL or LOL (talk to you later, and laugh out loud).? Internet language is used constantly, and it?s most often about popular media.? Informal conversations tend to go, ?OMG did you watch TLC yesterday? LOL!? and be indicating some popular trend.? Informal is more for friends or close relationships, and can include all of the text lingo, plus emoticons (the colons and parenthesis used for expressions through a text).? For example, a parenthesis in a text message is no longer just used to separate text.? A parenthesis can symbolize a smiley face or a frown to imply emotions.? Of course, when talking to a business partner, you would not want to use faces, nor internet language to keep a professional profile. ?If there was a misinterpretation in the symbolism in an email to a business partner, there is a risk of a paper trail or a misrepresentation of your professional profile.? In a relationship the internet language can symbolize many emotions.? It is a challenge to put a friendly tone on what is being communicated since there is no voice inflection.
Emoticons Used in a Text
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Professionally, there are different ways to keep in touch electronically.? Texting, SMS, email, and voice conferencing are different ways to connect to each other.? However, texting and emails do not provide sincerity and emotions like a face-to-face conversation.? The use of hand gestures is not for the use of electronics like it is for personal interactions.? Nothing beats seeing someone use expression, tone of voice, and inflection in a face-to-face conversation.? For example, a business man will more likely be most successful by going out to meet people, than just working through emails.? A couple in a long distance relationship could be apart for a while, and miss seeing each other.? This is where voice conferencing comes in handy.? Skype, one type of voice conferencing, is popular because it makes communication easy and it is a free service.? Electronically, communication through technology has become a lifeline and helps people in relationships to stay in touch.? The way it hurts is the misinterpretation of no emotions which is why Susan Chang, writer of the article, Technology and Relationships, suggests using the telephone.? She said, ?The tone of voice is clearer, and conflicts seemed to resolve on the telephone,? (Chang, 2003).? Those in relationships can explain themselves better over the phone than in a typed out message.
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While everything in language and communication has developed its own spin, what is important is we don?t have to run 150 miles to get a message across.? Once someone is officially in a relationship, all people have to do is hop on Facebook to see, instead of sending some carrier pigeon.? Interpersonal communication and technology has changed modern life.? However, despite the emoticons and internet language, there is still no replacement for talking in person and understanding more than just the text.? Tone of voice and expressions are major parts to understanding what kind of conversation is being made.? While new technology has helped us stay in communication, it still has not taken the place of face-to-face communication.? There is nothing like visually seeing and intently hearing a person, rather than expressionless words on a screen as those used in a text.
Sending a Message
Sources:
Baxter, L., & Montgomery, B. (Ed.). (2009).Relational dialectics. NY, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Chang, S. (2003). Communication Technologies and Long-Distance Romantic
Relationships.?Conference Papers ? International Communication Association, 1-31. doi:ica_proceeding_11995.PDF
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Kang, C. (2012, June 06).?Teens say social media a positive in their lives. Retrieved from
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120628/BIZ/706289933/1005/BIZ
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Morris, D. P. (2012, May 21).?Mark zuckerberg. Retrieved from http://topics.nytimes.com/
topics/reference/timestopics/people/z/mark_e_zuckerberg/index.html
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O?Shei, T. (2012, July 12).?Get ?business social? on facebook. Retrieved from
http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/socialmadness/2012/07/get-business-social-on-facebook.html?page=all
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Ring S. (2009). Text messaging and its effects on teens? grammar.Technology Education: A
series of Case Studies, Retrieved from http://www.bamaed.ua.edu/edtechcases/Case Numbers/text messaging and grammar_Case 11.pdf
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Wood, J. T. (2011).?Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. (6 ed., pp. 1-366).
Cengage Learning. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=7gNCRQN5Z0kC&pg=PT379&lpg=PT379&dq=communication climate continuum&source=bl&ots=LcfYrt-bJ7&sig=3Y1SlsRYJiVkRXax5HEQaFp4r4w&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Xs4AUKSkCYb88gTUlrikCA&ved=0CFAQ6AEwAA
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