HOW TECHNOLOGY AFFECTS HOW WE COMMUNICATE

HOW TECHNOLOGY AFFECTS HOW WE COMMUNICATE

There are many debates about whether the new electronic media have impoverished our language and the ability to communicate and express ourselves, and this may be a question that we would each answer individually, but the truth is that, the way we Communicated has undergone a remarkable transformation. If we go back to analyze the changes that have undergone the technologies of the writing throughout the history of the humanity we will realize that all have had consequences in the social practices.

Many times the form of communication is homogeneous only for certain types of people, depending on their age, the place where they live, the environment in which they live, the schooling and even the socioeconomic level to which they belong. However, electronic media and, above all, social networks have managed to overcome these barriers by creating new language codes that enable oral and written communication regardless of the characteristics of the individual.

Although the use of technology is often promoted in areas such as education, consideration should be given to strategies where it is always used as a tool, so as not to de-emphasize other important educational processes such as written communication and reading.

Difficulty communicating ideas

Before the chat, no one had ever written so much -digitally-and so badly. There is no language of chat, but deformations of the language. And, in this sense, if we promote the chat as a fun, we are disabling the student. With this exercise of primitive babbling of the language, which makes a jibarismo of the expressions, we are turning the boy into an inept expressive and, therefore, a second citizen in the future (La Gaceta, June 16, 2006) .

This is expressed by Pedro Luis Barcia, director of the Argentine Academy of Letters, regarding the communication established by young people through digital media. A somewhat harsh opinion that accounts for a phenomenon that is strongly attacking our society and has a greater impact on young people.

As a teacher it is easy to detect the difficulty that the students present when communicating their ideas and the enormous amount of errors that they present in their written texts. Could it be that technology has only managed to disable us? I do not think so. As in many aspects of life, in this case technology can only influence (positively or negatively) rather than determine the behavior of a certain individual or a certain group of people.

What happens, I think, is that we are using the technology incorrectly. Instead of demonizing digital media we should see them and use them as opportunities to practice our written communication (blogs, social networks, forums, etc.) and encourage reading (digital books, news, magazines, etc.).

Although chat has been able to speed communication through the abbreviation of words and expressions (emoticons), we should never consider this as a means of formal communication and, much less, to translate that language to other aspects of our life.

Difficulty in relating

It seems that our "virtual" life has taken on more importance than the real one and this is having a significant impact on how we relate to other people. Communication is the central aspect in a relationship between two people, however the mobile devices are creating a barrier that moves them away more and more.

In this sense, it is important that parents pay special attention to the small ones. It is okay for them to use the tablet, to develop higher-order cognitive skills and digital skills, but they should never lose the ability to relate to their peers. Play and socialization are determining factors in the development of a child, so it is important to control the time they spend in front of the computer or other device.

The human being is a sociable being by nature and living with other people provides a warmth that is not compared to the most expensive smartphone in the world. Try to talk and live more often with your family and friends to not lose the best moments of your life.