When asked to write about an instance in my life where “communication has gone wrong”, a million situations came to mind. Being raised with a generation thriving on communication through electronic devices often more than face to face, many instances of miscommunication are possible. Though technology has been a blessing in many ways, it has also has been a cause to many misunderstandings between people. Because of the lack of face-to-face interaction through many modern communication devices, many conversations become misinterpreted. (With the telephone at least tone and voice inflection provide guidance, but facial expressions are absent.) Text and e-mail are the two main vices on which my generation has thrived. The meanings of exclamation points and periods have greatly increased. With exclamation points, comments can be read as overly enthused or with a period (since minimal to no punctuation is used through this medium) can add a negative tone.
My miscommunication occurred once when a friend asked me if I wanted to go to a movie. I replied with a simple “no thank you.” If face to face, or on the phone, the gratitude I had for my friend asking me and the grace when declining would have been easily understood. But because there was no first hand contact, voice intonation, or even punctuation, my friend understood my response as apathetic and unappreciative. First of all, I believe my friend was over analyzing these three little words and the intentions behind them. But I also recognize that if I had added a simple exclamation point, my response would have been perceived much differently. This situation has taught me that lack of punctuation when trying to respond quickly is not always the best choice. It can have grave consequences. Since then, I am very conscious of my text messaging and how what I say may be perceived by others without my personality present to guide it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I think a couple of sentences could have been taken out at the begining. I can relate to this entry. There have been instances where txt messaging does not fully portray what you intended.
This entry was one that I could personally identify with. I think that anyone who has ever written a text or instant message has experienced a situation similar to the one described. I like the way this post draws attention to the way a simple punctuation mark can alter the whole tone of a message, something that is often overlooked by the writers, and receivers for that matter.
Post a Comment